Friday, Oct 16th, 2026 ~ Yijing Chen

"A Minor" COMPOSITION in "B#"

The Circle of FIFTHS - A minor = C major: C = "B#" - get it~?

This is Yijing Chen's fifth LA Times puzzle - I blogged her debut puzzle here, and today's offering may have led some Cornerites to a Circle of FITs, or even the fifth circle of hell - see 51A.  I however, loved this puzzle - I enjoy the extra challenge of trying to figure out the hidden, underlying meaning of a crossword's theme.  It took me about 8mins over my usual Friday time to finally figure out just the SW corner alone. Once I caught on to the reveal "NOTES" being the musical Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti vocalizations, it was enough to figure out that the theme answers were completely undefinable from the clues themselves - 45A being the most obscure & difficult to parse; I'm not even sure I am 100% correct, but there is no "sourson" word - the closest I could find was soursop - this fruit.  The solution is to take out the duplicate "notes", ( which had to be doubled to match the plural reveal ) and Bob's your uncle.  I am sure this construction is going to cause a fair amount of grumbling, but it's Friday, and it does have a theme, albeit a very cryptic one.  An over-sized 15 x 16 grid, no outlier letters, several names, no Twurds, sixteen 3LWs, and no circles, but perhaps "*" on the themers would have helped, as they coincided with other same-length fills:

17. Female sib: DOSIDOS - SISter, abbr in the clue, abbr in the answer, no relation to the actual fill of do-si-do, the dance step ( and now I see, a strain of marijuana, plus the Girl Scout cookie ); the same non-relation goes for all of the themers . . .

18. Cozy eatery: CAREFREE - CAFE, not the 'care-free' attitude, e.g.

23. Man of La Mancha: SEMI MINOR - SEÑOR, Español for "man" in the Spanish city - which we also learned from last week's clue/answer "Dulcinea" fiasco; filled mostly via perps, and I did not know what the definition of "Semi Minor" was;

the Wiki

38. The complete set: ALFALFA - ALL

45. Big flowerpot: SOURS ON - URN - "loses interest in"; almost impossible to fill in without understanding the theme

57. Extemporizes: LAVA LAMPS - VAMPS - the "musical improvisation" definition.  I have a green one to match my office

67. Low-level laborer: PETITION - PEON, my first thought, but was obviously too short for the eight-letter fill in the grid

69. "Perfect!," or how to make seven answers in this puzzle match their clues?: NO NOTES - D'Oh~! A deer, a female deer - remove the doubled Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So ( and I know it's usually referred to as "SOL" ) -La-Ti-Do pairings, and what's left is a straight explanation for the clue 😁

ACROSS:

1. Barnyard call: MAA - cows go "moo", sheep go "baa", so this must be goats

4. A pop: PER

7. Compels: FORCES

13. Like some pickup-only deals: IN-STORE

15. Prehistoric hand tool: STONE AXE - A uniquie fill

19. "Ferrari" actor Driver: ADAM - name #1

20. Second singer to be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award: SINATRA - and the first singer was~?  Answer at the end, name #2

22. Some laptops: PCs

25. Ernie's "Sing After Me" duet partner: ELMO - Good guess on my part; not BERT - name #3

28. Monument Valley formation: MESA

30. Winter layer: COAT - I was not fooled, didn't go with SNOW, RIME or HOAR

33. __ Nation: Jay-Z's conglomerate: ROC - name (ish)

36. Novelist Quindlen: ANNA - No clue, more here, name #4

40. Approximately: ABOUT

42. Many a K-pop singer: IDOL

44. Starting lineup: A-TEAM

47. Gaelic speaker: CELT

49. Cornerback Bly in the College Football Hall of Fame: DRÉ - No clue, name #5

50. Was gripping?: HELD - Har-har

51. Breathe fire, say: RAGE - the sin of the Fifth Circle of Hell

53. Inhale, maybe: EAT - slang for eating fast

55. Couple: DUAD - Not being DUET caused all sorts of grief 

62. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer: ALI - Crossword staple, name #6

64. Approached bedtime: LATENED - "got late"

66. Wife of Zeus: HERA - name #7

71. Peppers in some mole sauces: POBLANOS - oof.  I didn't know the name of this pepper, and it's a unique fill, so new to any crossword - more here

72. Writer/illustrator who often wrote in anapestic tetrameter: Dr. SEUSS - the rhyming 'pace', depicted as da - da - DUM.  My blogs are written in all-a-puzzle octalmeter . . . name #8

73. Villainous looks: SNEERS -  This fish, my S-i-L calls "Vegas", hovered in the corner of the tank and stared at me the whole time I was down on Long Island . . . 

I'm watchin' you  . . . Creepy

74. With 27-Across, big name in watercraft: SEA - AND - 27A. See 74-Across: DOO.  Their website

75. Therapist's maj.: PSYchology

DOWN:

1. King with a touching story?: MIDAS - the golden touch of mythology - my first thought was ELVIS😜, #9

2. Battery part: ANODE

3. Breakfast tea variety: ASSAM - Dah~!  Not PEKOE

4. Pea sheller's discard: POD

5. Canyon former: EROSION

6. Amber, once: RESIN

7. "Seriously?": "FOR REAL~?" - Rhymes with . . .

8. "Gorilla Warfare" artist Shaquille: O'NEAL - Name #10, but that's who I figured - not too many people named Shaquille - and his "art"

9. NWSL official: REF - abbr for the National Womens' Soccer League; I ventured a guess at something something Sports League . . . enough to take a WAG

10. Didn't ride solo: CARPOOLED

11. Corp. bigwig: EXECutive

12. Goes out with: SEES - Crossword friendly "E"s and "S"s on the edge

14. Retiring: TIMID - Dah~!  Not IN BED, but an obscure definition

15. Shake: SCARE - Friday. Vague.

16. Ink spot, for short: TATtoo - so many ladies at the gym with ink art, but I just don't care for it; to me, it's like graffiti on the Venus De Milo

Yecht - looks "dirty"

21. Digital __: remote tech worker: NOMAD - I have not heard this phrase, but sounds like a great way to work in the 21st century

24. Deep defenses: MOATS - two weeks in a row on Friday

Caerlaverock castle, Scotland

26. MD-to-be's exam: MCAT - Medical College Admission Test

29. Clearance event: SALE

31. Not nearby: AFAR

32. No longer feral: TAME - this guy only gets feral when the FedEx guy pulls up . . .

Told you he was a licker . . .

33. Impetuous: RASH - I went with RUDE, only 25% correct

34. Clarinet kin: OBOE - about the only 'gimme' in the SW

35. "Do my eyes deceive me?": "COULD IT BE~?" - Solid, but tough to suss in the Down position, and no crossings to work with either

37. Totenberg of NPR: NINA - I don't listen, more here.  Name #11

39. Like some flaws: FATAL

41. Linguistic cousin of Hindi: URDU

43. One of a geographic quintet: OCEAN - Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Antarctic & Arctic

46. Formally decrees: ORDAINS - that's the word I could not think of; I was stuck on ORATES

48. Galena, e.g.: LEAD ORE - I knew this, but for some reason, put in IRON - that's these ores

52. Bonny landscapes: GLENS

Aye, she's a bonny lass

54. Sierra Nevada lake: TAHOE - Geo name #12

56. Match point?: ALTAR - And I thought I was being clever with "FLAME" = tip, but this is the wedded bliss kind of point - the "location"

58. Sells: VENDS

59. Came together: MET UP

60. Olive oil maker: PRESS

61. Flip: SASSY - flip, the adjective, not the verb

62. Intro courses?: APPS - Ah.  The restaurant menu appetizers, that is

63. Swimmer Marchand who won four gold medals at Paris 2024: LEON - oof. Friday. Frawnche.  Name #13

65. "__ true!": TOO - I had "TIS" to start

68. __-de-France: Paris's region: ILE - Frawnche #2 - guessed it, put it in, took it out, put it right back in, and I shaked it all about . . . 🙄

70. Govt. cybersecurity monitor: NSA - No. Such. Agency.

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.0

answer to 20A << Bing Crosby >>

Fifth Circle of Hell

 

Friday, Oct 9th, 2026 ~ Jeremy Venook

AN AIM TO EFFACE

You Know My Name - Eyes Without a Face

This is my second review of a Jeremy Venook construction; the first one is here, and like that first puzzle, I have a similar "meh" feeling about today's crossword.  One could say it was a bit "LAME", and I don't mean the dress.  The 'names' theme was disappointing - perhaps due to the fact that I did not recognize two of them, and that they're, well, names, associated with a characteristic of a face; YMMV.  In addition, I found the crossings were of little help - I'm looking at you, 9D~!  Standard grid, no outliers, no circles, half as many 3LWs as Five-letter ones, two Twurds, and plenty of proper nouns, since that was the "name" of the "game" - the themers and centered reveal;

17. *Two-time Oscar winner with a stoic bearing?: EMMA STONE - Stone Face, usually the more common phrase being stone faced, or having a Poker Face - take it, Lady Gaga~!

😑

Emma Stone, stone face

23. *Nursery rhyme lad with one eye closed?: WILLIE WINKIE - My parents were born & raised in England, yet I've never heard of "Wee Willie Winkie" or the Scottish folk song; in fact, 'winkie' meant the "one-eyed willie" - if you know what I mean.  I guess this is the 'winkie face', which Google says should be "winky"

😉

Perhaps you prefer "We Willie Rock You"~?

46. *Fictional spy sporting a big yellow button?: GEORGE SMILEY - A learning moment for me, this character appeaed when I was just 3yrs old - but I have heard of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", the 1974 novel from author John Le Carré, which became a TV series ( 1979 ) with Alec Guinness as the lead intelligence officer ( after he played Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi in 1977, which I did see ); more here

😄

57. *NFL analyst with a sad demeanor?: HOWIE LONG - I know this guy - he's on the FOX network.

A horse walks in to a saloon, the bartender asks, "why the long face~?"

36. Finally meet in person, or how to make the starred clues match their answers:
PUT A FACE TO A NAME
My dad insisted when I filled out a job application to "put a face to the name",
and speak to a manager instead of just walking out

But Wait -  don't drop names - 

There's More to make a face over  😖
 

ACROSS:

1. C in shop class?: CLAMP - this thing; as a woodworker, one can never have enough clamps

Bar Top glue-up

6. Blu-ray precursor: DVD

9. South Asian crepes: DOSAs - Ugh. Crossing another name, double UGH

14. Hispaniola nation: HAITI - this Geo name has appeared in all four of Jeremy's LA Times puzzles

15. Outdoor co-op with an "Uncommon Path" blog: REI - learned by doing crosswords

16. Loosen, as laces: UNTIE - Odd that this counts as Friday-level, considering the rest of the clues

19. Recline atop: LIE ON - Twurdish #1

20. Charge: FEE

21. Horn sound: TOOT

22. Briquettes: COALS

26. Talk into a bigger purchase: UPSELL

29. Warped Tour sponsor: VANS - No clue; the Warped Tour Wiki; I knew a handful of the bands from the one in 1998; in 2012, despite having triple the performers, I knew not one of them . . . since it could have been a vehicle 'vans' answer, name #1 ( +4 if you count the themers . . . )

30. Protective trench: MOAT - I do love castles

Now that's a moat - Bodiam Castle

31. Golfing goof: SLICE - FORE~!

33. Lid: CAP - AND - 57D. Lid: HAT

40. Grads-to-be: SRs

41. Sarge's superior: LOOIE - oof.  Friday.  Lieutenant.  If it weren't for my voracious reading, I would not have gotten this one - also seen in novels as "LOO", "LOOT", "L-T", etc.

42. Hieroglyphic snakes: ASPs

43. Insider's argot: CANT - argot being the 'jargon', lingo and language of a small group, e.g. scientists

44. Check: ARREST

51. Partygoer who might stock up on glow sticks: RAVER - I grew up in the "mosh pit" era

52. Many a Yemeni: ARAB

53. Sweets: BAE - not candy, vague, and cringe, I can't stand this word - two of three Fridays now 😖

56. Carne __ burrito: ASADA

59. Romantic poet who died fighting for Greek independence: BYRON - interesting life, name #2

60. "Eddington" director Aster: ARI - I know none of  his work - IMDb, name #3

61. Caused: LED TO - Twurdish #2

62. Utter, as thou might: SAYST - canceled my SAYTH, which needed to be SayEth anyway - until I checked with our new friend A I, and found this . . . 

Archaic spelling of "archaic" . . . uhhh

63. Pewter component: TIN - about 85-99%, according to Wiki

64. Eye sores: STYES


DOWN:

1. Many a cooking show host: CHEF

2. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ - Some of this puzzle may be "lame", but not this dress . . . 🙄

Hey, 56% off~! Buy it now~!

3. Love, in French: AIME - does not rhyme with LAME, more like ay-MUH in the Frawnche

4. NYC transit org.: MTA - I grew up on Long Island, so I'm familiar with this organization; name(ish) and abbr, but here's a video from the B1M on a NYC project ahead of schedule, AND below budget

Park Ave rebuild

5. Flower part: PISTIL

6. Salivate: DROOL - Makes me think of Odie from Garfield

I'm down here with Cooper, who is not a drooler - but he does like to lick

7. Starbucks order: VENTI

8. Drop to 0%: DIE - Ah. Like phone batteries

9. Woman of La Mancha?: DULCINEA - Crossing two themers, and name #4 - Don Quixote's imaginary girlfriend; Why stop at one~?  I have a dozen imaginary girlfriends . . .  😁 the Wiki

10. Mirepoix vegetables: ONIONS - Frawnche. no clue, filled via perps

11. Swordfish cut: STEAK - solid WAG on my part, but then again, I know salmon is sold as 'steaks'

12. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI - learned by doing crosswords

13. Intuit: SENSE

18. Per-axle charge: TOLL - I just got a class-action settlement statement from a legal firm in Suffolk County, NY - the state owes me $144 for "illegal" fees on red-light camera tickets - Take THAT~!!

23. Large New Zealand cricket in the name of an Oscar-winning digital effects company: WĒTĀ - zero clue, didn't want one -  I have zero interest in "bugs" - I prefer ETymology over ENTOmology - 😝

24. Paperless Post alternative: eVITE - Ugh.  I tried eSite, thinking capitalized Post = newspaper, not the Postal, federal mail system , and a Tuesday dupe

25. Baylor University city: WACO - Geo name #5

26. Pros who work at home: UMPs - I think this clue needed an "?" - for home PLATE, that is . . .

27. Really come down: POUR - I tried HAIL, TEEM, PELT - Bzzzzt on all of them . . .

28. College Board exams: SATs

31. Many Highland Games participants: SCOTS - I had CELTS, so I was only 40% correct

32. Fragrant garland: LEI

33. Instance: CASE

34. Boxes in an arena?: AMPS - Boxes being the 3D noun, not the 'sparring' verb kind; I play guitar, and this is still too vague, even for a Friday . . .

35. Annoyance: PEST

37. Like a foul that might earn an automatic ejection: FLAGRANT - PERSONAL fit as well

Half the distance to the goal, automatic first down

38. Super-duper: A-ONE

39. Less than hardly, quaintly: NARY - I tried RARE, got me enough

43. Assertions of faith: CREDOS

44. Jai __: ALAI

45. Fights back: REBELS - the verb, not the noun

46. Snatches: GRABS - reminds me of this scene from Ocean's Eleven

Linus calls it a "smash & grab", but it's

slightly more complicated than that . . .

47. GPA booster: EASY A

48. Egg-producing organ: OVARY

49. Language of a haka chant: MAORI - same language as the bug above 🠉 - name(ish)

50. Conservationist Bindi: IRWIN - No clue, WAG on the "I" crossing the theme name - turns out to be Steve Irwin's daughter - still, it's #6

53. Hair quality: BODY - sadly, my hair quality is "thin", my body, "thick" - I'd prefer the reverse . . .

54. Upfront stake: ANTE - poker [face], not poking

55. Obstacles to teamwork: EGOs

58. Permit: LET - the verb, not the noun

Splynter

Gri(n)d Flow 21.4

Friday, Oct 2nd, 2026 ~ Norman M. Aaronson

LABYRINTH

Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center - their labyrinth website page

Author Norman M. Aaronson had an LA Times crossword back in July on a Wednesday here.  Today he returns with a puzzle that was, for me, not a very challenging Friday foray, despite a dozen names and a Natick.  Four themers with 'a twist' in the clue, and nothing obscure in the answers; I don't know how this one got published so late in the week; perhaps the oversized 15x16 grid~?  Not likely - or maybe I was on his wavelength, and most of the fill was in my wheelhouse; YMMV.  ALOT of Twurds & names, not so many 3LWs, no circles, no outliers.  Four themers, none spanning, no reveal;  

18. Story told with a twist: MYSTERY NOVEL - I am currently reading the "Exoskeleton" series from Shane Stadler, an odd horror/sci-fi/existential series, but I am sticking with it

29. Party gift created with a twist: BALLOON ANIMAL

Bah-dum-tiss

50. Cocktail served with a twist: VESPER MARTINI - Ha~!  I wondered if this was the James Bond drink, ordered in the 2006 Daniel Craig 007 movie Casino Royale - and a gratuitous scene for our C.C.

My friend, bring me one as well, keep the fruit . . ." - Felix Leiter

66. Feat performed with a twist: PLATFORM DIVE - but can you do the Triple Lindy~?

 

ACROSS:

1. Big horn: TUBA - "it's not a TUBA~!"

AAAAhnaaald~!

5. "Scoot!": AMSCRAY - Pig Latin for Scram - the 'language' formation "rules"

12. Winery tub: VAT

15. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL - I know who she is, could not recall the spelling, went with AMAN - Bzzzzt~! - name #1

Hey, I think I know that guy with her . . .

16. Bacon strips: RASHERS

17. Kerfuffle: ADO

20. Replayed tennis serve: LET

21. Gnats, termites, and the like: PESTS

22. River deposit: SILT

23. Timothée Chalamet trilogy set on a desert planet: DUNE - I tried reading this Frank Herber novel back in middle school, but I just couldn't get into it, and I am a Sci-Fi guy; I did watch some of the "new" series featuring this actor - I like the dragonfly things . . . name(ish)

More here

24. Like some elephants: ASIATIC - comparison to African elephants here

27. "Golly!": "OH GEE~!" - "Oh, Twurd~!"

34. Tolkien monster: ORC

37. Shuts with force: SLAMS

38. Food package phrase: USE BY - Two words #1

39. Speak highly of: LAUD

41. Gaps: SPACES

44. Like many supermodels: TALL

They all look to be at least 6ft tall . . .

45. Dizzy: AREEL - "a" Twurd #1

47. Simply must: HAS TO -Two words #2

49. Filmmaker Spike: LEE - knew this one, name #2

54. "Pagliacci" clown: TONIO - CE:D blogged his insight on the play here; the Wiki, name #3

55. Carriers of raw metals: ORE CARS - Two words #3

59. Fail to mention: OMIT

61. Hopper on a pet: FLEA

64. Orange __ tea: PEKOE

65. Ballpoint brand: BIC

69. Large deer in the Rockies: ELK

70. Barbecue spot: TERRACE

71. Tabloid duo: ITEM

72. Golf hole meas.: YDs

73. States as fact: ASSERTS - and you know what happens if you ASS-U-ME . . . 

74. Reseals, as a road: TARS

DOWN:

1. Third-largest city in the Sunshine State: TAMPA - Two weeks running on Friday, Geo name #4

2. "Uh, I think so": "UM, YES." - Er, Twurd

3. Low choir voices: BASSI - in the Latin/Italian plural

4. Window-switching shortcut: ALT TAB - Two 'words', learning moment, and a Natick crossing for me

5. Flight board abbr.: ARRivals, not "ETA"

6. Star Wars Day month: MAY - the Fourth Be With You

Tuesday in 2027

7. Figs. targeted by phishers: SSNs -Social Security Numbers

8. Kenneth of "9-1-1": CHOI - no clue, more here, name #5

9. L'Oréal rival: REVLON - cosmetics companies

10. "Think" singer Franklin: ARETHA - Friday cluing, still a name, #6

11. French fashion letters: YSL - crossword staple, abbr name Yves St. Laurent, #7

12. Fast-food combo: VALUE MEAL - hey - a solid two-word clue/answer

13. Yemeni port: ADEN - Geo name #8

14. Handy bag: TOTE

19. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS - Español lesson #1

23. Believer in a noninterfering god: DEIST - I believe in "The Force" - I was on a 12-step spritual retreat this past weekend, and I walked the labyrinth pictured at the top on the grounds Sunday morning - now I want to make one in my back yard~!

25. Woes: ILLS

26. Thunder sound: CLAP - what's the sound of ONE thunder bolt clapping~? 🙄

One week to "Cooper"town, Irish Miss~!

28. Wild beast also called a wildebeest: GNU

30. Largest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA - Geo name #9, and a Saturday sherpa shout-out

31. Sesame Street's resident Grouch: OSCAR - name #10

32. Fit: ABLE 

33. Country singer Lovett: LYLE - name #11, knew it

34. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV - name #12, knew it two ( too )

35. Uncommon: RARE

36. Pool equipment: CUE STICKS - Ah, that kind of  pool . . .

40. Railroad station: DEPOT

42. This, in Spanish: ESTO - Español #2

43. Mix: STIR

46. "Blue Bloods" actor Cariou: LEN - learned by doing crosswords, still, name #13

48. Early afternoon hr.: ONE PM - this, or TWO

51. Rummages (through): RIFLES

52. Big grinders: MOLARS - dental, not deli  . . .

53. Sealed the victory: ICED IT - Two words #4

56. Japanese dog breed: AKITA - name(ish)

57. Mars exploration vehicle: ROVER

58. Comes across as: SEEMS

59. Toe the line: OBEY

60. Tame: MILD

62. To be, in French: ETRE - Frawnche

63. Way out there: AFAR - "a" Twurd #2

66. Sch. supporter: PTA - abbr, Parent / Teacher Assoc.

67. Halloween mo.: OCTober, the month we just crossed into

68. Hi-__ graphics: RES

Splynter

Grid Flow 16.8

Friday, Sep 25th, 2026 ~ Rebecca Goldstein

 IF THE CLÜE FITS . . .

The full line of Diane von Furstenberg's crossword fashions clip

Rebecca Goldstein returns with a Friday foray into fashion - Five fills framed as (out)FITs, with their associated attire in the answers ( see what I did there~? ).  This is Ms. Goldstein's sixth puzzle this year, and I blogged a streak of her constructions on Wednesdays in, Jan, Feb, and March of 2025.  For a change, we had no add-on letters as a theme, a standard grid - which is unusual for Rebecca - no circles, no 'outlier' squares, just a handful of names ( but a crossing pair, thus a Natick ), and 17 3LWs, one more than the 5-letter word count.  The themers, with 38A. at the center, and no reveal;

17. Fit to eat?: LOBSTER BIB - You can eat the lobster, but not the bib

38. Fit for a king?: PAJAMAS - A king-sized bed, very clever

62. Fit for work?: SUIT AND TIE - Thankfully, I've never had to wear a suit & tie for work

11. Fit to a tee?: GOLF SHIRT - Not the "T" shirt, the "tee" prop of a golf ball

34. Fit for service?: CHOIR ROBE - Here's Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture

with a full, robed choir and pipe organ ( in the background )

Perhaps you prefer a choir with real cannons - this one

But Wait - Get Dressed - There's More~!

 

ACROSS:

1. Diminish: WANE - Think the Moon, and thus - 32D. 1-Across opposite: WAX - now makes sense

5. "Too rich for my blood": I'M OUT." - Poker reference, but the "catch phrase" of Shark Tank, too

10. "My word!": "EGAD~!"

14. Fusses: ADOs

15. Bay area on the East Coast: TAMPA - Kinda vague, kinda Friday, Geo name #1

16. Olden times: YORE

19. Enthusiasm: ELAN - "E"lliteration . . . 🙄

20. Uno e uno e uno: TRE - Español:  English - 1 and 1 and 1 is three -

The Beatles, lyric @2:42

21. Arabian aristocrat: EMIR - we're "A & E"ing all over this blog . . .

22. Hurled: LET FLY - e.g., insults

24. Nintendo princess: ZELDA - the original video game is now 40 years old; name #2

26. Archrivals: NEMESES - the plural spelling

28. __ Minor: URSA

30. Event that may have drawings: ART SHOW - very clever clue / answer; LOTTERY fit, too

33. Single ant, say: SCOUT - I tried DRONE to start - had just the "O", but "totes" correct . . . 🙄

35. Hon: BAE - cringe.  I don't care for this abbr at all, even IRL, not just crosswords . . . 😖

OK, the Shein "Bae" line is pretty attractive . . . 

36. "Proud Mary" singer Turner: TINA - name #3

37. "Don't think so": "NAH."

41. Nero Wolfe creator Stout: REX - I read the whole series, have a boxful of the paperback books I am still waiting to display, as the shelves I have planned still need to be built; name #4

42. Book jacket blurbs: BIOs - the author's biography, in a few words 

44. Lip-smacking word: YUM~!

45. Air ways: DUCTS

47. Masterful demonstrations: CLINICS - typically related to sports professionals, musicians, etc.

49. Capital city with a Museum of the Viking Age set to open in 2027: OSLO - I'd like to visit that kind of place - still, a geo name, #5

50. Home body?: REALTOR - Har-har

52. Diving aquatic birds: LOONS

56. One sister in "King Richard": SERENA - The "S" being a Natick crossing with another name, #6, I had no clue, was thinking Shakespeare's "Richard III", then King Lear, but no - this is the story of "Richard", the father of sisters Venus & Serena, and his drive to making them successful tennis pros

58. Treadmill setting: PACE - I finished 45mins at level 5 on the Stairmaster; this week I started level 6

60. D.C. MLBer: NATional

61. The whole shebang: A TO Z

65. Broccoli __: RABE

66. Law of __: trigonometry equation: SINES - for the math geeks; for the Law(yer) of SIGNS . . .

And many more, here

67. Mud: JAVA - coffee slang

68. Sudsy mugfuls: ALES

69. "Tough crowd!": "YEESH~!" - I usually spell it "SHEESH" in my journal

70. Zoomed: SPED


DOWN:

1. Flounce: WALTZ - "you think you can just come ___ing in here like that~?!?"

2. Be wild about: ADORE

3. Prize first awarded in 1901: NOBEL - name(ish) - the 'explosive' & tragic life of  Alfred Nobel

4. Slow start?: ESS - metaclue, "S" starts the word sLOW

5. Object: ITEM - nailed it, but wondered if it might be the legalese verb, "I object, your honor~!"

6. Yacht spot: MARINA - and SERENA, look at us rhyming~!

7. Color gradient technique: OMBRE - never heard this term, usually related to hair, and of Frawnche origin, meaning "shadow"; I found this "Fire" version, and while I've not seen it IRL, it's mesmerizing. . .

Here's a YouTube clip on how to D-i-Y

8. News initials: UPI - United Press International, and it's American, too . . . 😁

9. Rehearsals a cast generally won't stand for?: TABLE READS - made me think of a Family Guy episode; Seth MacFarlane and cast have done live ones at Comic Cons, but definitely NSFW

10. Reason to look one's best?: EYE TEST - very clever, that kind of "look"

Can you read line seven~?

12. Central Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL - Geo name #7

13. Say "It wasn't me," say: DENY

18. Start to cry: TEAR UP - start to cut a rug; TEAR it UP~!

Gramatik, Tearin It Up

23. Rough fig.: ESTimate

25. Pair: DUO - Dah~!  Not TWO

27. "M'lady": MA'AM

29. Sarcastic response to rude behavior: STAY CLASSY - Yeah, or Meh~?

31. Individuals: ONES

33. Travel as the wind blows: SAIL - ah, another good clue / answer; if you're on a submarine, does one still "set sail~?" - reading a book that involves U-Boats, and I thought this description a bit odd . . .

35. Comic book onomatopoeia: BAM~!

37. "SVU" network: NBC - the Law & Order "Special Victims Unit" spin-off

39. A second ago: JUST - We missed it~? When~?

"Just now~!" @ 1:40

40. Morose: SULLEN

43. Seasonal allergy symptoms: SNEEZES

46. Murmur: COO

48. "What We Can Know" novelist McEwan: IAN - name #8

49. Pontificates: ORATES - AND . . . 

51. Pontificate: OPINE - nearly a pure clecho

                                                             

53. Ready to pour: ON TAP - not Spïnal Tap - but speaking of umlauts . . .

54. Inexperienced: NAÏVE - from the Frawnche - and another umlaut

The ümlaut bänds wëbsite

55. Place: STEAD

56. Singer-songwriter Bareilles: SARA - the crossing "S" name, a bit harsh, but guessable, name #9

Written to appease the recod label, it's a clever "Love Song"

57. Bibliography abbr.: ET. AL. - Latin et alia(i) - and others

59. Paper money: CASH - couldn't be ONES, that was up at 31D.

63. Driver's one-eighty: UIE - U-Turn abbr.; got burned by this in a recent puzzle

64. Turntable pros: DJs - and now, it's time for "PJ"s . . .

Splynter

Grid Flow 35.2