QOD: People are united by questions. It is the answers that divide them. ~ Elie Wiesel (né Eliezer Wiesel; Sept. 30, 1928 ~ July 2, 2016), Romanian-born writer and Holocaust survivor
We're in the Money!
17-Across. Documents submitted after a fender bender: CLAIM FORMS. CLAMS.
24-Across. "I thought you just left!": BACK SO SOON. BACON.
39-Across. Is a trailblazer: BREAKS NEW GROUND. BREAD.
50-Across. Six-time "Dancing With the Stars" champion: DEREK HOUGH. DOUGH.
And the unifier:
62-Across. Wealthy, and what 17-, 24-, 39-, and 50-Across literally are: IN THE MONEY. The circles spell out slang words for Money. The rest of the answer is "in" the Money.
Across:
5. Farfalle or fusilli: PASTA. Farfalle is also known as bow-tie pasta. Fusilli is corkscrew pasta.
10. Follow a command: OBEY.
14. Bring to a bubble: BOIL.
15. Helps with the dishes: DRIES.
16. Jakarta's island: JAVA. The 1983 movie The Year of Living Dangerously took place in Jakarta.
19. Mix: STIR.
20. Alabama march city: SELMA.
21. Detectives, briefly: PIs. As in a Private Investigator.
23. Like antiques: OLD.
29. Includes furtively on an email: BCCs. As in Blind Carbon Copies. The "Carbon Copy" is a relic from the days when carbon paper was used to make typewritten copies.
32. Sippy cup user: TOT.
33. The "I" of IV: INTRA-. As in an IntraVenous line.
35. "I'm so relaxed!": AAH!
36. Fly like a hawk: SOAR.
37. Make reparations: ATONE. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset today.
43. Centipede maker: ATARI. The video game that first came out over 40 years ago!
44. "Consequently ... ": THUS.
45. "Don't be that __!": GUY.
46. Snooping sorts: SPIES.
48. Gear tooth: COG.
49. Animation frames: CELS.
53. "Ewe talking to me?": BAA. // And 18-Down. "Ewe OK?": MAA.
55. __ Lanka: SRI. In May 1972, Ceylon became known as Sri Lanka. The official name of the country is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. It is the tear-shaped Island country that lies off the southern tip of India.
56. Wear away: ERODE.
60. Crafts partner: ARTS.
66. Hide-and-__: SEEK.
67. Alternative to Midol: ADVIL. Both are pain relievers.
68. Image reshared for laughs: MEME.
69. "Nothing to it!": EASY.
70. Makes it to the end: LASTS.
71. Spanish "those": ESOS. Today's Spanish lesson.
Down:
1. Preschool basics: ABCs. This is becoming a crossword staple.
2. Sprouse of "Riverdale": COLE. I am not familiar with Riverdale, so did not know Cole Sprouse (né Cole Mitchell Sprouse; b. Aug. 2, 1992).
3. Rotary phone part: DIAL.
4. Tackles a rock face: CLIMBS.
5. File format for some invoices: PDF. As in Portable Document Format.
6. __/ace: LGBT+ orientation: ARO. I was not familiar with this term. It short for aromantic asexual and describes a person who experiences little to no sexual or romantic attraction to others.
7. Title for the Black Knight: SIR.
8. Pace set by a metronome: TEMPO.
9. Home of St. Francis: ASSISI. St. Francis of Assisi (1181 ~ 1226) was the founder of the religious order of the Franciscans. He is also known as the patron saint of animals.
10. Some brunch drinks, for short: OJs. As in Orange Juice.
11. Mall of Louisiana city: BATON ROUGE. Let's see. How many cities in Louisiana are 10 letters? Lots of choices fit into the spaces provided: Alexandria; Baton Rouge, Mandeville; Marksville; Morgan City; New Orleans; Plaquemine; Shreveport; West Monroe. The Mall of Louisiana is a mid-scale shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between I-10 and Bluebonnet Blvd. It is the largest mall in Louisiana.
12. Rather wicked: EVIL.
13. Place for a swing set: YARD.
22. Acoustic location devices: SONARS.
25. Execs behind R&D breakthroughs: CTOs. As in the Chief Technology Officer.
26. Zen master's paradox: KOAN. A Koan is a question or riddle in Buddhism to facilitate spiritual growth and enlightenment by challenging logical thought. Probably we have all heard this example of a Koan: What is the sound of one hand clapping.
27. Loosen up before exercising: STRETCH.
28. Uno less than nove: OTTO. Today's Italian math lesson.
29. Daddy, in Chinese: BABA.
30. Golf course rentals: CARTS.
31. Companions who don't mind fast food: CHEAP DATES. Fast food isn't so cheap anymore.
34. Void: ANNUL.
36. Racers who make tracks: SKIERS.
38. Ben & Jerry's rival: EDY'S. Both are brands of ice cream.
40. "Brown Skin" singer India.__: ARIE. India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. She will celebrate her 50th birthday on Friday.
41. "What a thrill!": WHOO.
42. "Loki" actress Mbatha-Raw: GUGU. I am not familiar with this Gugu Mbatha-Raw (née Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw; b. Apr. 21, 1983). She is an English actress.
47. Story told in episodes: SERIAL. Many of the novels by Charles Dickens were serialized and appeared either in weekly or monthly publications.
49. Safari alternative: CHROME. Both are internet browsers.
51. In a way, casually: KINDA.
52. Diamond or ruby: GEM.
53. First coat of paint: BASE.
54. __ rug: floor decor: AREA.
57. Tip jar bills: ONES.
58. Showroom model: DEMO.
59. Organs closed during sleep: EYES.
61. Cloud location: SKY.
63. Sets in hotel rooms: TVs.
64. Smashing success: HIT.
65. Golf great Ernie: ELS. I learned about Ernie Els (né Theodore Ernest Els; b. Oct. 17, 1969), the South African golfer from doing the crossword puzzles.
חתולה