puzzle

ACROSS

  1 Hang glider's launching point, perhaps

  6 "What's Going On" singer 

 10 Made a meal for

 13 Punishment-related

 14 ___ the moment

 15 Rival of Bama

 16 *Old pro's opposite

 18 $20 bill dispenser

 19 Pencil ends

 20 Stairs unit

 21 Tools

 24 Comes up

 26 Fill in for

 27 One paying a retainer

 29 "The doing is often more important ___ the outcome" (Arthur Ashe)

 30 Bunches of animals

 32 Vaccine spot

 35 Minor worker

 36 *Put the pedal to the metal

 37 "The Matrix" character whose name anagrams to "one"

 38 Break some ground?

 39 Badminton need

 40 Actor Cumming

 41 Congregations

 43 Take, as questions

 44 Can't-lose

 46 Proposer's proposal

 48 Fail to mention

 49 Perplexed

 52 Mattress label

 53  Like each starred clue's answer, based on its first word?

 57 Silencing noise

 58 Fill with glee

 59 What fogs up a bathroom mirror

 60 Granola grain

 61 Sicilian peak that grew 100 feet in early 2021

 62 Wilderness cap


DOWN

  1 Lifesaving skill, for short

  2 Perrins' partner in sauce

  3 Quaint place to stay

  4 Artificial skin color

  5 Stranded drivers' signals

  6 An obstacle

  7 State positively

  8 "That's exactly right!"

  9 Mess up

 10 *Children's book character who was inflated with a bicycle pump

 11 Makeup maker Lauder

 12 Garbage destinations

 14 Cheeky comebacks 

 17 Dent or ding

 20 Religious offense

 21 Homemade cookies' unit

 22 Sneeze noise

 23 *New actor's hurdle

 25 Musician's break

 27 Makes a meal

 28 Tales of old

 30 Karate expert

 31 Dependable partner, metaphorically

 33 Britain and its territories, for King Charles III

 34 Le ___ (Paris paper)

 36 Some big dos

 40 Time to tune in

 42 Like a fun party

 43 Least constrained

 44 "Au contraire!"

 45 Poker variety, or a Nebraska city

 46 Symbol of stubbornness

 47 Powder from 61-Across

 50 Name within "televangelist"

 51 Referring to itself

 53 Harper or Spike

 54 Bear necessity?

 55 Nosh on

 56 Private chats, briefly

solution