Theme: You can't have one without the other. Sometimes things just go together, as we shall soon see. Or, if you got the circles, might be seeing already. The near-by ends of the two words in each theme fill feature the same letter.
16. Marine animal that resembles a flower:SEA ANEMONE. These are are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. Because of their colorful appearance, they are named after the Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant. You can read more about it here.
23. Branch of mathematics focused on collections:SET THEORY. Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory — as a branch of mathematics — is mostly concerned with those that are relevant to mathematics as a whole. I just barely squeaked through calculus, so that's all I've got. If you want more you can start here.
37. Chance to get together and take shots?:PHOTO OP. This is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or an event.
48. Genre for 1980s hair bands:GLAM METAL. A subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock --- performed by male musicians who wore flamboyant and feminine clothing, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter, and female musicians who wore masculine clothing.
59. Kittens who should be adopted together, or what can be found in this puzzle's circles:BONDED PAIR. Two cats that have a special relationship and the adoption center wants to place them in a home together. There are also bonded pair dogs. Separation would be traumatic for them.
Our BONDED PAIRS are the last letter of the first word and the first letter of the second word in each theme entry, as indicated by the circles. This theme has an original concept, and a clever use of the unifier.
Hi gang, JzB here. Theoretically, I guess all the fill in this puzzle would constitute a set. With no further theorizing, let's check it out.
LATE EDIT Just before pushing the Publish button I noticed that the paired letters in sequence are A, T, O, and M, spelling ATOM. So what we have in our bonded pairs are 2 ATOMS. This makes it a chemical bond, and raises it to a whole new level of clever elegance. The long obsolete chemist in me heartily approves. Very impressive!
Across:
1. Retail club similar to Costco: SAM'S. An American chain of membership-only warehouse club retail stores owned and operated by Walmart Inc.
5. Coin flip call: HEADS. This refers to the front side, or obverse surface, of a coin. The other side is the reverse or tails.
10. Pine family tree: FIR. Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to Cedrus (cedar). The genus name is derived from the Latin "to rise" in reference to the height of its species. The common English name originates with the Old Norse, fyri, or the Old Danish, fyr.
13. Sitting on: ATOP. On top of.
14. Arm joint: ELBOW. The joint where your humerus (your upper arm bone) meets your radius and ulna (the two bones in your forearm). It joins your upper arm to your forearm. Your elbow also contains cartilage, ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Your elbow moves in two main directions. There is no truth to the rumor that it is named after a macaroni noodle.
15. Singer and civil rights activist Horne: LENA.Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (1917 – 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving on to Hollywood and Broadway.A groundbreaking African-American performer, Horne advocated for civil rights and took part in the March on Washington in August 1963.
18. Possesses: OWNS. Has and holds as property.
19. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL. A low-cut shoe that fastens by an ankle strap
20. Payable now: DUE. Expected at or planned for at a certain time.
21. Dance Dance Revolution move: STEP. A single element of a dance.
22. Term of address that elides a letter: MA'AM. Shart for madam.
25. Creature in Sherpa folklore: YETI. An ape-like creature purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. In Western popular culture, the creature is commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman.
27. Virtuous one: SAINT. A person of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization. Less formally, a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.
28. Contributes: ADDS. Puts in.
31. "Kapow!": BLAM. Catroon sound efects for explosions.
34. Guinness, for one: STOUT. A dark beer that is generally warm fermented.
36. "You stink, ref!": BOO. Common expression of disdain.
39. Slam Dunk Contest org.: NBA. National Basketball Assocoation.
40. Pixy Stix contents: SUGAR. Pixy Stix are sweet and sour colored powdered candy usually packaged in a wrapper that resembles a drinking straw.Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food.
42. Episodic drama: SAGA.The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events.
43. "Come on now": JEEZ. An expression of surprise, disappointment or disdain.
44. Underneath: BELOW. Located under or lower than something else.
46. Minor in astronomy?: URSA. The little bear, also known as the little dipper constellation.
51. Parts of plays: ACTS. An act is a major division of a theatre work, including a play, film, opera, ballet, or musical theatre, consisting of one or more scenes.
54. Mother of Apollo and Artemis: LETO. Leto is a Titan and the mother of the gods Apollo and Artemis in classical Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and her main legends take place on Delos and Delphi. Leto is known as the goddess of fertility and motherhood, and is also known as Kourotrophos, which means "Rearer of Youths". Leto's story includes being pregnant by Zeus, seeking refuge on Delos to give birth, and suffering misfortunes due to her relationship with Zeus.
55. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU. Thursday
56. "I'm one of them too!": LIKE ME. having something in common.
58. Lends a helping hand: AIDS. Assists.
61. Catch sight of: SPOT. Eye, espey, obsrve.
62. __ Martin: British car: ASTON. Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with expensive grand touring cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and with the fictional character James Bond following his use of a DB5 model in the 1964 film Goldfinger. Their grand tourers and sports cars are regarded as a British cultural icon.
63. Norway's capital: OSLO.the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of 709,037 in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022. During the Viking Age, the area was part of Viken. Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in 1040 under the name Ánslo, and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada. The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around the year 1300.
64. Go limp: SAG. Droop.
65. Naps, say: RESTS. Ceases work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
66. Simple tops: TEES. A short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat.
Down:
1. Back talk: SASS. Impudence; cheek.
2. Starting five, e.g.: A TEAM. A group consisting of the best members of a larger group; an elite group.
3. Disney heroine who sings "How Far I'll Go": MOANA. An adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds.
4. Some self-care opportunities: SPA DAYS. A day spent on a visit to a spa, which is a place that offers relaxation, luxury, and beauty treatments.
5. Element of high fashion?: HEEL. High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels or pumps, are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the calf muscle.
6. __ City: New Haven nickname: ELM.New Haven had the first public tree planting program in the U.S., producing a canopy of mature trees (including some large elms) that gave the city the nickname "The Elm City".
7. Place to call home: ABODE. The place where one lives.
8. Breakfast-on-the-run choice: DONUT. a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. The two most common types are the ring doughnut and the filled doughnut, which is injected with fruit preserves, cream, custard, or other sweet fillings.
9. Candy: SWEETS. A confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient.
10. Maybe not any at all: FEW TO NONE. A description of rarity or very long odds.
11. Float in some water rides: INNER TUBE. An inflatable torus that forms the interior of some pneumatic tires. The tube is inflated with a valve stem, and fits inside of the casing of the tire. The inflated inner tube provides structural support and suspension, while the outer tire provides grip and protects the more fragile tube.
12. Coarse-sounding: RASPY. Unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound. I can relate since as I write this, my voice is in the 2nd sub-basem*nt.
15. Succumb to one's emotions: LOSE IT. A temporary inability to control one's emotions, typically in response to anger, fear or sorrow.
17. Title: NAME. These words are synonymous when applied to written works or musical compositions, but not when applied to people.
23. Farm fixtures: SILOS. Structures for storing bulk materials.Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used to store grains. The typical structure is a right circular cylander.
24. Padlock holder: HASP. A clasp for a door, lid, etc., especially one passing over a staple and fastened by a pin or a padlock.
26. "Candidly," in texting: TBH. To Be Honest.
28. Muscles stretched in cobra pose: ABS. Abdominals.
29. High-ABV hoppy beer: DOUBLE IPA. A type of IPA that contains more hops and malt than a regular IPA:
30. Extremely competitive: DOG EAT DOG. Used to refer to a situation of fierce competition in which people are willing to harm each other in order to succeed.
32. __ snail's pace: AT A. Making distressigly slow progress
33. Bigwig: MOGUL. An important or powerful person, especially in the motion picture or media industry.
35. Toon devil: TAZ. This guy.
37. Gathering for senior partners?: PROM. I guess this is referring to a formal high school dance party, attended by seniors and their dates.
38. Source of water power?: OAR. For powering a canoe.
41. "So close": ALMOST. Missed it by that much.
43. "Bingo!": JACKPOT. The big winner.
45. Mixologist's amenity: WET BAR. A small bar used for mixing and serving alcoholic beverages that includes a sink with running water, as opposed to a "dry bar" that does not include a sink.
47. Uttered: SAID. Spoken.
48. Pane piece: GLASS. A portion of a window.
49. This and that: THOSE. More than one thing.
50. Some godmothers: AUNTS. Moms' sisters.
52. Needle: TEASE. Make fun of or attempt to provoke someone in a playful or pseudo-playful way.
53. Happy face: SMILE. An facial expression denoting pleasure.
56. Binoculars part: LENS. An optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction.
57. God with a bow and arrow: EROS.Eros was the Greek god of carnal love. Eros was the assistant, and according to some the son, of Aprhodite, the goddess of love and fertility. He made people fall in love by shooting an arrow into their heart.
60. Pointillism bit: DOT. Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" was coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, but is now used without its earlier pejorative connotation.
Now it's time to set this puzzle aside. Hope you enjoyed the solve.
Cool regards!
JzB
