Theme explanation: MRMARINER is Alvin Davis, TINDERSWINDLER is Simon Leviev, and THETRUSTBUSTER is Theodore Roosevelt... Alvin, Simon, and Theodore make up the CHIPMUNKS who sing the "Witch Doctor" song (ooh eeh ooh ah aah ting tang walla walla bing bang)
Crossword puzzles that prompt you to figure out the solution to a secondary puzzle hidden within the main puzzle
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Orizzontali
1A
Crossword puzzles that prompt you to figure out the solution to a secondary puzzle hidden within the main puzzle
6A
Dutch cheese that's drier, lighter, and tarter than Gouda
10A
Show approval, in a way (One from Miranda Priestly is good, two is very good... If she doesn't like it she shakes her head. Then of course there's the pursing of the lips (catastrophe))
13A
"___ my case"
14A
The stuff legends are made of?
15A
Turn repeatedly, as a mechanical watch
16A
Type of word a grawlix (@#$%&!) indicates
17A
Moniker of the Seattle MLB player that won Rookie of the Year in 1984
19A
Pat-down directive
21A
Adjust, as a piano
22A
Moniker of the Israeli conman featured in a 2022 Netflix documentary who scammed lots of women on a dating app, with "the"
26A
Spot for a 15-Down knot
27A
Greek wine flavored with pine resin that anagrams to 8 different playable words in Scrabble: anestri, antsier, nastier, ratines, retains, retinas, stainer, stearin
28A
Kind of animal King Louie is in "The Jungle Book"
31A
Caveat ___ (let the buyer beware)
34A
No longer hung up on, as an ex
35A
Cornerstone
37A
Participated in a marathon
38A
Word before and after "de la"
39A
Warner, Ringling, or Super Mario follower
40A
Slang term for an older woman on the prowl for younger men
42A
___ admin (who to contact when you get an error message like "Problem occurred in the server. Please try again.")
43A
Paper nautilus, for one
45A
"Hurricane Venus" Queen of K-pop
47A
Moniker of the 26th US president that broke up many monopolies
52A
Underlying cause
53A
Get ahead of the competition (perhaps in a burlesque contest?)
55A
The first names behind the monikers of 17-Across, 22-Across, and 47-Across gets you this high-pitched, squeaky singing group, with "the"
58A
"You got it!"
59A
Bad habit
60A
Raise a stink?
61A
Pyromaniac's crime
62A
Place where you can get a mud mask and cover your eyes with cucumbers
63A
Many, many years
64A
Take another shot at
Verticali
1D
Karaoke equipment, for short
2D
Spew lava, as a volcano
3D
Sherri's twin sister on "The Simpsons"
4D
OK
5D
Stops from yo-yoing
6D
Big name in glue
7D
University housing
8D
Kind of wrestling
9D
Richer in content
10D
Cat's blessing, so they say
11D
Value of the Z tile in the Polish-language edition of Scrabble
12D
Popular arcade game where you step on arrows to the beat of the music, for short
15D
City in Canada that's across the river from Detroit
18D
Smallest of the litter
20D
Judge
23D
"Nope"
24D
"The ___ of my 24-Down is my friend"
25D
Pokémon cards that have a black star in the bottom right corner
28D
Monastery leader
29D
Make thirsty
30D
Highly specialized knowledge
32D
Pokes
33D
Greek letter before upsilon
36D
It may be radioactive
38D
It might be hit on a missed long field goal
40D
Haute ___ (high fashion)
41D
Lean against
44D
Event where Carrie gets humiliated, in "Carrie"
46D
Clothes or garments
48D
Only Black kid in "South Park" whose name we found out (after 25 seasons) is actually "Tolkien"
49D
Plays music in public to solicit money
50D
The "E" of accounting's EY
51D
___ mortis (post-death stiffness)
54D
Petting zoo animal
55D
Largest pharmacy chain in the US
56D
In vogue
57D
"The Matrix" character who chooses the red pill instead of the blue one