Rest and Recharge! The last word of each theme answer are things may need or have a rest.
18-Across. * Traditional Thanksgiving entree: ROAST TURKEY. This answer confused me a bit, but apparently a roast turkey needs to rest a bit before being carved. This gives the turkey time to reabsorb the juices so that the meat will be nice and juicy.
24-Across. * Feature of anxiety, often: RACING MIND.
35-Across. * The "order" part of a "Law & Order" episode: COURT CASE.
47-Across. * Piano lesson pages: SHEET MUSIC. The musicians a Rests is a musical notation sign that indicates the absence of a sound. Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular note value indicating how long the silence should last.
And the unifier:
53-Across. "Enough already!" or what one may do to each answer to a starred clue: GIVE IT A REST.
Today's puzzle also acknowledges many of our regulars!
Across:
1. Cert. for some babysitters: CPR. As in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.
4. Golden St. region: SO-CAL. As in Southern California.
9. Chase a fly, maybe: SWAT.
13. Summer arrival: LEO. Hi, Leo III!
14. "Sweet Love" singer Baker: ANITA. Anita Baker (née Anita Denise Baker; b. Jan. 26, 1958) is a singer-songwriter best known for her soulful ballads. Her birthday is next week. [Name # 1.]
15. Maker of G-Shock watches: CASIO. Everything you wanted to know about the G-Shock Casio watch, but didn't know to ask.
17. Sci-fi invaders: ETs. As in ExtraTerrestrials
20. Venezuelan cornmeal cake: AREPA. Not a Tuesday word. Arepa is a type of food made with cornmeal that is usually stuffed with a filling. It is a common street food in South America.
22. "Big Blue": IBM. As in International Business Machines.
23. Certain sib: SIS. My Sis and I traveled together on our recent trip.
28. N. Dak. neighbor: MONT. Hi, Montana!
29. Egyptian boy king: TUT. If my full name was Tutankhamun, I would probably go by Tut, too. [Name # 2.]
30. Novelist Jaffe: RONA. Rona Jaffe (June 12, 1931 ~ Dec. 30, 2005) wrote many novels. She was big in the late '60s and '70s. [Name # 3.]
31. Mean monster: BRUTE. Ogre was not enough letters.
32. Cultural no-nos: TABOOs.
34. Successful dogcatcher, e.g.: CAPTOR. This clue and answer feels a bit off.
37. "Or even less": IF THAT.
40. Hardly fresh: OLD HAT. The origin of the expression of Old Hat.
42. Alexander Hamilton's birth island: NEVIS. If you've seen the musical, then you knew immediately that Alexander Hamilton (Jan. 11, 1750s ~ July 12, 1804) was born in Nevis and that he was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr (1756 ~ 1836). Hamilton was the 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury and he still appears on the $10 bill. [Name adjacent.]
43. __-false test: TRUE.
44. This minute: NOW.
46. Trashy place?: DUMP.
50. Words of agreement: I DO.
51. Big part of an alligator: JAW. My first thought was Maw, since the alligator has a big mouth.
52. Bygone anesthetic: ETHER. A brief history of the use of Ether in medicine.
58. "How Easy Is That?" cookbook writer Garten: INA. Ina Garten (née Ina Rosenberg; b. Feb. 2, 1948) is best known as being the Barefoot Contessa. [Name # 4.]
59. Aromatic bulb: ONION.
60. Brief appearance in a film: CAMEO. Alfred Hitchcock (né Alfred Joseph Hitchcock; Aug. 13, 1899 ~ Apr. 29, 1980) was known for making Cameo appearances in his films.
61. Tony winner Vereen: BEN. Ben Vereen (né Benjamin Augustus Middleton; b. Oct. 10, 1946) portrayed Chicken George in the 1977 television miniseries Roots. [Name # 5.]
62. Group after boomers: GEN-X.
63. City considered Japan's cultural capital: KYOTO.
64. Biblical craft: ARK.
Down:
1. See-through: CLEAR. // And 4-Down. See-through wrap: SARAN.
2. Domesticated rodent: PET RAT. I'll pass on this pet.
3. Circular diamond shape: ROSE CUT. Hand up if you immediately knew about the Rose Cut.
5. Grammy-winning Yoko: ONO. Yoko Ono (b. Feb. 18, 1933) makes frequent Cameo appearances in the crossword puzzles. I can't believe she is nearly 90 years old. [Name # 6.]
6. "Homeland" org.: CIA. Homeland was American espionage thriller television series that ran for nearly a decade.
7. @ signs: ATs.
8. Sonia Sotomayor, for one: LATINA. Sonia Maria Sotomayor (b. June 25, 1954) joined the United States Supreme Court in August 2009. I can't imagine that she has a pleasant job. [Name # 7.]
9. Film on a pond: SCUM.
10. "This means __!": WAR.
11. Invites to dinner, maybe: ASKS OUT.
12. Connect with: TIE INTO.
16. Raw bar mollusk: OYSTER.
19. Letters on an incomplete schedule: TBD. As in To Be Determined.
21. Crunchy hummus scooper: PITA CHIP. Yummers!
25. Backsplash binder: GROUT. Everything you wanted to know about kitchen backsplashes but didn't know to ask.
26. "Wuthering Heights" setting: MOOR. Wuthering Heights is a 1847 novel by Emily Brontë (July 30, 1818 ~ Dec. 19, 1848). It was initially published under her pen of Ellis Bell. I probably read it in high school, but the only thing I can tell you about the book is it involves characters named Catherine and Heathcliff.
27. About to happen: IN STORE. What comments are In Store for us today on this puzzle?
28. Nattily dressed snack food mascot: MR. PEANUT. The nattily dressed Mr. Peanut (whose full name is Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smyth) has changed a bit throughout the ages. [Name adjacent.]
31. Rager: BASH.
33. Feathery accessories: BOAs.
34. Military rookie: CADET.
36. Whodunit board game: CLUE. A brief history of the game of Clue.
37. "Closer to Fine" duo __ Girls: INDIGO.
38. In a row?: FEUDING. Row: a noisy argument, but when used in this context the word rhymes with cow.
39. Lifetime channel offering: TV MOVIE.
41. Japanese electronics giant: TOSHIBA. A brief history of Toshiba.
43. Hitting sound: THWACK.
45. Ballpark frank: WIENER. The Boston Red Sox are known for their Fenway Franks.
47. Won at musical chairs: SAT.
48. "I feel the same way": ME TOO.
49. Curmudgeon: CRANK.
51. Curse: JINX. Hi, Jinx!
54. Geologic time unit: EON. A crossword staple.
55. Line in a child's drawing of the sun: RAY. Hi, Ray-o-Sunshine!
56. Full of feelings: EMO.
57. "Quiet on the __!": SET.
I Rest My CASE.
Here's the Grid: