NEA daily crossword puzzle

ACROSS

1 A Coen brother

5 College stat

8 Large mop

12 “Free Willy” whale 13 Place for experiments 14 Musical ensemble 15 Words from Scrooge 16 Spooky, maybe 17 Perform again 18 Unlucky gambler 20 Put one’s two cents in 22 Creeping vine

23 1960s style

24 Flood barrier

27 Adorn

30 Books pro

31 Med. personnel

32 Mail code

34 Insult, slangily 35 Collection of tales 37 Sum total

38 Quit

40 Like a stale joke 42 Drop bait on water 43 Gleeful cry

44 Fire starter

46 Fakes out, on the rink 49 -- vera lotion

50 ET vehicle 52 Stripe

54 Andes nation 55 Midwest st. 56 Romantic deity 57 Kids

58 Woolly one 59 Evergreens

DOWN

1 Daily work

2 -- hygiene

3 Canyon effect

4 Dog star?

5 Fame

6 Water lily leaf

7 Trunk part

8 Long step

9 Brown bird

10 -- -de-camp

11 Jeer

19 First lady?

21 Seed containers 24 Arith. term 25 Sweeping, as a story 26 Bouquet holder 27 Metal fastener 28 Ivan or Nicholas 29 Potter’s oven

33 Go back and forth 35 Mighty -- -- oak 36 Far-out planet 39 “Ciao” and “Aloha” 40 Ernesto Guevara 41 Deadeye Annie 43 Hacienda brick 44 Type of market 45 Tennyson’s title 47 Patrick’s domain 48 Winter precip 49 NYC dwelling 51 Just a handful 53 Curve shape