dlr

@Sam Corbin While I appreciate your sentiments, this comments section is a community -- and many of us are grieving today. It would be a disservice to the community to filter out our ability to share our deep feelings with each other.

@Martin I had the same thought, but I think we both misread the clue. “City of Honolulu’s island” means the island of the city of Honolulu.

@Michael Hendler When our toddler grandson is saying "No!" to everything, we ask him, "Can you say no?" -- which sometimes leaves him confused.

@heironymous Back when I studied Computer Science (when mainframes roamed the earth), RAM was “primary storage” and any more permanent storage (paper tape, punched cards, mag tape, or even disks) was “secondary storage.”

@The X-Phile A cottontail was splooting in our yard the other day -- now I have a term for it!

@Alex This is probably more information than you want, but it may help with future interstate highway related clues. Interstate highways in the US are named with odd-numbered routes going north and south, and even-numbered routes going east and west. In addition, the major routes are usually divisible by 5. The north-south routes are numbered from I-5 on the west coast to I-95 on the east coast, and east-west routes are numbered from I-10 across the south to I-90 across the north. All of those primary routes have 2-digit numbers. If a third digit is prefixed to the route number, it designates a spur into a city (odd digit) or a beltway around an urban area (even digit). Knowing the numbering system can help you decipher the clue, even if you don't know exactly where the highway is. "Sch. whose campus is just off Interstate 405" -- I-5 is in the west, and I-405 must be a beltway around a large urban area. Los Angeles would be a good bet. And since the answer has 4 letters, try UCLA.

@David Connell Thank you for your thoughtful and well-reasoned response to yesterday's comments.

@Shaun I noticed the interesting grid immediately, and 7D was one of the first answers I got -- which put a big smile on my face. Many thanks got this puzzle!

@sotto voce And Thomas Edison used to go fishing off his pier at his Fort Myers, Florida, home when he was stuck on a problem -- because no one bothers a person who is fishing, and he could let his mind wander. They say that he wouldn't bait his hook, either, because he didn't want to be pestered by the fish, either.

@Chaz L. Correct English would be, "Who says?" "Says me!" But slang use is "Yeah?? Who sez?" "Sez me!"

@Marty In early week puzzles, you can expect "abbr." help in the clues, but not so much in late week puzzles. The lack of help is all part of making the clues tougher / trickier.

@Bruce Köln is the new año.

@Lewis Ricky mentions in the constructor notes that he agonized over what letter to place atop 53D -- and perhaps that's the purpose of the proliferation of Ps in the clue for 52A.

@Lewis I thought the mirror symmetry of the grid also complemented the theme.

@Lewis When I saw the constructor's name, I said, "Oh, yay!" -- and I was not disappointed. What a lovely puzzle.

@dlr I'm just sorry that my favorite alternative, "caboose," didn't make it into Dan's theme set. Maybe next time!

@Jayant November 5, 1996

@Jane Wheelaghan A group of people might be a pack or a MOB.

Probably apocryphal, NORMAL WOMAN MARRIES OBLONG MAN. (Normal and Oblong are both cities in Central Illinois.)

@John Dietsch See 66A

@Marshall Walthew If you haven't seen the documentary "Amazing Grace" -- about Aretha Franklin's recording of that gospel album -- check it out. It's amazing, and grace-filled.

@Joe P I've seen "dough-sant" as an alternative to Cronut (tm).

@Bruce As Calvin (of "Calvin and Hobbes") said, "Verbing weirds language."

@Heidi Curling is very Minnesotan.

@Lewis It’s funny how the mind works. Due to various nasal problems, I can no longer smell, but just mention “pencil shavings” to me, and my brain immediately conjures up that odor. (“Bacon” works, too.) Thanks for your comments.

@Bruce Classical guitar is a difficult instrument, but oh so satisfying. Keep at it. And barre chords are hard for any kind of guitar player — maybe slightly easier on an electric guitar since the action is lower. Now I need to dust off my classical guitar…

@Jacob My Taylor acoustic-electric guitar has volume, treble, and bass knobs.

@Helen Wright I, too, have noticed the iPad issue, and have sent a note to the technical team.

@Andrzej And those lidded, disposable cups also often come with “zarfs” — little cardboard insulators who also like to make crossword appearances.

@Mu <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/arts/will-shortz-stroke-nyt-puzzles.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/arts/will-shortz-stroke-nyt-puzzles.html</a>

@dlr * for. Danged autocorrect.