a·cros·tic /əˈkrôstik/

When I told the Earnest Chef I was working on a collection of crossword puzzles, he looked at me funny and said, "Why?"

I don't know if crossword puzzle mags have ever come with a dedication page but this one will. I'll dedicate to the Earnest Chef and be sure to note why!

This is the first one I came up with and it's called MOP TOPS. If you give it a go, I'd love to hear if you were able to complete it.

ACROSS

1 spidery sea crawler

5 much

9 1st Taiwanese ML pitcher

13 Parachute Club anthem: ____ Up

14 world's youngest mother

15 Goldie

16 Lennon-McCartney tune: Yes ____

17 drillers club

18 1985 Camaro version

19 1964 album

22 ____! Darling

23 what up, dawg

24 Torry sanctuary (abbr)

25 magic dragon

28 Axl Rose project (abbr)

29 in which Doris gets her ____

33 Serbian tabloid

34 ad ____

35 answer to 39-across

37 surplus

39 Tell me ____

40 Heston's crowd

41 to dress up like a wizard or warrior (abbr)

42 sphere or hazard

43 B side to Paperback Writer

44 urgent care source (abbr)

46 Eagles tune ____' 55

47 Let it ____

48 1963 album

56 malbec capper

57 dregs component

58 some for____ not for better…

59 melted mushroom or cranberry accompanier

60 Red and Dead

61 Coppel and Kennedy

62 oracle

63 trained killers

64 consequence of Lennon's Jesus remark

DOWN

1 house

2 ceremony

3 site of Taj Mahal and the Great Wall

4 greatest hits collection

5 burn soother

6 word-mime

7 Musketeers' chant opener (2 wds)

8 head tilter

9 ____ wants you back again.

10 model Underwood

11 missing from duty (abbr)

12 ____ there was a way to get back homeward

20 southpaw (init)

21 solar god

25 47-across composer

26 elbow bone

27 Fab ____

28 Pan or Yahweh

30 3rd track on 48-across

31 songwriter Amos

32 The Man

34 ____Said, She Said

35 Daltry's crowd

36 ____ & Zel's

38 Ender sequel: ____ of the Dead

39 Mr. Shears Campbell

42 checked out with Valens

43 mends bone

45 percussionist (abbr)

47 sheep utterance

48 toxic coolant banned in 1977 (abbr)

49 legend

50 Ontario feeder

51 hockey's Mr. Tikkanen

52 artsy marketplace

53 six or twelve for instance

54 Thracian tribe

55 ____while