puzzle

ACROSS

  1 Pack (down)

  5 Sounds of satisfaction

  9 Pirate's vessel

 13 Star-nosed lawn pests

 14 Unpredictable venture

 16 *Communications field in which you spin a tale? (Hint: An apt word appears backward in each starred clue's answer)

 18 Chow

 19 Get better

 20 Sound boosters

 21 Fingernail treatment, casually

 23 Goal

 24 "Ms. ___-Man" (arcade game)

 26 *Extreme infrequency in which you'll see a turn of events?

 33 Game with Wild cards

 34 Overused expression

 35 Taken-back auto

 36 Nemesis, say

 38 Star Wars Day's month

 39 Harmonizes, as devices

 40 Romantic couple

 41 Apt anagram for "listen"

 43 Ballet pivot point

 44 *Christmas singer who sometimes does a hair flip in her music videos?

 46 "___-a-me, Mario!"

 47 Pool stick

 48 Wishing spot

 50 Ilhan reelected in 2022

 52 African nation whose flag is nearly identical to Romania's

 55 Sunrise direction

 58 *Reality show featuring a role reversal?

 61 "Lay it on me"

 62 Played a role

 63 "___, ___, Crocodile"

 64 Surprisingly dairy-free cookie

 65 "That was close!"


DOWN

  1 Museum guide's offering

  2 Piece of art accompanying music

  3 Peach ___ (dessert)

  4 Air pump letters

  5 Hundred ___ Wood

  6 Geometry calculation

  7 Word after "city" or "study"

  8 Mud bath site

  9 Glistening

 10 Round earring option

 11 Charged particles

 12 NBA score units

 13 Fuel efficiency abbr.

 15 Splotch

 17 Laid-back, informally

 22 Salt, to a chemist

 23 Gobbled up

 24 Jewish "Feast of Lots"

 25 "Speaking Truth to Power" author Hill

 27 Imitate

 28 Florida city near Silver Springs

 29 More timid

 30 20-ounce Starbucks order

 31 Florida theme park

 32 Thorny flowers

 37 Friendly

 39 Eye ailment

 41 "Isn't ___ Lovely" (Stevie Wonder hit)

 42 Fresh haircut

 45 Hearing-related

 49 Parisitic person

 50 "Holy cow!"

 51 Breakfast or brunch

 52 Lightly burn

 53 Roll call response

 54 "Plus ..."

 56 Sancocho or etouffee

 57 Bear in a 2012 film

 58 As late as, for short

 59 Boardroom VIP

 60 Bad Bunny's genre

solution