Friday, May 15th, 2026 ~ Jeffrey Wechsler

 MR. UNICORN VERSE

"Now I will believe that There are unicorns"

My last blog of a Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle goes WAY back to 2012, when I was on Saturday duty; I discovered that JW's first crossword dates all the way back to 1969 - published in the NYT one day after the Apollo 11 astronauts left Earth.  As for today's construction, Mr. Wechsler goes beyond his normal add-a-letter theme style to a full-word-added one.  I really had to use my noggin to get my "ta-DA~!"  Lots of vague clues, but this is how a Friday should be.  Alas, I got bogged down with some proper names again ( e.g., the last letter "D" in red below ), even if I knew half of them.  I've noticed, too, that there are ALOT of two-word entries in JW Fridays, today being no exception, but at least they feel less "forced", so I will refrain from my usual Twurds count.  I will, however, point out the Shakespeare count ( 4 ),  the abbrs count ( 9 ), the names count ( 7 ), the two-words ( also 7 ), plus two Bible, two Montreal, two New York, two octopus & two Thwurds references.  Phew - I think I got them all . . . An oversized 15 x 16 grid, no circles, and 14 3LWs; the themers and reveal;

21. Apparel worn between December 22 and January 19?: CAPRICORN PANTS - Capri Pants; these are the dates of the Zodiac Sign for the "horned goat", Latin "caper cornu"; etymology fascinates me

The Tropic of Cancer is counterpart to the Tropic of Capricorn

30. Unappreciative of St. Louis's hockey team?: SCORNING THE BLUES - Sing the Blues; the St Louis Blues did not make the Stanley Cup playoffs - but Montreal is up on Buffalo😕, right Canadian Eh!

Stray Cat Strut, lyric @ 1:42

46. Starts a top-to-bottom demolition of an old facade?: BREAKS THE CORNICE - Breaks the Ice

56. Shakespearean "Listen up!," or an apt title for this puzzle?: "LEND ME YOUR EARS~!" The Bard #2 - #1 is in the link up top

I also pondered POPCORN MUSIC / CORNER NURSE

But Wait, There's More, my CORN-erites~!

ACROSS:

1. Urban haze: SMOG - I do the Down clues first, and had nothing up here to get started . . . sheesh

5. Urban network: ROADS - I tried TRAMS

10. Parts of some locks: HASPS - hair~? canal~?  Just plain old 'gate' locks

15. Boring outcome?: HOLE - clever clue/answer; drills "bore" holes . . . 🙄

16. Go up to: END AT - Semi-meh, as in "this progam will _ _ 11pm" - Two-word #1

17. Yamaha woodwinds: OBOES - yes, they DO make them . . .

18. SNAP benefits org.: USDA - Learning moment for me; abbr, #1, for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progam from the US Dept of Agriculture; more here

19. San Antonio site: ALAMO

20. Take part financially: BUY IN - Two-word #2

24. Wine cocktail also called blanc-cassis: KIR - Forgot the name of this drink

25. Mortgage agcy.: FHA - Federal Housing Administration - abbr #2

26. Pair of: TWO - two words in one crossword answer = Twurds

27. Bill fig.: AMounT - abbr #3

35. Dearie: HON - At least is was not the "other" 3LW . . . 

36. Expressions of discovery: A-HAs

37. Bi- quadrupled: OCTO- - Bipeds and Octopodes, #1 - or is it Octopi~? Hmmm . . .

38. "Four Quartets" poet: ELIOT - name #1

41. Writer Harte or wrestler Hart: BRET - name #2 - I had a falling out with my trainer BretT with two-T's; he's a millennial, so he has a short attention span and can be arrogant at times . . . we're good again

42. Lets go: FREES - Bible reference #1; Moses, Exodus 5:1 "let My people go free, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness"

43. SoCal emer. force: LAFD - I had the "P"olice B4 the "F"ire Dept, as NYC is FDNY - NY #1, abbr #4

44. Puts away: EATS - corn-on-the-cob eating contest~?

45. French street: RUE - Friends of mine did a spur-of-the moment Road Trip to Montreal (#2) way back in 1990; they thought they were clever because the remembered their car was parked on "RUE" street . . .  

52. Drink suffix: ADE

53. Biblical suffix: ETH - "And thus thine sayETH" - Bible reference #2 - I have been rewatching the fascinating series "The Psychology of the Biblical Stories" presented by Jordan Peterson, who steers clear of the religious aspect; now I'm working through his Exodus ones - which is how I came to know 42A.

54. Private aid gp.: NGO - Non-Governmental Organization - abbr #5

55. Largest U.S. union: NEA - The trucking teamsters is listed at #4; I was once a part of their union as an employee of both Roadway Express ( now YRC ) and UPS; abbr #6

61. Longtime college football coach Nick: SABAN - no clue, name #3

63. Vintage violin: AMATI - crossword staple

64. Smack: SWAT

65. Scoundrel: KNAVE

66. Almanac info: TIDES

67. Cover, in a way: PAVE - Phew~!  It took waaaay too long to get this fill - JW Friday clue

68. Alpine song: YODEL

69. Put away: STASH

70. Big Apple resident, for short: NYer - I was not in the City - but I once dwelled on Long Island, NY mention #2, and abbr #7

DOWN:

1. "I'm sorta disappointed": "SHUCKS~!" - Not only a "CORN" theme reference , but a 51D.  "Easter" Egg as well~!

2. Pompeii art form: MOSAIC - Incredible amount of detail; I'd love to make one

Octopus #2

3. Experienced sort: OLD PRO - Two-word(ish)~?

4. Locker contents: GEAR - think sports 

5. Try to access, as the back of a closet: REACH IN - Meh; two-word #3

6. Borrowed: ON LOAN - Two-word #4

7. Hebrew month after Shevat: ADAR - We had ELUL in the Sides Add LE puzzle last month

8. Curse: DAMN

9. "Enough!": "STOP THAT~!" - Two word #5

10. Rub shoulders (with): HOBNOB - More Shakespeare, #3, in the definition here

11. Be next to: ABUT

12. Kikkoman condiment: SOY SAUCE - two-word(ish), but it is a "thing"

13. Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI - crossword staple, name #4

14. Protected fig.: SSN - Social Security Number, abbr #8

22. "Alternatively ... ": "IF NOT..." - Two-word #6

23. Causes to gasp, perhaps: AWES

28. Ration (out): METE - a toss-up between this and DOLE, and they both worked at 58D. as well 🠟

29. General __ chicken: TSO's - My go-to Chinese choice, and I made my own this past weekend, added Spam to my fried rice per the recipe from last Friday - name(ish)

31. Friend of TV's Mary Richards: RHODA - MAUDE~?  MOORE~?  Before my time, name #5

32. Brooks of country music: GARTH - I did this one a few times at karaoke - name #6, but obviously I knew who we're looking for

33. "Lord, what fools __ mortals be!": "THESE~!" - Shakespeare #4, here, line 115

34. Cinema icon born in Rome: LOREN - Dah~! - Went with Peter LORRE off my LOR_ _; name #7

Sophia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone

38. Site of Napoleon's exile: ELBA - ABLE WAS I ERE I SAW ELBA - well-known palindrome

39. Tallow kin: LARD - I tried SUET

40. Guilty expression: "I FEEL BAD..." - Thwurd #1

41. Traction providers: BATHMATS - Phew, Friday fill . . . here's mine

I just installed the new vanity & top

42. Hullabaloo: FUROR - I tried MELEE

44. Cornerstone abbr.: EST'D - #9

45. Appealingly unconventional: ROGUISH - the "U" in the Down position looks odd

47. Place to keep toys?: KENNEL - Toys, as in small dogs, but I wasn't fooled; without the "?", maybe

48. Benjamins: C-NOTES - $100 bill slang

49. "Not exactly, but close": "IN A WAY..." - Tried NEARLY, but SWAY had to be correct: Thwurd #2

50. "Developed With Dermatologists" lotion brand: CeraVe - their website

51. Spring holiday: EASTER - 1...

57. Icicle spot: EAVE - 2...

58. Give out: EMIT - 3 "E"s in a row

59. Nonsense word similar to "blah": YADA - yada yada - also three in-a-row

60. Jessica Mendoza's network: ESPN - Four-letter network~?  Almost 4 "E"s in a row

61. Cloud's place: SKY - Ah, but which CLOUD - the digital storage one~?

62. "That's __-brainer!": "A NO~!" - aaaaand a Twurd.  #7.  Sorry.  Had to.

Splynter

Grid Flow 42.9

Friday, May 8th, 2026 ~ Joel Woodford

 BLINI SPOT

IHOP in Moscow . . . 😜

This is Joel Woodford's second publication; his first was a NYT puzzle last year in August.  Today we have a letter-replacement-at-the-end-of-phrases theme, with "d" becoming "i", and a very clever reveal.  A simple solve ( for me ) this time, stumbled just a little in the center and down in the SW.  Standard grid, no circles, just a handful of names, a couple of twurds, two 9-letter Downs, 15 3LWs - and four Coopers~!  The themers and reveal;

20. Small car that can only follow a single route?: ONE-TRACK MINI - One-track minD, like me and 14A.; the Mini was a British car, then it became the Mini-"Cooper" (#1), and now a line from BMW - I think; it's hard to tell who owns them, manufactures them, and markets them . . . 

An A I visual evolution - I am beginning to appreciate A I

29. Songs heard during a colorful spring festival?: MUSIC ON HOLI - Music on holD; we appreciate your patience - please enjoy this 20min flute solo . . . 

It was in March

43. First dish made at a cook-off?: OLDEST CHILI - Oldest chilD - I am the oldest of two, but my brother likes to behave like the alpha, so I let him; speaking of my brother, I am going to be house-sitting and walking my buddy in June~!  Yay~!  AND, I have found a place to adopt a schnauzer puppy, but I have to stabilize my work schedule before I commit, then fence in a part of my yard.

Cooper (#2)

52. Designer's asset, or a phonetic description of 20-, 29-, and 43-Across: EYE FOR DETAIL - parsed differently, it reads "I" for "D" tail - the last, or "tail" letter of the theme answers changes from an i to a d - very clever reveal~!

Но подожди, И это ещё не всё~!

ACROSS:

1. Meat in some fried rice: SPAM - I like Spam, buy it in bulk at BJs, get the low(er) sodium one

I might have to try this recipe

5. Place where heros are made: DELI - I do the Downs first, had only - - L -, pondered "HELL" -as in a mythological hero

9. Ready to lose one's cool: IRATE

14. Purnell of "Fallout": ELLA - name #1 - her IMDb

15. Go: EXIT - Late-week one-word clue for one-word answer

16. Wind turbine part: ROTOR

17. Polish target: NAIL - that kind of polish

18. Barn topper: VANE

19. Minds: OBEYS - "Obeys The Gap"

23. Frawnche automaker: RENAULT - I'll just call this "name(ish)", because I knew it

24. Barrel-shaped drums: CONGAS

28. Map lines: Abbr.: STs

32. Generic surname: DOE - a typical whodunnit show's unknown 'victim' is John or Jane Doe

33. Swanson of "Parks and Recreation": RON - fictional name #2

34. Brewery kiln: OAST - learned by doing crosswords

35. Temple table: ALTAR - AL-i-TAR-a-tion

38. Blend: MIX - so my "DEW drop" was Bzzzzt~!

39. The loneliest numbers?: SOLOS - AKA arias

40. Set of socks: PAIR - a set of Sox . . .

Sorry, C.C., still don't care for baseball . . .

41. Family nickname: SISter

42. Advanced deg.: PhD

46. __ tai: MAI - or, before the application of the theme, a MAD TAD

Fun with A I

49. Candy bar with peanuts and caramel: PAYDAY

The history of its name

50. Small pieces: MORSELS - I had DETAILS here, and then the reveal filled in . . .

55. Some Ukrainians: SLAVS

58. Keen: AVID

59. "Picnic" playwright: INGE - learned by doing crosswords, still, name #3

60. Pronoun choices: HE/HIM - AND - 55. Pronoun choice: SHE - clecho crossing

61. Unvirtuous activity: VICE

62. Sweater fuzz: LINT

63. Order out: EXILE - I thought "EAT IN" was clever - nope.

64. Condition affecting focus, briefly: ADHD - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 

65. "Not that much": LESS - sometimes, it's "more"


DOWN:

1. Barcelona men: SEÑORS

2. Revolutionary figure?: PLANET - my minD was thinking axle, axis, pole dancer . . . 

3. Crop circle makers, supposedly: ALIENS - Here's my Sim City farm with eerie crop circles . . .

4. Island near Sicily: MALTA - geo name #4

5. Cheapen: DEVALUE

6. Takes, as revenge: EXACTS - It's a recipe - best served . . . cold

May the Fourth Be With You - here's a Revenge of the Sith cake

7. Clickable text: LINK - AND - 22. Clickable image: ICON     

8. Object: ITEM - one-word clue /answer Friday vague; noun, or verb~? ob-JECT~?

9. Patch style: IRON-ON

10. Inspiration for the DC Comics hero Green Arrow: ROBIN HOOD - I did not know this - filled via perps.  I grew up with Robin Hood imagery , as my parents were born & raised in Nottingham England

11. Consumed: ATE

12. Barbie, e.g.: TOY - Doll, Name, Movie - several choices, but I like one-to-one vague cluing, as long as we're talking words, not names - it feels like I am learning something . . . 

13. 24-hour care ctrs.: ERs

21. Scuttlebutt: RUMOR - I thought 'scuttlebutt' was a person, not a term

25. Aim: GOAL - I have struggled with what my aim/goal/intent/dream/purpose ( see yesterday's puzzle ) is to be for the 'second half' of my life - the first was to buy my own home, which I accomplished in 2022.  I am going to focus on the production of my board games; found an intellectual property lawyer, have a business plan - amd I'm beginning to embrace A I as an effective tool, too.  

A trial playing of one game, back in 2017

26. "One more thought ... ": "ALSO... "

27. Parks it: SITS

30. Like Guinness: IRISH - Dah~!  Not STOUT -and a SO to Miss

31. Crew team leader: COX - the lightweight "jockey" at the back of a boat with the rowing guys

"inverse" coxswain

32. Biker trying to miss the bus, perhaps?: DAREDEVIL - I love this clue/answer.  I had just been griping about people who do NOT get up to speed at a highway on-ramp - I acually said "if you were jumping 26 buses, do you want to be going 40, or 140mph~?!"

OK, so it was only 14 buses, and just 95mph . . . 51D.

35. Per: A POP - possibly the worst twurd, not the word "EACH"

36. Chorus syllables: LA-LA - meh.  I tried TRAS

37. Shipshape: TIDY

38. __ drop: MIC - yeah, I went with DEW

39. English county: SHIRE - Sweet~!  The generic, crossword answer, not the crossname ESSEX

41. Eye affliction: STYE

42. Trudged: PLODDED

44. Authoritative retort: "SAYS ME."

45. "Jackpot!": "I'M RICH~!" - No, I am Rich~! ( when I'm not Splynter ) name(ish), twurd(ish)

46. "You're being cruel!": MEANIE - this was part of my mom's affectionate email address, "Mrs. Meanie" - a moniker she earned over 30 years as a teacher's assistant 

47. Formats, as text: ALIGNS - I use center align for my images and "justify" for text on the blog

48. Archipelago units: ISLETS

51. "Even so ... ": "STILL . . ." Evel Stunt Cycle

I am pretty sure I had this toy

53. __ bean: FAVA - "The Silence of The Lambs"

And a nice Chianti . . .

54. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID - ooh, good WAG on my part; name #5

56. NYC ave. on the East Side: LEXington - ah forgot about that one.  The Chrysler Building is located on Lexington @ 42nd street; the building is in dire need of modernizing . . . and pays rent to Cooper Union (#3)  

Cooper again~! This time, the Square (#4)

Numbered 'backwards', east to west, 1st - 12th

57. Sushi option: AHI - interesting that the last Down fill ends with an "i"

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.3

Friday, May 1st, 2026 ~ John Michael Currie

 MAY  MAYDAY~!

"May Day~? Why, that's the Russian New Year~!"

And the Frawnche reason for the emergency distress call

Happy first of May~! John Michael Currie is a regular here at the LA Times crossword, but it's been  while; his last appearance was in Nov 2024.  Today we have a calm, gimmick-free puzzle compared to last Friday, but alas, "Ah me", we have a dozen names again.  55 theme squares of the total fill, or about 30% of the construction, the theme is basically a simple 'self-regarding' play on words/abbrs, half clever, half not so much.  A standard 15x15 grid, a balance again of 3-, 4- & 5-letter words, no circles, too many names, and a couple of twurds; the themers;  

20. Color commentator's remark about a zebra on the field?: REF REFERENCE - typically an NFL slang term, 'zebra' refers to the REFeree

29. Pickling, canning, headspace, annealing, etc.?: JAR JARGON - I understand pickling and canning, but I had to look up headspace, and annealing in reference to jars

37. Like clockwork, e.g.?: ANALOG ANALOGY - The clip below is too funny - and too sad

Can you tell me what time it is~?

45. Pressing the "permanent press" button?: IRON IRONY - It does seem to be Ironic

The 'perm press' setting is in the center

56. "Words are but wind"?: META METAPHOR - oooh, trippy . . . 

Wait, But More There Is . . .

ACROSS:

1. Departing word: CIAO - Italian lesson

5. "Of course," in Oviedo: CLARO - Español lesson, technically means "clear"; Oviedo is this city in Spain ( geo name #1 ) - see also map at 18A.

10. Chevrolet model until 2019: VOLT - really rough way to start the first row of  Across fills; foreign word/foreign word/name - sheesh, can we get an English words puzzle~?

The Wiki for those who are curious

14. Address letters: HTTP - website address, that is

15. Bleachers shoutout: "HI MOM~!" - this twurd has made 36 other crossword puzzles

16. Biblical plot: EDEN - plot as in land, not story arc

17. Dramatic sigh: "AH ME..."

18. St. Teresa's birthplace: AVILA - geo name #2 - more here

Dos cuidades

19. Succeeding: NEXT

23. Created hazardous driving conditions, perhaps: SLEETED - uh-huh . . .

24. Two-digit sign: PEACE - my parents, both born in the UK, made it clear that "palm in" was a far more vulgar version of the sign . . . 

The origins of the "V" for Victory ( peace ) sign

28. Org. that promotes vegan leather: PETA - an acronym, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

33. Quaint affirmation: "'TIS"

35. Sticky stuff: GOO

36. Abnormal: ODD

42. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, for one: DUO - names #3 - the Wiki, and a tie-in to 4D.

43. Comedian Wong: ALI - name #4; see also the last Down clue

44. Prefix with binary: NON

49. Swim/bike/run races, briefly: TRIs - meh, a semi-abbr for triathlon

52. Growing alarm: PANIC - "Not only is it slightly cheaper, it has the words DON'T PANIC printed in large, friendly letters on its cover"

The Hichhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

53. Lifeblood: ESSENCE

60. Place to find one's credit history?: IMDb - the Internet Movie Database, and film credits

63. Home of Creighton University: OMAHA - filled via perps, geo name #5

64. Net: EARN - think paycheck

65. Tarot figure carrying a bindle: FOOL

From the Rider-Waite Deck

66. Program broadcast from Rockefeller Plaza: TODAY - good clue/answer for this fill; I didn't know it

67. Gastropub pours: ALES - a WAG

68. Maker of Inzone gaming gear: SONY - got most via perps; name (ish)

69. Presents inaccurately, as data: SKEWS

70. Try out: TEST

DOWN:

1. Nears burning: CHARS - I got it, but it seems slightly 'off ' - I mean, the outside is burned . . . 

2. Geek Squad offering: IT HELP - this has appeared in seven other puzzles

I can't see the problem . . .

3. Charge for cash: ATM FEE - this has appeared in twenty other grids

4. Gilbert and Sullivan work: OPERETTA - filled via perps; I recognize the names, but not their legacy

5. Abrade: CHAFE - not SCUFF

6. Club record holder?: LIVE DJ - not a unique fill

7. "The Kite Runner" boy: AMIR - a name, #6, a book, and a movie - it's IMDb

8. Part: ROLE

9. Yemen neighbor: OMAN - geo name #7

10. Deceptive layer: VENEER - I suppose "deceptive" refers more to a persona, than, say, furniture

11. Amanda Gorman's "An __ We Owe": ODE - the poem, here; name (ish)

12. Latin law: LEX - oops, not RES; I can't remember a 'thing' 🙄

13. Boom operator's need?: TNT - har-har; trying to be fresh with a stale fill

21. Cybercommerce: eTAIL

22. Audit firm exec: CPA - Certified Public Accountant, CW staple

25. Spellbound: AGOG - Dah~! Not AWED; only 25% correct

26. "Dirt Cheap" country singer Johnson: CODY - the sentimental YouTube music video, name #8

27. Terminus: END

30. "From the top": AGAIN

31. Kim Possible sidekick __ Stoppable: RON - name #9 - Here's a family tree I found - I also noted that the Downy in-wash scent booster "Unstopables" product is spelled wrong . . . 

Coor's Artic Ice ( missing the inner c ) is another example

32. Cusack of the "Toy Story" franchise: JOAN - I tried John, her brother, just one letter off, but still Bzzzzt~!  name #10

34. Skyrocket: SOAR

37. Lighting effect: AURA - I tried HALO . . . 

38. Lunch hour, for some: NOON - neither ONE PM nor TWO PM would fit

39. Mop & __: GLO - More product spelling trickery - from founders John Mop & Tom Glo 😜

I don't use Mop & Glo, but I do have the spin bucket

40. "__ luck!": LOTSA - two Fridays in a row with this answer

41. How viral videos might be played: ON REPEAT - also not a unique fill

42. Short decline: DIP - I notice the price of gasoline spikes, but only "dips" back to its previous level

46. With quick movements: NIMBLY

47. Clinch: ICE - like a playoff spot

48. Rodeo cry: "YEEHAW~!" - has made two other crosswords

50. Half of a meditative refrain: INHALE - Exhale . . . Omm . . .

Eddie Van "Inhalen"

51. Film compositions: SCORES - Ah.  I filled in FRAMES; well, they are composed of frames . . .

54. Collar supports: STAYS

55. Dada pioneer Max: ERNST - name #11, but I learned this from doing crosswords - bizarre stuff

57. Fries alternative: TOTS - I got flak from my gym class people because I made my shepherd's pie "wrong" - tater tots are not the "same thing" as mashed potatoes 🙄

...and then my trainer says "It does look good~!"

58. Out of control: AMOK

59. Not natural: MADE - I guess . . . Friday vague

60. Hypotheticals: 'IFs' - A Pulp Fiction quote two weeks in a row . . . here's the NSFW clip with Jules on the phone to Mr. Wallace

61. Ranch sound: MOO - take your guess; BAA, MAA, "GIT~!" 😜

62. Put on: DON - "on" and "on" in clue & answer, a bit weak . . . but then again, the alternate is a name

Splynter

Grid Flow 22.7

Friday, Apr 24th, 2026 ~ James Mattina

 LES MISERABLE~?

I do believe this is a debut for author James Mattina; if so, then congratulations~! Composing this construction must have been complicated.  I think the concept is brilliant - it's quite clever, fresh, and required some thinking on my part - but sadly, the "?" clues and proper names just drained some of the satisfaction from it. I ended up "cheating" to find where I went wrong - the truth is, I knew I had TESSA twice, and the instance that crossed the theme answers was where I made the mistake; I simply did not know 44D., nor two of three names in that SW corner.  Oh well.  A gimmick, a 14x16 grid, which, as I've pictured, is 'technically' 14x20, a fair balance of 3-, 4-, and 5-letter words, a ridiculous # of names - and not just Twurds, but we have a Thwurd this week - but hey, no circles . . . 😜

Rather than move all "theme" answers to the summary, I have highlighted them "in situ" -  The "reveal";

54. Equestrian style, or, when parsed differently, a three-part instruction for making 19 clues in this puzzle match their answers: SIDESADDLE - SIDES ADD 'LE' is the "three-part" parsing; in order to "get" the answers on the sides, one needs to 'add' "LE" - once I realized this - and at first I thought it was "SIDES ADDLE" ( which would have been worse ) then the first spanner came clear.  

LEBut LEWait, There'sLE MoreLE~!

ACROSS:

1. Not-so-hot wheels: MONS - LEmons - Used automobiles that have more problems than they're worth

If it smells like a lemon and shows up at "2" on the chart below . . .

5. Recap: SUM UP

10. Range that measures acidity and alkalinity: PHSCA - pH scaLE

15. Seize eagerly, as an opportunity: APAT - LEap at - Having to parse a Twurd that's also missing letters might rattle several solvers today

16. __ acid: AMINO

17. Like clean water: POTAB - potabLE - 7 on the pH scale

18. Theaters that typically don't serve popcorn?: CTUREHALLS - LEcture halls - This one may well have been the hardest to get - starting with the implication that lecture hall = theater, then adding the "?" to the clue, making it far more vague, plus being part of the theme, and therefore missing letters . . . 

20. Court action: DRIBB - dribbLE - I don't care for basketball, so that type of court never occurs to me

21. Singer Halliwell: GERI - I finally recalled she's a Spice Girl, but still a name, #1

Ginger Spice, go figure

22. Baby foxes: KITS - learned by doing crosswords

24. Round bump on a cactus: AREO - areoLE - we used to have a "Crossword Corner" image for this, but I believe it became "taboo", so let's just call it a "ring-like" structure 😁

25. Heavy reptile with a flexible carapace: ATHERBACKSEATURT - LEatherback sea turtLE - the first double-whammy 16 (20)-letter spanner theme fill

Pirates of the Caribbean

29. Economist who co-wrote "Freakonomics": VITT - Scott LEvitt - name, #2, and missing letters, which just doubles the cringe factor - but a good WAG on my part

30. Mud: JOE - coffee slang; did not occur to me until I had "_ O E" on my second pass, and name(ish)

31. Sink annoyance: DRIP - AND - 32A. Sink annoyances: AKS - LEaks

33. Spring event: THAW

35. Snack topped with cotija: TACO - yada yada snack with Español hint = TACO

36. Antelope that can go without water for long stretches: ORYX

37. Gets the gold: WINS

38. Big spender at a casino: WHA - whaLE - learned this term from Ocean's Thirteen

41. Gadget that has a click wheel: iPOD - I loved the "Apple product" D-Otto produced last Friday - "iDollar Tree" and the Ina Garten DeVito (baby) marriage from Copy Editor . . . wait til you get to 53D.

42. __ velvet cupcake: RED

43. Duo: COUP - coupLE - Duet wasn't going to fly; could not figure out what was going on . . . 

44. Ring leader?: TSGETREADYTORUMB - the catch-phrase from MC Michael Buffer, the other double-whammy 16 (20)-letter spanner, "LEt's get ready to rumbLE".  It's his 'leader' = opening "salvo" at sporting events; as you can see, A I has "announced" how not-so-intelligent it is . . . 

Um, spelled wrong

49. "I Hope You Dance" singer Womack: EANN - LEe Ann - I confused her with LeAnn Rimes.  Without grokking the gimmick, I thought maybe it was spelled Le-An - bzzzzt~!  Name #3

50. Heritage gp. celebrated in May: AAPI - Asian American Pacific Islander - more here

51. Month during which the shofar is blown daily: ELUL - Well, I knew it wasn't EL AL . . . 

52. Person represented by the sunset flag: SBIAN - LEsbian - the flag - that's as far as we'll go 

58. Wright who plays Shuri in the MCU: TITIA - LEtitia - I'm completely uninterested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - too repetitive & CGI for me.  In hindsight, I figured this was the correct spelling, but it's still name #4 - more from IMDb

59. Reorders a draft?: EDITS - as in "first draft" of a novel, or screenplay, script, etc.

60. Make possible: ENAB - enabLE

61. One-pointers in horseshoes: ANERS - LEaners - "Close" only counts in horseshoes & hand grenades - upon reading through several websites, scoring seems to be inconsistent

62. Many, informally: LOTSA - this reminds me of Winston Wolf  "lotsa luck fellas" - WARNING~! Here's the NSFW link to the scene from Pulp Fiction

63. Place to hitch a ride?: STAB - stabLE - again, with a gimmick like this, a "?" clue only makes it that much more difficult . . . IMHO, a horse is usually "hitched" to a post, but housed in a stable

DOWN:

1. Bud: MAC - not PAL, so I was already in the hole before I even started . . . the def at dict. dot com

2. Make a call: OPT - I pondered "UMP"; Tuesday "O" 3LW dupe #1

3. Zeros: NAUGHTS - Brit-speak

4. Crosswalk spot: STREET - phew; Friday vague

5. Hindi honorific: SAHIB - phew; Friday vague

6. Actress Thurman: UMA - phew, Crossword staple - but still a name, #5 

7. Guernsey, for one: MILK COW - good WAG on my part

8. As opposed to: UNLIKE

9. Shares on socials: POSTS

10. Abbr. for a rained-out event: PPD - PostPoneD

11. Fictional captain Hornblower: HORATIO - I am unfamiliar with this character, name #6

12. Foment: STIR UP

13. Giant pole tossed in Highland games: CABER - I knew this . . . 

14. Monastery head: ABBOT - . . . and this, but something was just not working on the crossings . . . 

19. Miscalculate: ERR - I thought I had ERRed, but then I got to the reveal

23. Midsize ride: SEDAN

25. Director DuVernay: AVA - name #7; a web page

26. Kesha's "__ Tok": TIK - seemed likely, but still too name(ish) for me, #8

27. Trojan War warrior: AJAX - actually looking for a proper Greek name, #9, more here

28. Shuttlecock paths: ARCS

33. Relaxed pace: TROT - Dah~! No LOPE

34. Monster slain by Hercules: HYDRA - it's "all Greek to me" part II

35. Neat: TIDY

36. Like businesses with no overhead?: OPEN AIR - meh.  Another vague "?" Twurd clue

37. "Yay, team!": "WE DID IT~!" - "Yes~!" We have the "Thwurd" fill~!

38. "__ you like to know?": "WOULDN'T" 

39. Fire on all cylinders: HUM

40. PD dispatch: APB - Police Dept., All Points Bulletin

41. Light: IGNITE

42. "¡Ándale!": "RAPIDO~!" - Español

43. Refinery inputs: CRUDES - I was thinking ORES, not liquids

44. Seed covering: TESTA - learning moment; the M-W def. here

45. Polio vaccine developer: SABIN - name #10; I wanted SALK, and I was NOT wrong - his Wiki

46. Canvas support: EASEL - Dah~!  Got caught thinking TENT POLE canvas - also like the clue/answer from this past Tuesday - not art canvas

47. Thompson of "Creed": TESSA - name #11 - another MCU character

48. Ipanema greeting: OLÁ - Geo name, Brazil - Tuesday dupe, #2; more here

53. "Hip Hop Is Dead" rapper: NAS - not up on my rappers - name #12; the irony~?  His track samples Iron(y) Butterfly, and the song "In A Gadda Da Vida"- if you care to listen, and the riff is definitely an earworm, then here's the YouTube rap song link

55. Sci-fi beings: ETs

56. Anaheim team, on scoreboards: LAA - The Los Angeles Angels

57. Subside: EBB

Splynter

Grid Flow 19.6, which is low