Wednesday, Oct 29th, 2025 ~ Sheri Steinmetz & Katie Hale

 THYME OUT

This one needed to go back to the drawing board.  Not to discredit the co-authors, but the puzzle, at best, is clunky, with a mediocre theme, too many names, and egregious fill - and that's on the editor.  YMMV, but fills like 5 and 53D., with names not only at 1D. - Chairman Moe mentioned certain editors will not allow abbrs to start, and I agree - but also as theme answers ( even if I know two-thirds of them ) makes this grid lose lustre . . . Congratulations to Sheri, as this looks to be her debut, and Katie has constructed and co-authored several crosswords for the LA Times, "et al."; I do hope to see more collaborations.  Standard grid, only 13 3LWs - all the "worst" ones - and an oversampling of  'generic' crossword fill - but hey, no circles~!  The themers and the reveal;

20. Winner of the first Olympic gold medal in men's snowboard slopestyle: SAGE KOTSENBURG - name #1 - really vague - more here

34. "White Christmas" co-star: ROSEMARY CLOONEY - name #2

43. "Peanuts" character with a tendency to sleep through class: PEPPERMINT PATTY - name #3

58. Shampoo brand that claims to be "plant obsessed," and what 20-, 34-, and 43-Across all have: HERBAL ESSENCES

* -  I see that there's a new analytic on the XWord Info page that tracks "Grid Flow", created at a site called Crosserville.  There is a mathematical algorithm involved, and so far, the highest flow recorded has been 219.2, and the median 31.8 - turns out that Friday and Saturday crosswords show higher flow #s; I'm gonna keep an eye on this moving forward.  Today's grid~?  20.0

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Dreary: DRAB - this definitely describes my feelings about this puzzle

5. Shock: JOLT - when I filled in 53D., I certainly got a shock - I mean, really~?

9. Improvises vocally: SCATS

14. Currency in 20 countries: EURO

15. Desire: URGE

16. Like days long ago: OLDEN

17. Has-__: BEEN - hmmm . . . filled via perps

18. Cornhusker st.: NEBRaska - HuskerG nailed this one; abbr, geo name #1 - and meh.

19. McDonald of "The Gilded Age": AUDRA - name #4 in the Hahtoolah Convention -her IMDb

23. Not even: ODD

24. Pilot's approx.: ETD - Estimated Time of Departure, crossword "alt" staple to ETA

25. Dads: PAs - yes, but semi-meh.

26. __-la-la: TRA - crossword staple . . . . sheesh

29. Problem in one's pants or pantry: ANTS - "ants in your pants" = nervous, twitchy, "antsy"

32. Burro: ASS

40. Where to see the big picture?: IMAX

41. "Rudy" coach Parseghian: ARA - I screwed up and went with ARI - name #5

42. Erté's style: DECO - I like Art Deco; since the skyscraper was born in that ERA, we still see it's influnce 100 years later - I would get me this book

48. Soccer fan's "Bravo!": OLÉ - oh yay, more generic answers~!

49. Tennis great Arthur: ASHE - name #6, even if it's a crossword staple

50. Michigan's __ Locks: SOO - Joins the Great Lakes Superior and Huron - geo name #2

And there's another crossword staple in there - Sault STE Marie

51. Wee: SMA - meh. 

54. Rocket ending: EER - RocketEER - semi-meh, in terms of fill

56. Speed Wagon automaker: REO - this one is getting as boring as ERA and ATM

64. Like sun bears and pandas: ASIAN - Naomi showed us a sun bear in this BUNS puzzle

65. __-Seltzer: ALKA

66. California roll ingredient: CRAB - I am east coast; this was a WAG from perps

And I don't care for sushi, either, but crab is good

68. Italian soccer great Maldini: PAOLO - name #7 - if you want to know more

69. __-back: LAID

70. Like a fairy tale duckling: UGLY

71. Fragrant compound: ESTER

72. Postseason honorees, briefly: MVPs - at the time of this write-up, the World Series was 1 - 1; I'm rooting for Toronto, because their NHL Maple Leafs are playoff confounders

73. Memorization technique: ROTE

DOWN:

1. Food blogger Perelman: DEB - name #8

2. Feels bad about: RUES - I feel bad about my review, but I'm being honest

3. Geometric calculation: AREA

4. Salsa hand drum: BONGO - or CONGA~?

More Here

5. Outdated term for noncoding genetic material: JUNK DNA - Maybe it's a great fill, but as a theme crossing, as part of a name, on a Wednesday meh.  Everything you ever wanted to know

6. Cookie with many specialty flavors: OREO - yet another crossword trope

7. Pride Month letters: LGBT

8. Not wordy: TERSE - I thought this read "worLdly" - so I was thinking CLERGY - Bzzzt~!

9. Scoundrel: SO AND SO - I do not see these as the same; "so-and-so" to me is someone anonymous, or that person whose name you cannot remember - at least that's how my mother used it

10. Country __: CLUB

11. Tally: ADD UP

12. __ firma: TERRA

13. Glitches: SNAGS - Tragedy~!  A travesty~!  For shame~!

Chairman paid a fine for breech of contract last Friday

21. Red-coated cheese: EDAM

22. List ender: ET AL. - abbr, Latin for "and others"

26. Klutz's move, perhaps: TRIP

27. "Ben-Hur" setting: ROME - even if I know this, it's geo name #3

28. "Hurry!" letters: A.S.A.P. - As Soon As Possible - and it's not the same as "hurry~!"

30. Peak transport: TRAM - I had T-bar, as in a ski lift to the peak

31. Lebanon neighbor: SYRIA - geo name #4

33. Bubbly beverage: SODA - good WAG; could have been COLA

35. Convention center event: EXPO - I have attended the Toy Fair in NYC twice

The Javits Center in Lego, from 2017

36. Tuna holders: CANS - NETS is next; my ARI at 41A. left the "I" in, so I did not get my ta-DA~!

37. Brooklyn B-ballers: NETS - B-ballers are basketball players, even tho Baseball could work as well; and they're name(ish)

38. Start for -derm or -plasm: ECTO - These guys knew all about Ectoplasm

"That's great Ray - save some for me~!" Ghostbusters

39. Toy on a string: YO-YO

44. "__ Rigby": ELEANOR - name #9 - and I spelled it wrong, too

45. Rod's partner: REEL - CONE worked, if we were talking eyes

46. Duds: THREADS - CLOTHES fit too, but Bzzzt

47. Hammer head: PEEN

51. Rhombus, e.g.: SHAPE - ah.  Here's the actual 'classification' of four-sided polygons:

We had "kite" on Monday

52. Southwestern flattops: MESAS

53. Eliciting many laughs: A RIOT - Cringe.  Even if you claimed to parse this as "the place was ariot with laughter" it still doesn't work, and sounds "meh" at best

55. Domain: REALM

57. Happen: OCCUR

59. Packed hay: BALE

60. Many an Eastern European: SLAV

61. YouTube ad option: SKIP - And I do this ASAP - now that's how to clue it~!

62. Therefore: ERGO

63. Shaker filling: SALT - Who's looking for their lost shaker of salt~?

 I thought the third verse line was "and soon a Veranda" - hey, it makes sense . . . 

67. "Toodles!": BYE

adieu to you, and you, "meh."

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 22nd, 2025 ~ Emma Oxford

  BLUFFY McLIARPANTS

It seems fitting that I should get a poker/card-playing theme - sadly, I was down on Long Island this past weekend to attend the wake of my dear friend Greg B., whom I'd known for nine years, as he died last Tuesday after a three-year battle with brain cancer.  I had not seen him since the diagnosis, as the disease had made it diffiuclt for him to retain your name or the thread of a conversation, so he opted to spend his time ( rightfully ) with his wife and daughter.  I was grateful to him for inviting me to his home for a poker game once a week, and you knew it was poker night because he would wear a shirt with "Bluffy McLiarpants" across the front; the image above was my response to that shirt; I wore this at the card table to "distract" the other players 😵.  We've seen several Emma Oxford puzzles for the LA Times, and today's grid was a pleasant solve for me; no circles, just a few names, and a Wednesday difficulty.  The themers which represent the "stages" of a card game;

18. 1977 Top 20 single by Boz Scaggs: LIDO SHUFFLE - Cool song

23. "Love your work!": I'M A HUGE FAN - we would fan first, to see who dealt first

38. Engagement ring option: PRINCESS CUT - done by the player to the dealer's right

54. Aspiring musician's goal: RECORD DEAL - always to the left

59. Dramatic presentation often staged during Lent: PASSION PLAY - we would PLAY high/low games, with a "stack" of chips, and the winners would "split" the pot; you could also go 'both ways', and if you won, you would "sweep" - thus, the words on my T-shirt

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Civil War POTUS: ABE - I wondered what his middle name was; POTUS is the abbr for President of the United States, so I wondered what A_L would be - more here

4. Anklebones: TARSI - crossword staple

Such beautiful Tarsi

9. Lawn ornament in a hat: GNOME

14. Bagel topping: LOX - I stopped in to see Cooper ( also my brother, who shares the same house with the dog ) and had me another bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese - it's better than it sounds~!

15. Not suitable: INAPT

16. Aspirational, as goals: LOFTY - my lofty goal is to be recognized for my fantasic board games - still trying to figure out how to get them produced

17. Hill worker?: ANT - not the quaint reference to the "US Capitol", on the "hill"

20. DEA agent: NARC

22. 44th first family: OBAMAS

27. Drive-__: THRU

30. Polite assent in Seville: SIS, ENOR - Si, C.C.~!

31. Court figs.: DAs - District Attorneys

33. Rower's implement: OAR

34. "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN

36. Face With Tears of Joy, for one: EMOJI - 😂

41. Selected: CHOSE

43. Cars: AUTOS

44. Zeus, e.g.: GOD - "high -ODs" . . . 

45. Skip the grass seed: SOD - low "-ODs"

48. Cloaks: MANTLES - I watched two "classic" movies over the weekend - "The Curse of Frankenstein" ( that's Fron-ken-schteen ) and "The Horror of Dracula", both starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - two actors who would later have roles in the Star Wars films

Tis the season~!

52. Highlander of ancient Peru: INCA

56. Zeus's daughter: ATHENA

58. Not fooled by: ONTO

64. Do some mending: SEW

65. The Ivies, e.g.: OCTET - those eight being these

66. Leader of the girl group Red Velvet: IRENE - we've seen her here before - KPOP

67. Before, before: ERE - "Able was I . . . "

68. Some Southwest landmarks: MESAS

69. Things to read on the road: SIGNS - 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯 if you're gonna rock down to . . . .

... and not recharge your cell phone 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯

70. Australian airport code: SYDney

DOWN:

1. "Ironic" singer Morissette: ALANIS - I linked her and the song in a previous puzzle

2. Brand of scouring powder: BON AMI

3. Bonuses: EXTRAS

4. Up to, for short: TIL - unTIL

5. Alex and __ jewelry: ANI - I had ANN to start, but she showed up later at 62D.  Here's a shocking story behind the woman who founded the jewelry company

6. "Tubular!": "RAD~!"

7. "Spaceballs," for one: SPOOF - and it's a good one, too~!

8. Bleak assessment: IT'S BAD

9. Down in the dumps: GLUM

10. Skim, in the dairy aisle: NO FAT

11. Branch: OFFSHOOT

12. The NHL's Canadiens, on a scoreboard: MTL - abbr for Montreal; I had MON - MTL is nearly a unique fill; The "Habs" - too early in the season for me still, CandianEh!

13. Quiet part of a hurricane: EYE

19. "Pitch Perfect" actress __ Mae Lee: HANA - filled via perps

Her IMDb

21. "Here's to you!": "CHEERS~!"

24. Boxers or briefs: UNDIES - which are you~?  Or do you go "commando"~?

25. Formal dress: GOWN - were undies "formerly" worn beneath that gown . . . ?

26. Actor Stoltz: ERIC - I liked him in Pulp Fiction

Prank caller~!

28. "The Big Bang Theory" character: RAJ - I asked my brother, sitting across his dining room table, for this answer - he likes it, but I cannot stand to watch a single scene of this show

29. New England sch.: URI - University of Rhode Island - my "CT nextdoor neighbor"

32. __ fiddle: SECOND - HA~! FIT-AS-A- worked, too~!

35. Teacher's org.: NEA

37. High-priority activity, per some guidebooks: MUST-DO

38. Downloads before a long road trip, perhaps: PODCASTS - ROAD MAPS worked, too, but duped

39. Japanese sport: SUMO

40. Rating unit: STAR - I give this crossword four-and-a-1/2 out of five "Moe Stars" 

41. Much of the F/X in the MCU: CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery, the Marvel Comic Universe; I am not a fan of this genre, tho I did like Deadpool

42. Babe: HON - I prefer this quaint three-letter SO nickname to "bae"

46. Black-and-white treat: OREO

47. "Mystic River" novelist Lehane: DENNIS - I have read the book; one of a just a handful from authors whose work gave me an emotional response - another was The Secret Place by Tana French

49. Inserts in some frames: LENSES - those kinds of frames

50. Diner or bistro: EATERY

51. Lost steam: SLOWED

53. Lost: AT SEA

55. Island off Naples: CAPRI

57. Battleship successes: HITS - the Milton-Bradley ship-hunting game

59. Juice brand with distinctive bottles: POM

60. Nail, as a test: ACE - R.I.P. ACE Frehley of KISS

Shock Me - the extended "smoking guitar" solo from 1977

61. Relay segment: LEG

62. "The Baby-Sitters Club" writer __ M. Martin: ANN - more here

63. "Affirmative": "YES."

For Greg

Splynter

Sunday, Oct 19th, 2025 ~ C.C. Burnikel - "EASY DOES IT"

TIMES Crossword Puzzle

The _os  _ngles Times building 

Splnyter stepping for our Sunday Bloggess C.C., who takes the honor of being today's constructor.  I usually skip Sunday's puzzle and work on the Wed blog, but it was a JazzB week, so here we are.  My solve had lots of "well, it fits, but it's wrong" answers ⁽⁺⁾ today.  No circles, a fair number of  names, a balanced spread of 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-letter words, 88 squares ( if my math is correct ) of theme fill - but - they're 'missing' the "L" and "A" from in-the-vernacular phrases, leading to some humorous, unique fill.  The themers, and the reveal in the final Across;

23A. *Ensemble for finals week?: (LA)TEST FASHION

28A. *Slug made from an old can?: (LA)TIN QUARTER

58A. *Christmas tree in an atelier?: ARTISTIC F(LA)IR

83A. *Courses full of twists and turns?: (LA)MAZE CLASSES - birthing technique

110A. *Organizer for a nail tech?: MANI(LA) FOLDER

119A. *Treadmill setting for a Roman emperor?: CAESARS PA(LA)CE

32D. *Pride of a jacked security guard?: ANTI-THEFT A(LA)RM

43D. *Thanksgiving stuffing dishes that aren't up to snuff?: SA(LA)D DRESSINGS

130. Mardi Gras city nickname, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: NOLA - New Orleans, LouisianA, or, parsed for the theme, "No L A"

And "L A" We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Layer outside the germ: BRAN - I do the DOWN clues first; I had B - - N to start

5. Like a perennial: HARDY - durable - they keep coming back~!

10. LAPD alerts: APBs - No LA~! #1

14. No. 1 pals: BFFs - Text-speak, Best Friends Forever

18. Sacred flower in Buddhism: LOTUS

I'll take this Lotus - the Turbo Esprit

20. In the know: AWARE - toyed with ALERT⁽⁺⁾ because this cluster was a bit messy

21. Helpful hint: CLUE

22. Ontario lake: ERIE

25. Purple boba tea flavor: TARO

26. Roof overhang: EAVE

27. Hit lists: TOP TENS

30. Playing surface that favors topspin: CLAY - I so wanted FELT here, as in pool tables

33. Video camera button: RECord - I am making a table for my brother for Christmas, and I am thinking about shooting a video of the process - I bought this thing for holding my phone:

34. Bro or stepbro: SIBling

36. Total score: TALLY

37. "Mulan" invader: HUN

38. Maker of off-road vehicles: TONKA - HONDA⁽⁺⁾ fit, and a good 60% correct, but Bzzzt 

40. Guitar licks: RIFFS - I am very familiar with this concept - it's good to go back to songs that were once difficult for me to play, and I now find easier from practice and learning scales

42. Runner-up: LOSER

46. Visiting the area: IN TOWN - I had planned to drive to Cincinnati, OH at the end of the month for the 25th anniversary of "The Golem", the made-for-TV movie I worked on, but now I'm told it's just a showing in a theater - no cast or crew were invited to attend - 12hrs is a long way to drive to sit in a cinema.

48. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO

50. Striped stone: AGATE

51. Egyptair hub city: CAIRO

52. David of "ABC World News Tonight": MUIR - filled via perps

54. LED component: DIODE - Light-Emitting, that is

57. Focalin target, briefly: ADHD - no clue, had ADHG via crossings

61. Greeting to a mate: G'DAY - an Aussie, mate~!

62. Genetic material: DNA

63. Application in some massages: HOT OIL - the subject of massages came up at the gym last week; they are offered in my club, but I have never actually HAD a massage - perhaps I should treat myself this Christmas

64. Creole chef Chase: LEAH - again, filled via perps; more here

66. Holds nothing back: LETS RIP

69. Course track for a future JD: PRE-LAW - "JD" being a learning moment for me - the Wiki

71. Falcons city: ATLANTA - their NFL team

74. Marathon setting: GREECE - I had AVENUE - but this is the city, not the run

75. Person who calls the shots: REFEREE

77. Quindim ingredient: YOLK - with YOL -, I WAGed the "K"

78. Kale and cabbage: GREENS

80. Traditional mo. for a Bavarian beer festival: OCTober - happening NOW

81. Sultry growl: RAWR - I recall having this fill just recently, and not too many people cared for it

87. Make airtight: SEAL

89. Strip in the kitchen: STEAK - with - 24D. Cook wear?: APRON - cute misdirections

How's that for an apron - care for some (un)dressing with that salad~?

91. Parks of Alabama: ROSA

92. Crocheted mat: DOILY

93. "Snowfall" actor Damson __: IDRIS - my final fill; good to see an alternative to "ELBA"

95. Like most awards: ANNUAL

97. Mount __: Washington estate: VERNON - my gym is located in Vernon, CT . . .

98. Arizona State's city: TEMPE - my ex is located in Arizona . . .

99. Some choral singers: ALTOs - and my voice is located in the baritone range.

100. Harsh: ACRID

103. Classic muscle car: GTO - "Goat" - here's where the name G T O comes from

104. Doll with neon hair: TROLL

106. Dorm VIPs: RAs - Resident Assistants

108. Hack (off): LOP

109. Secondhand: USED

114. Tofu nutrient: PROTEIN - I have "plateaued" at the gym; my trainer has now dropped my calorie intake to 1900/day, with 30-35% Protein, 30-40% Carbs, and 25-35% Fat

117. 50-50: EVEN

118. Persian greeting?: MEOW - Persian, the cat, that is

123. Religious subgroup: SECT

124. Bend at a barre: PLIE

125. Minor key?: ISLET - Minor = small :: Key = island

126. Underground worker: MINER - the "other" MINOR

It's the key of  "B sharp"

127. Inquires: ASKS

128. Straight people, casually: HETS - Clunky, sorta meh; Heterosexuals - don't usually hear it spoken

129. Love, in arias: AMORE

DOWN:

1. Club alternative: BLT - sa'miches

2. Eggs in ikura sushi: ROE

3. Tags on social media: ATS - more commonly "@"s 

4. Like some brownies: NUTTY - I like my PB chunky, but not my brownies

5. Light a fire under: HASTEN - ah. Not IGNITE⁽⁺⁾

6. "Doggone it!": "AW HECK~!"

7. Desert rarity: RAIN

8. Smeltery waste: DROSS - SLAG was too short

9. Currency at pachinko parlors: YEN - in retrospect, this makes sense

More here

10. Start of a show: ACT I

11. Nursery nutrients: PLANT FOOD; the set of 8- & 9-letter down fills; 14D. Poses done in a taproom: BEER YOGA; 82D. "Happens to everyone": "WE ALL DO IT"; 88D. Some light cosmetics: LIP TINTS

12. Head-to-toe garments: BURQAS - I had the "K", not the "Q" at first

13. Han River capital: SEOUL 

15. Campus group: FRAT - Not ROTC⁽⁺⁾

16. __-second rule: FIVE - I frequently adhere to this phenomenon, despite what Mythbusters proved

The Five-Second Rule tested

17. Oracle: SEER

19. OAK alternative: SFO - I was stumped by this - I am not West coast, so I did not recognize the airport codes of California's Bay Area tarmacs - and now there's controversy . . . 

28. Classic Ford: T-BIRD - I had the less-than-classic, but still way-cool, 1986 Turbo Coupe

29. Ristorante menu preposition: ALLA - penne ALLA vodka, e.g.

30. Spanish girl: CHICA

31. Like some eclipses: LUNAR - Not TOTAL⁽⁺⁾

35. Fund that might grow for decades: IRA

38. Like some rear admirals: TWO-STAR

39. "Yeah, right!": "AS IF~!"

Wayne's World

41. Heebie-jeebies: FRIGHT - not CREEPS⁽⁺⁾

44. Sharing a cultural identity: ETHNIC

45. Orangutan: RED APE - I tried BIG APE⁽⁺⁾

47. Warbler lookalike: ORIOLE

49. Scouring brand: BRILLO

52. Wii Sports avatar: Mii - how you appear in the game; this is my Facebook Avatar

53. Golden State sch.: UCLA - No LA~! #2

55. Lentil dish: DAL

56. Product that may reduce dark circles: EYE GEL

59. Castle structures: TOWERS - I loves me a castle, especially with towers

60. Domain: REALM - Not ARENA⁽⁺⁾

65. Capital city in Anatolia: ANKARA

67. Like new tires: TREADED - But what about F1 racing~?

68. Motion detector, e.g.: SENSOR

69. Toast at a Bavarian beer festival: PROSIT - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - crossing IDRIS, a bit of a Natick

70. Go back: RECEDE - Not RETURN⁽⁺⁾

72. Ruthless ruler: TYRANT - Not DESPOT⁽⁺⁾

73. Forever and a day: AGES - Not EONS⁽⁺⁾

76. Put away: EAT

79. TV pioneer: RCA

84. French novelist Émile: ZOLA - seen this name in Crosswords before

85. Cotija-covered corn: ELOTE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

86. Council of clerics: SYNOD

90. Bouillon brand: KNORR - they make sides dishes in bags, too

94. Feudal laborer: SERF

96. Miss. home: USA - I was not fooled by this, but I did hesitate - Mississippi is in the US of  A

97. Deadly snake: VIPER - not ADDER⁽⁺⁾

99. Gene arising from mutation: ALLELE

101. End-of-game pitcher: CLOSER - Not RELIEF⁽⁺⁾

102. Revolve: ROTATE

105. Extra pep: OOMPH

107. Twitch: SPASM - I had a SPASM in my last puzzle blog

109. Let fall, as hair: UNPIN

That's a BIG PIN

110. Steep-sided plateau: MESA

111. Urban rtes.: AVEs

112. Giraffe feature: NECK

They're "necking"

113. Fleecy mamas: EWES

"Youse" got to check out this mama in fleece-lined tights~!

115. Move quickly?: RELO - move = relocate :: quickly = abbr 

116. Magnet end?: ISM - magnetISM - the beginning of Monster Magnet's album Last Patrol

Don't know who created this video, but it is way cool - I Live Behind the Clouds

119. "Spy Game" org.: CIA

120. "So I should take that as __?": "A NO~?"

121. Cartoon frame: CEL

122. Dynastic period, e.g.: ERA

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 8th, 2025 ~ Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin

MAGIC PACERS

I'll take one~! The AMC Pacer

I really enjoyed today's collaboration between two solid crossword constructors Amie & Amanda.  A sports teams theme we have seen before, where the monikers are combined to make a new, funny/punny answer. Today's team names are from the National Basketball Association, the professional organization of a game I have no interest in whatsoever - I'd rather watch golf.  I think it has to do with the squeak of sneakers on hardwood - that and the fact that one only needs tune-in to the last 30secs to see who wins, IMHO.  Lot's of 3LWs, only five(ish) names, and all the theme answers are unique; 

20. Peddles pearls of wisdom?: HAWKS NUGGETS - Atlanta / Denver - see below

28. Observes casual Friday at the office?: BUCKS BLAZERS - Milwaukee / Portland *¹

49. Gains barbers' equipment?: NETS CLIPPERS - Brooklyn / Los Angeles - *²

58. Microsoft virtual work gathering, and what can be found in 20-, 28-, and 49-Across: 

TEAMS MEETING - When I worked at Westhampton Architectural Glass, the only thing we used TEAMS software for was to plan lunch; someone would put up, about 11am, a hint about what they were interested in eating, e.g. "pizza?" - and for the next hour, we would debate what to eat and who was going to pick up the food 😜

The list of all NBA teams

Some other pairings - MAGIC WIZARDS is too easy;

Lightning Affect~? = SPURS THUNDER

Steals from NASA~? = KNICKS ROCKETS

*¹ - Technically, it's the TRAIL Blazers . . .
*² - Technically, a BOROUGH of NY, not the city . . .

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Annoy: IRK

4. Bridge action: BID - Not TIE, as in span - that's the wrong kind of bridge - I like this type - 19 bizarre bridges, 12 unusual bridges

Scary~?  Then you suffer from 66A., the Gephyro version

7. Floated in the air: WAFTED 

13. "Good Grief" director Levy: DAN - name #1 - I'm following the "Hahtoolah Convention"

14. Pros: ACES

16. Iggy the Beanie Baby, for one: IGUANA - AND - 29D. Humphrey the Beanie Baby, for one: CAMEL - I still have one Beanie Baby, and three Webkins; had a pet iguana Zeus, too - name(ish)

Yes, Iggy is supposed to be blue . . . 

17. Big fuss: ADO

18. Noodle with a sarashina variety: SOBA - I'm getting the hang of all these four-letter food-types; SOBA, NORI, UDON, MISO, etc

19. "Well, that came out of nowhere": RANDOM

23. "Never mind, I guess": "...OR NOT."

24. New prefix: NEO

25. Sword handle: HILT

32. Single-celled organism: AMOEBA

35. "__ Te Ching": TAO - name(ish) - the Wiki

36. Legend-ary achievement?: EGOT - The Grand Slam of Entertainment - Emmy (TV), Grammy (music), Oscar (Hollywood/movies) and Tony (Broadway/stage)

37. Fin. neighbor: NORway

38. Music box?: AMP - I liked this clue for a crossword staple

40. Emoji alternative: GIF

Now The Harlem Globetrotters I can watch~!

42. "Kings & Queens" singer Max: AVA - name #2 - I know the Aerosmith song

43. Like some faces: OVAL - I liked making my avatar on Facebook - but I have a "pear-shaped" face

45. Settings for some TV dramas: ERs - ER is an obvi example, plus tons of others seen here;

I'm not one for any hospital drama, but I did like House, MD

47. Many a suitcase: ROLLER - I "Van Halened" my roller suitcase

I'm on my way to Panama - get it~?

52. "Can I get a __?": "I messed up": "RE-DO~?" or a Mulligan, in golf-speak

53. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SAO - name(ish)

54. Athlete Ledecky who went viral by swimming with a glass of chocolate milk on her head: KATIE - well, I did not know about this . . . . name #3

Yup, a glass of milk, but not a $5 Shake . . . .

61. Wyndham chain: RAMADA

64. Viral post: MEME

65. Sully: MAR - stain, dirty, damage, ruin, etc.

66. Exposure therapy target: PHOBIA - what's yours~? I am afraid to reveal mine - which, uh, by default, makes clear it's Phobophobia

67. Garment worn under a dress: SLIP

68. One who sounds just like you: EWE - ah, not APE - a very clever meta clue

69. Sitcom about a couple living in a haunted house: GHOSTS - I've only seen the ads for this show

70. Tense NBA periods, for short: OTs - and a bonus 'Easter Egg' for the theme

71. Good to go: SET - "got my go-bag, I'm set~!"

DOWN:

1. State that's home to the Museum of Clean: IDAHO - learning moment - the website

2. Weather tracker: RADAR

3. Not just assumed: KNOWN

4. Low-pitched brass instrument: BASS TUBA - this seems a bit redundant for me, but here's more - this clue/answer needed to show up on a Jazzbumpa trombone Wednesday~!

5. Screen symbol: ICON - clecho with - 31. Screen symbol: STAR - I filled them correctly the first time

6. Prove false: DEBUNK - the X-Files word

7. Pipe cleaner center: WIRE - Huh - I didn't know I had a wire at my center....how ironic, now that I left the pipe organ company, I made the cover of  The Diapason magazine, and featured inside as well

That's Splynter in the overalls, 35lbs heavier - sheesh

8. "__ All Along": "WandaVision" spinoff: AGATHA - name #4 - more on IMDb

9. Like some small candy bars: FUN-SIZE - 'tis the season~!

10. Small amount: TAD

11. Musician Brian: ENO - name #5

12. Beaver project: DAM

15. Most wise: SAGEST

21. Expensive Japanese beef: KOBE - I tried WAGU, but it's Wagyu

22. Evacuation kit: GO-BAG - here's the 411 from 511 on what to have in yours

26. Following the rules: LEGAL

27. Treasure __: TROVE

30. Frawnche wine valley: LOIRE - Good WAG on my part; must have seen it in CWs before

32. Mystery writer?: ANONymous

33. Boxing pro: MOVER - I suppose this could be either "type" of boxer - the one who packs your stuff, and the "float like a butterfly" sparring expert

34. Give a speech: ORATE

39. Rainbow producer: PRISM - my brother has been reinvesting in classic albums on LP "vinyl" now

41. Permanently: FOR KEEPS

44. Papers needed for some trips?: LSD TABS - har-har~! Monster Magnet's first EP was "25...Tab", featuring a 32min trippy song - and a trippy video someone made here

Dave Wyndorf, lead singer, can be heard saying "make me a sa'mich" - among other things NSFW

46. Involuntary muscle movements: SPASMS - depends on the quality of the Acid, I guess~?

48. Future DA's exam: LSAT - LS 'dee' Acid Trip~?

50. Make changes with a collaborator: CO-EDIT - I'm guessing both "A" authors did on this one....

51. Large citrus fruit: POMELO - ORANGE fit as well; here's a cool image of a lot of citrus fruit

55. Multiplied by: TIMES - L x W = A; length TIMES width equals area

56. "I'm __": "You blow me away": "IN AWE~!"

57. "Snowy" bird: EGRET

59. Smallish batteries: AAAs

60. Give off: EMIT

61. D&D, for one: RPG - Roll Playing Game - in my youth, I was all about Dungeons & Dragons

62. "That hits the spot": "AHH~!"

63. Cow sound: MOO

Splynter