L. A. Times Crossword Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Matthew Stock

Theme:  You can't have one without the other.  Sometimes things just go together, as we shall soon see.  Or, if you got the circles, might be seeing already.  The near-by ends of the two words in each theme fill feature the same letter.

16. Marine animal that resembles a flower: SEA ANEMONE.  These are are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. Because of their colorful appearance, they are named after the Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant. You can read more about it here.

23. Branch of mathematics focused on collections: SET THEORY.   Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory — as a branch of mathematics — is mostly concerned with those that are relevant to mathematics as a whole.  I just barely squeaked through calculus, so that's all I've got.  If you want more you can start here. 

37. Chance to get together and take shots?: PHOTO OP.  This is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or an event.

48. Genre for 1980s hair bands: GLAM METAL.   A subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock ---  performed by male musicians who wore flamboyant and feminine clothing, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter, and female musicians who wore masculine clothing.

59. Kittens who should be adopted together, or what can be found in this puzzle's circles: BONDED PAIR.   Two cats that have a special relationship and the adoption center wants to place them in a home together.  There are also bonded pair dogs.   Separation would be traumatic for them.

Our BONDED PAIRS are the last letter of the first word and the first letter of the second word in each theme entry, as indicated by the circles.  This theme has an original concept, and a clever use of the unifier.

Hi gang, JzB here. Theoretically, I guess all the fill in this puzzle would constitute a set.  With no further theorizing, let's check it out.  

LATE EDIT Just before pushing the Publish button I noticed that the paired letters in sequence are A, T, O, and M, spelling ATOM.  So what we have in our bonded pairs are 2 ATOMS.  This makes it a chemical bond, and raises it to a whole new level of clever elegance. The long obsolete chemist in me heartily approves.   Very impressive! 

Across:

1. Retail club similar to Costco: SAM'S.   An American chain of membership-only warehouse club retail stores owned and operated by Walmart Inc.

5. Coin flip call: HEADS.  This refers to the front side, or obverse surface, of a coin.  The other side is the reverse or tails.

10. Pine family tree: FIR.    Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to Cedrus (cedar). The genus name is derived from the Latin "to rise" in reference to the height of its species. The common English name originates with the Old Norse, fyri, or the Old Danish, fyr.

13. Sitting on: ATOP.  On top of.

14. Arm joint: ELBOW.  The joint  where your humerus (your upper arm bone) meets your radius and ulna (the two bones in your forearm). It joins your upper arm to your forearm. Your elbow also contains cartilage, ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Your elbow moves in two main directions.    There is no truth to the rumor that it is named after a macaroni noodle.

15. Singer and civil rights activist Horne: LENA.  Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (1917 – 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving on to Hollywood and Broadway.  A groundbreaking African-American performer, Horne advocated for civil rights and took part in the March on Washington in August 1963.

18. Possesses: OWNS.   Has and holds as property.

19. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL.  A low-cut shoe that fastens by an ankle strap

20. Payable now: DUE.   Expected at or planned for at a certain time.

21. Dance Dance Revolution move: STEP.   A single element of a dance.

22. Term of address that elides a letter: MA'AM.  Shart for madam.

25. Creature in Sherpa folklore: YETI.   An ape-like creature purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. In Western popular culture, the creature is commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman. 

27. Virtuous one: SAINT.  A person of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization. Less formally, a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.

28. Contributes: ADDS.  Puts in.

31. "Kapow!": BLAM.  Catroon sound efects for explosions.

34. Guinness, for one: STOUT.   A dark beer that is generally warm fermented.

36. "You stink, ref!": BOO.   Common expression of disdain.

39. Slam Dunk Contest org.: NBA.  National Basketball Assocoation.

40. Pixy Stix contents: SUGAR.  Pixy Stix are sweet and sour colored powdered candy usually packaged in a wrapper that resembles a drinking straw.  Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. 

42. Episodic drama: SAGA.  The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events. 

43. "Come on now": JEEZ.  An expression of surprise, disappointment or disdain.

44. Underneath: BELOW.  Located under or lower than something else.

46. Minor in astronomy?: URSA.  The little bear, also known as the little dipper constellation.

51. Parts of plays: ACTS.   An act is a major division of a theatre work, including a play, film, opera, ballet, or musical theatre, consisting of one or more scenes.

54. Mother of Apollo and Artemis: LETO.   Leto is a Titan and the mother of the gods Apollo and Artemis in classical Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and her main legends take place on Delos and Delphi. Leto is known as the goddess of fertility and motherhood, and is also known as Kourotrophos, which means "Rearer of Youths". Leto's story includes being pregnant by Zeus, seeking refuge on Delos to give birth, and suffering misfortunes due to her relationship with Zeus. 

55. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU.   Thursday

56. "I'm one of them too!": LIKE ME.  having something in common.

58. Lends a helping hand: AIDS.   Assists.

61. Catch sight of: SPOT.  Eye, espey, obsrve.

62. __ Martin: British car: ASTON.   Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC  is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with expensive grand touring cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and with the fictional character James Bond following his use of a DB5 model in the 1964 film Goldfinger. Their grand tourers and sports cars are regarded as a British cultural icon.

63. Norway's capital: OSLO.   the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of 709,037 in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022.   During the Viking Age, the area was part of Viken. Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in 1040 under the name Ánslo, and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada. The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around the year 1300. 

64. Go limp: SAG.   Droop.

65. Naps, say: RESTS.   Ceases work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.

66. Simple tops: TEES.  A short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat.

Down:

1. Back talk: SASS.   Impudence; cheek.

2. Starting five, e.g.: A TEAM.   A group consisting of the best members of a larger group; an elite group.

3. Disney heroine who sings "How Far I'll Go": MOANA.   An adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds.

4. Some self-care opportunities: SPA DAYS.   A day spent on a visit to a spa, which is a place that offers relaxation, luxury, and beauty treatments. 

5. Element of high fashion?: HEEL.   High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels or pumps, are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the calf muscle.

6. __ City: New Haven nickname: ELM.   New Haven had the first public tree planting program in the U.S., producing a canopy of mature trees (including some large elms) that gave the city the nickname "The Elm City".

7. Place to call home: ABODE.   The place where one lives.

8. Breakfast-on-the-run choice: DONUT.   a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough.   The two most common types are the ring doughnut and the filled doughnut, which is injected with fruit preserves, cream, custard, or other sweet fillings.

9. Candy: SWEETS.    A confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. 

10. Maybe not any at all: FEW TO NONE.   A description of rarity or very long odds.

11. Float in some water rides: INNER TUBE.   An inflatable torus that forms the interior of some pneumatic tires. The tube is inflated with a valve stem, and fits inside of the casing of the tire. The inflated inner tube provides structural support and suspension, while the outer tire provides grip and protects the more fragile tube.

12. Coarse-sounding: RASPY.    Unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound.   I can relate since as I write this, my voice is in the 2nd sub-basement.

15. Succumb to one's emotions: LOSE IT.  A temporary inability to control one's emotions, typically in response to anger, fear or sorrow. 

17. Title: NAME.   These words are synonymous when applied to written works or musical compositions, but not when applied to people.

23. Farm fixtures: SILOS.    Structures for storing bulk materials.   Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used to store grains. The typical structure is a right circular cylander.

24. Padlock holder: HASP.   A clasp for a door, lid, etc., especially one passing over a staple and fastened by a pin or a padlock.

26. "Candidly," in texting: TBH.   To Be Honest.

28. Muscles stretched in cobra pose: ABS.   Abdominals.

29. High-ABV hoppy beer: DOUBLE IPA.    A  type of IPA that contains more hops and malt than a regular IPA:

30. Extremely competitive: DOG EAT DOG.   Used to refer to a situation of fierce competition in which people are willing to harm each other in order to succeed.

32. __ snail's pace: AT A. Making distressigly slow progress

33. Bigwig: MOGUL.  An important or powerful person, especially in the motion picture or media industry.

35. Toon devil: TAZ.  This guy.

37. Gathering for senior partners?: PROM.  I guess this is referring to a formal high school dance party, attended by seniors and their dates.

38. Source of water power?: OAR.  For powering a canoe.

41. "So close": ALMOST.   Missed it by that much.

43. "Bingo!": JACKPOT.  The big winner.

45. Mixologist's amenity: WET BAR.   A small bar used for mixing and serving alcoholic beverages that includes a sink with running water, as opposed to a "dry bar" that does not include a sink.

47. Uttered: SAID.  Spoken.

48. Pane piece: GLASS.  A portion of a window.

49. This and that: THOSE.  More than one thing.

50. Some godmothers: AUNTS.   Moms' sisters.

52. Needle: TEASE.   Make fun of or attempt to provoke someone in a playful or pseudo-playful way.

53. Happy face: SMILE.  An facial expression denoting pleasure.

56. Binoculars part: LENS.   An optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. 

57. God with a bow and arrow: EROS.  Eros was the Greek god of carnal love.  Eros was the assistant, and according to some the son, of Aprhodite, the goddess of love and fertility. He made people fall in love by shooting an arrow into their heart.

60. Pointillism bit: DOT.  Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image.  Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" was coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, but is now used without its earlier pejorative connotation.

Now it's time to set this puzzle aside.  Hope you enjoyed the solve.

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crosssword Wednesday, May 15, 2024 Rena Cohen

 Theme:  It all works out in the end, if you have the right beginning. Is that too enigmatic?  All will become clear, I hope.  Lets have a look at the theme fill.

20. Broadway contender's number: AUDITION SONG.   A short performance to test the talents of a musician, singer, dancer, or actor.

31. Item that may spruce up empty floor space: ACCENT RUG.   A small rug that can be placed in areas where larger rugs wouldn't fit. They're generally 4'x6′ or smaller. 

38. Check for immunity: ANTIBODY TESTING.   Antibody tests (serology tests) look for antibodies in your blood. Antibodies are proteins your immune system makes to fight infection. These tests help your provider confirm a diagnosis of a wide range of diseases, disorders and infections, 

45. Last part of a relay: ANCHOR LEG.    The final position in a relay race. Typically, the anchor leg of a relay is given to the fastest or most experienced competitor on a team. The athlete completing the anchor leg of a relay is responsible for making up ground on the race-leader or preserving the lead already secured by their teammates.

56. Positive spin on a bad situation, or a feature of 20-, 31-, 38-, and 45-Across: SILVER LINING.  An advantage that comes from a difficult or unpleasant situation: When things look black, there's always a silver lining.

The only thing I can find in common among these theme fill is the first and last letters of each entry.  These are AG, the chemical symbol for the precious metal SILVER.   This symbol derives from the Latin argentum and Sanskrit argunas from "bright."   So, between these letters, the rest of the fill becomes the lining.  To pick a nit, the lining should be on the inside, while the AG is on the outside, and this did throw me off for a while.  But, I guess, you can't have everything. 

Here's today's theme song.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to lead this mining expedition.  Let's see what other precious items we can find.

Across

1. __ Romeo: motorsport brand: ALFA.   Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe. It was founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan, Italy, as A.L.F.A., an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. The brand is known for sport-oriented vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911

5. Soccer goal material: MESH.  Material made from a network of wire or thread.

9. Congressional hearings airer: C-SPAN.  The  Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network.   C-SPAN is a private, nonprofit organization funded by its cable and satellite affiliates.  It televises proceedings of the United States federal government and other public affairs programming.

14. Momentarily: SOON.  A short period of time.  

15. Hybrid or coupe: AUTO.   Types of motortcars.

16. In the know: AWARE.   Having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

17. App store image: ICON.   A symbol or graphic representation on a screen of a program, option, or window, especially one of several for selection.

18. 47-Down woman: FRAU.  The German word for woman.

19. Gave an identity: NAMED.  As defined.

23. Presidential advisory gp.: NSC.  National Security Council.  The President's principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his or her senior advisors and cabinet officials.  N.B. the abbrv in clue and ans,

24. Dachshund's bark: YAP.  A high pitched canine utterance.

25. U2 collaborator Brian: ENO.  Brian Peter George Eno [b. 1948] also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambient music and electronica, and for producing, recording, and writing works in rock and pop music. 

26. Roman time unit: ORA.  An hour, mis-splt.  S/b HORA.

29. Amoxicillin target: STREP.  Short for streptococcus, a bacterium of a genus that includes the agents of souring of milk and dental decay, and hemolytic pathogens causing various infections such as scarlet fever and pneumonia..

34. Caesar's final day: IDES.  He was murdered on the IDES of March.  The IDES was a day falling roughly in the middle of each month (the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th of other months) from which other dates were calculated.

36. __ Vegas: LAS.  A municipality in Nevada, aka Sin City.  It is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-largest in the Southwestern United States.

37. Prefix with -syncrasy: IDIO-.  An idiosyncracy is a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual.

42. "Not so fast": WAIT.   Hold on a sec.

43. Rust color: RED.  A color at the end of the spectrum next to orange and opposite violet, as of blood, fire, or rubies.

44. Filmmaker Ethan or Joel: COEN.    An American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. 

48. Netflix genre: DRAMA.   A written work that tells a story through action and speech and is meant to be acted on a stage

51. "__ queen!": YAS.   A term you say in response to someone fabulous. It's the equivalent of saying, “fierce,” “YES” or “you do you!” You're practically celebrating someone for what they're doing, how they look, or for what they've said.

52. Luau garland: LEI.  A garland or wreath common in Hawaii, across Polynesia, and the Philippines. 

53. Teamwork impediment: EGO.   The part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.  If not controlled, it can lead to an elevated sense of self-importance.

55. Woodsman material, in Oz: TIN.  Tin is a chemical element; it has the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort.

59. Course for a class pres., maybe: AP GOV.  Advanced Placement is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students.  In a Government course, students learn about the structure of government and how it shares power at the local, state and federal levels. 

62. "Sesame Street" toddler: ELMO.

63. Ice cream parlor option: CONE.   An ice cream cone or poke is a brittle, cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, made so ice cream can be carried and eaten without a bowl or spoon.  

64. __ dog: CHILI.    A hot dog served in a bun and topped with a meat sauce, such as chili con carne. Additional toppings may include cheese, onions, and mustard. 

65. Coastal inlets: RIAS.   A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea.

66. Indigo shrub: ANIL.   Indigofera suffruticosa, commonly known as Guatemalan indigo, small-leaved indigo (Sierra Leone), West Indian indigo, wild indigo, and anil, is a flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae.   Anil is native to the subtropical and tropical Americas, including the Southern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as northern Argentina. This species has been widely introduced to other parts of the world and today has a pantropical distribution.

67. -Ish: KINDA.   A suffix indicating near similarity.

68. Longings: YENS.  Strong feelings of wanting or wishing for something.  I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the yen to travel.  [This is literally true.  Our oldest granddaughter, Amanda, is dancing at Tokyo Disney.  We considered gong to see her perform, but decided the 14 hour plane trip was more than we could endure.]

69. On a ferry, perhaps: ASEA.  At sea.   Or maybe confused while on a boat.

Down:

1. Sri Lankans, e.g.: ASIANS.  Any inhabitant of a country located in the Asian continent.

2. Swarming insect: LOCUST.  Locusts are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they become more abundant and change their behaviour and habits, becoming gregarious.

3. Writers with good taste, hopefully: FOOD CRITICS.  A food critic, food writer, or restaurant critic is a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the public. Although these terms are not strictly synonymous, they are often used interchangeably. 

4. Roman time units: ANNI.   Years.  Unus annus est VMMMDCCLX horis.

5. Party game also known as "Werewolf": MAFIA.  Mafia, also known as Werewolf, is a Russian social deduction game created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986. The game models a conflict between two groups: an informed minority (the mafiosi or the werewolves) and an uninformed majority (the villagers). At the start of the game, each player is secretly assigned a role affiliated with one of these teams.

6. Icy moon of Jupiter: EUROPA.   Europa, or Jupiter II, is the smallest of the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter, and the sixth-closest to the planet of all the 95 known moons of Jupiter. It is also the sixth-largest moon in the Solar System.

7. Swiftie or Belieber: STAN.   An extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan.

8. Feline friend: HOUSE CAT.   A domestic cat, especially one kept as an indoor household pet.

9. Unusual instrument in the "1812 Overture": CANNON.  Here is a relevant excerpt.

I've played this, but not with real canons.

10. College tour giveaways: SWAG.  SWAG is free promotional merchandise such as branded apparel, drinkware, stationary, accessories, or any memorable gift item given to clients, employees, or meeting attendees for marketing, awareness, and branding purposes.

11. Conagra cooking spray brand: PAM.  PAM is a cooking spray currently owned and distributed by ConAgra Foods. Its main ingredient is canola oil.   PAM was introduced in 1959 by Leon Rubin who, with Arthur Meyerhoff, started PAM Products, Inc. to market the spray. The name PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff.

12. "My lips __ sealed": ARE.  All your secrets are safe with me.

13. Flanders of Springfield: NED.  Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, cheery next-door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally loathed by Homer Simpson, though there are numerous instances where the two are portrayed as good friends.

21. One with an easygoing personality: TYPE B.   Type A and Type B personality hypothesis describes two contrasting personality types. In this hypothesis, personalities that are more competitive, highly organized, ambitious, impatient, highly aware of time management, or aggressive are labeled Type A, while more relaxed, "receptive", less "neurotic" and "frantic" personalities are labeled Type B.

22. "Nearly done ... ": ONE SEC.   Wait.

26. Rabbinical students' goals: ORDINATIONS.   Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. 

27. Tulum attraction: RUIN.   Tulum is a resort town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, around 130 km south of Cancún. The 13th-century, walled Mayan archaeological site at Tulum National Park overlooks the sea. It incorporates the clifftop Castillo, built as a watchtower, and the Templo de las Pinturas, with a partially restored mural. Inland, the Cobá archaeological site has pyramid-shaped temples with views over the surrounding jungle.

28. Waiting eagerly: AGOG.   Very eager or curious to hear or see something.

30. Wharton who was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: EDITH.   Edith Wharton 1832 - 1937] was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray realistically the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel The Age of Innocence.

32. Drexler who was part of Houston's Phi Slama Jama in the early 1980s: CLYDE.   Clyde Austin Drexler (b.1962) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), spending a majority of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers before finishing with the Houston Rockets. He was a ten-time NBA All-Star and named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Drexler won an NBA championship with Houston in 1995, and earned a gold medal on the 1992 United States Olympic team known as "The Dream Team".

33. Chemical concentration measurement: TITER.   Titer or titre is a way of expressing concentration. Titer testing employs serial dilution to obtain approximate quantitative information from an analytical procedure that inherently only evaluates as positive or negative. The titer corresponds to the highest dilution factor that still yields a positive reading.

35. Sour salad green: SORREL.   A perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock. Sorrel is native to Eurasia and a common plant in grassland habitats. It is often cultivated as a leaf vegetable or herb.

38. Not sporting home colors: AWAY.  Said of a team playing at the opponents' field, court, or arena

39. Granny: NANA.  Familiar terms for a grandmother. 

40. Amazon drop-off: DELIVERY.  The process of transporting goods from a source location to a predefined destination. 

41. "Likewise!": SO DO I.  Me, too!

46. "Drivers License" singer Rodrigo: OLIVIA.  Olivia Isabel Rodrigo [b. 2003] is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She first rose to prominence for starring on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark and the Disney+ series High School Musical: 

47. Austria's language: GERMAN.   German language, official language of both Germany and Austria and one of the official languages of Switzerland. German belongs to the West Germanic group of the Indo-European language family, along with English, Frisian, and Dutch.

49. Mouse with a polka-dotted dress: MINNIE.   Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a red or pink bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers and low-heeled shoes occasionally with ribbons on them.

50. Actress Lansbury: ANGELA.   Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury DBE [1925 - 2022] was a British and American actress. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles across film, stage, and television. Although based for much of her life in the United States, her work attracted international attention.

54. Lip __: GLOSS.   Lip gloss is a cosmetic used primarily to give lips a glossy luster, and sometimes to add a subtle color. It is distributed as a fluid or a soft solid The product is available in ranges of opacity from translucent to solid and can have variously frosted, glittery, glossy, and metallic finishes.

56. Auctioneer's cry: SOLD.  An auctioneer is a person who conducts auctions by accepting bids and declaring goods sold.

57. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE.  Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel [1928 - 2016] was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

58. Sweet Sixteen org.: NCAA.  National Collegiate Athletic Association.

59. "Gah!": ACK.   Expressions of dismay or disgust.

60. Upsilon neighbor: PHI.   Greek Letters.

61. Negroni liquor: GIN.  The Negroni is made with 1 oz gin, 1 oz Campari an 1 oz sweet vermouth, garnished with an orange peel.

I had fun with this puzzle and I hope you did, too.  Did it test your mettle?  Would you give it a medal for it's SILVER metal?

Cool regards, my precious friends.
JzB