My wife and I are in Ireland right now, starting off the New Year with family. I just managed to slip away to solve the puzzle, and write up this abbreviated post. I will get to the full post just as soon as I can.
1 Major Indian tourist site : AGRA
5 Comes down hard : HAILS
10 “This isn’t good at all!” : ICK!
13 Word with round or head : … TRIP
14 Tippy-tops : ACMES
15 Sore spot : ACHE
16 Part of La-La Land : TINSELTOWN
18 “It’s ___ real” : BEEN
19 Charles Schwab offering : INDEX FUND
20 Transition effect famously used in “Star Wars” films : WIPE
21 Their sales rose in 2021 and 2022, after two decades of decline : CDS
22 Medicinal amt. : TSP
23 Gnats and curs, e.g. : BITERS
25 Title of respect : SRI
26 Off! ingredient : DEET
28 Simu ___, star of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” : LIU
29 End-of-week greeting : SHABBAT SHALOM
32 Tourist-spots, maybe? : PEOPLE-WATCHES
33 On the struggle bus, it might be said : NOT DOING SO HOT
34 Result of being fired? : ASH
35 QB stats : INTS
36 Comic actor who co-created “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” : FEY
37 Like Turkish coffee : STRONG
39 Wear and tear : USE
40 Quick pick-me-up? : CAB
43 Nitwit : DOLT
44 Bordelaise, for one : WINE SAUCE
47 Box with a view : LOGE
48 Home country, poetically : NATIVE SOIL
49 Top-notch : ACES
50 Top-notch : ELITE
51 Electrically flexible : AC/DC
52 Web portal released the same day as Windows 95 : MSN
53 Elizabeth of “WandaVision” : OLSEN
54 Fancy-y-y : POSH
Down
1 Top story : ATTIC
2 Drudgery : GRIND
3 Pickled watermelon parts : RINDS
4 Place for a prayer : APSE
5 Brother from another mother, maybe : HALF-SIBLING
6 Make a scene, aptly : ACT UP
7 Comment following a cue : I’M ON
8 Blue : LEWD
9 ID on a filing : SSN
10 Part of a cold shower, maybe : ICE PELLET
11 Alternative to bread crumbs in some gluten-free recipes : CHEERIOS
12 Earring Magic ___ (1990s doll that developed a cult following) : KEN
15 Some : A BIT
17 Touchdown follower, often : EXTRA POINT
20 Quarter Pounder qualifier : WITH CHEESE
23 Playoff format : BEST OF SEVEN
24 Aggregate : SUM
25 Fitted with footwear : SHOD
26 Georgia team, to fans : DAWGS
27 Column on an airport flight board, informally : ETAS
29 First winner of the Canadian Comedy Awards’ Person of the Year (2008) : SETH ROGEN
30 Disposition : BENT
31 Sea line? : AHOY!
32 Some fellows, informally : POSTDOCS
33 “Illmatic” rapper : NAS
38 Words of encouragement : OLES
39 Join forces : UNITE
40 Kaley ___, co-star of “The Big Bang Theory” : CUOCO
41 They’re far from basic : ACIDS
42 Natural gas emission? : BELCH
44 Feature of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial : WALL
45 “Really?” : IT IS?
46 Memo letters : ASAP
47 Flight : LAM
48 It has a new meaning : NEO-
