QOD: A girl must marry for love, and keep on marrying until she finds it.~Zsa Zsa Gabor (née Sári Gábor; Feb. 6, 1917 ~ Dec. 18, 2016), Hungarian-born actress
A Whole Lotta Shaking. The word Whole can be added to the last word of each theme answer to give a new concept.
200Across. * Customer support line, typically: TOLL FREE NUMBER. Whole Number. A whole number is simply any positive number that does not include a fractional or decimal part.
25-Across. * Male minister: MAN OF THE CLOTH. Whole Cloth. The term "whole cloth" is something that is entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. The term is a reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts.
45-Across. * Rolled meaty entree that may be served "wet": BEEF ENCHILADA. Whole Enchilada. According to Webster's, the Whole Enchilada means "the entire thing : everything".
And the Unifier:
50-Across. "Too complicated to explain," and a way to describe the end of the answer to each starred clue?: IT'S A WHOLE THING.
Across:
1. Tree covering: BARK.
5. Put up, as wallpaper: HANG.
9. Tabloid couple: ITEM.
Rumor has it that these two are an item.
13. Margarine: OLEO.
14. Emotionally distant: ALOOF.
16. Weigh station rig: SEMI.
17. Four Corners state: UTAH.
18. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.
19. Settled on a perch: ALIT.
23. Barbecue chef's spice concoction: RUB.
24. "Barton Fink" director Joel: COEN. The Coen Brothers, Joel (né Joel Daniel Coen; b. Nov. 29, 1954) and Ethan (né Ethan Jesse Coen; b. Sept. 21, 1957) have made numerous films together. [Name # 1.]
Ethan (Left) and Joel (Right) Coen
31. Step before a "big kid bed": CRIB.
33. December decor: WREATH.
34. Compete: VIE.
35. "Morning Edition" medium: RADIO.
37. Raggedy __ and Andy dolls: ANN. The backstory. [Names # 2 and 3, fictional.]
38. Venue for a major 1-Down: ARENA. // And 1-Down: 1. Boxing match: BOUT.
40. __ de Triomphe: ARC. It's been in Paris, France since the 1830s
41. Mottled horses: PINTOs.
44. Airline that doesn't fly on Shabbat: EL AL. A crossword staple.
48. "You've Got Mail" director Ephron: NORA. Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. [Name # 4.]
49. Short albums, for short: EPs. As in Extended Plays.
57. Big birds of Australia: EMUs. We often see Emus in the crossword puzzles.
58. Greek fable writer: AESOP. You can find a list of his fables at the Library of Congress. [Name # 5.]
59. Mental flash: IDEA.
60. Apple Watch assistant: SIRI. [Name adjacent.]
61. Email option since 1997: YAHOO!
62. Harvest: REAP.
63. Brief "Chat soon": TTYL. Textspeak for Talk To You Later.
64. "__ Yankees": DAMN. The only thing I know about this 1950s era film is in the video below.
65. Sugar amts.: TSPs. As in Teaspoons. Why the measurement is called a Teaspoon.
Down:
2. Voice range higher than tenor: ALTO.
3. Tangible: REAL.
4. Vegetable also called a German turnip: KOHLRABI.
5. Blue accessory for Maggie Simpson: HAIRBOW. And her mother, Marge, has blue hair. [Name # 5, fictional.]
6. __ vera gel: ALOE. A crossword staple, as is this cartoon.
7. Sold-out amount: NONE. Cute clue.
8. Enter: GO IN.
9. "The House of the Spirits" novelist Allende: ISABEL. Isabel Allende (née Isabel Angélica Allende Llona; b. Aug. 2, 1942) is a Chilean novelist who makes frequent appearances in the puzzles. [Name # 6.]
10. Latin American soap: TELENOVELA. As in a soap opera, not a bar of soap.
11. Gulf States ruler: EMIR.
12. Research univ. near Harvard: MIT. As in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
15. Tap: FAUCET.
21. Enjoyable: FUN.
22. Chocolaty coffee drink: MOCHA. Yummers!
25. Era associated with modern furniture: MID-CENTURY. Everything you wanted to know about Mid-Century furniture but didn't know to ask.
26. Senegal currency: FRANC.
27. First extra inning: TENTH.
28. Home of the Vietnam National Museum of History: HANOI. There is also a memorial in Hanoi honoring John McCain.
29. "Proud Mary" singer Turner: TINA. Time for a musical interlude with Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; b. Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023). [Name # 7.]
30. Mend: HEAL.
31. Grump: CRAB.
32. Deeply un-well?: RARE.
36. Covent Garden performance: OPERA.
39. Keep out of college sports for a season: REDSHIRT. Redshirt refers to a year in which a student-athlete sits out for a playing season, but still maintains his/her four-year eligibility.
42. " ... Kind of?": IN A WAY.
43. Consider overnight: SLEEP ON.
46. Paleontologist's discovery: FOSSIL.
47. Fitting: APT.
50. "You found the right person": I'M IT.
51. Leader: HEAD.
52. Workplace-focused workplace: Abbr.: OSHA. As in Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
53. Weaving machine: LOOM.
54. __ of March: IDES. Did you know that every month has an Ides? Ides of March is famous / infamous because it is the day that Julius Caesar was supposedly assassinated.
