| BLACK | "Ma Rainey's ___ Bottom," 2020 movie starring Viola Davis as the titular character |
| BLACK | "Man in ___," 1971 song written and recorded by Johnny Cash from album of the same name |
| BLACK | "Orange Is the New ___" |
| BLACK | "Orange Is the New ___," TV series in which Flaca debates the usage of the phrase "I could care less," highlighting its grammatical inaccuracy |
| BLACK | "The ___ Cat," gothic story by Edgar Allan Poe which follows the story of an unreliable narrator |
| BLACK | "The ___ Stallion," 1979 adventure film based on a 1941 children's novel of the same name |
| BLACK | "The ___ Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable," 2007 book by author Nassim Nicholas Taleb |
| BLACK | "To Be Young, Gifted and ___" (Nina Simone song) |
| BLACK | "___ Balloon," hit song by the Goo Goo Dolls from their album "Dizzy Up the Girl" that was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 |
| BLACK | "___ Caesar," 1973 American mafia film starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry |
| BLACK | "___ Hawk Down," 2001 war film about the 1993 raid in Mogadishu by the U.S. military, whose music was composed by Hans Zimmer |
| BLACK | "___ Hawk Down," Oscar-winning 2001 combat film directed by Ridley Scott starring Josh Hartnett |
| BLACK | "___ Ice," 2008 hit song by AC/DC with an album that has the same name |
| BLACK | "___ Lightning," four-seasons-long TV series starring Cress Williams that ended in 2021 |
| BLACK | "___ Mirror," Netflix series created series by Charlie Brooker which is a science fiction anthology |
| BLACK | "___ Panther," film series set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda |
| BLACK | "___ Panther: Wakanda Forever," 2022 Marvel film starring Letitia Wright, featuring a touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman |
| BLACK | "___ Parade," single by Beyonce which won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 2021 |
| BLACK | "___ Widow," 2020 film starring Scarlett Johansson where she will reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff |
| BLACK | "___-and-white situation" (idiom with antonyms) |
| BLACK | & 11D 1939 novel by Rumer Godden |
| BLACK | & 12D The —, Robert Louis Stevenson novel subtitled A Tale of the Two Roses |
| BLACK | & 18D Large game bird of Europe whose male has a lyre-shaped tail |
| BLACK | & 19D 2006 stage play by Gregory Burke |
| BLACK | & 22A 1873 novel by R M Ballantyne |
| BLACK | & 4D 1989 film thriller starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia |
| BLACK | & 9A 1975 novel by Thomas Harris |
| BLACK | &17A 1930 stage play by Agatha Christie |
| BLACK | 1991 song written by Eddie Vedder that was featured in the sixth season finale of the TV series "Cold Case" |
| BLACK | Actor Jack of "Jumanji: The Next Level" |
| BLACK | Actor Jack who voices Po in "Kung Fu Panda" movies |
| BLACK | African-American |
| BLACK | Ball worth seven points in snooker |
| BLACK | Before Angus or market |
| BLACK | Berry whose name begins with the color of night? |
| BLACK | Checkers piece color |
| BLACK | Chess piece color |
| BLACK | Chess side |
| BLACK | Chessboard side (1) |
| BLACK | Coal's color |
| BLACK | Coffee order |
| BLACK | Coffee preference |
| BLACK | Coffee without milk |
| BLACK | Color of Zorro's outfit |
| BLACK | Color of a crow |
| BLACK | Color of a dark night or a type of salt |
| BLACK | Color of squid ink pasta |
| BLACK | Color of the robe that would be a part of your "Harry Potter" Halloween costume |
| BLACK | Colour |
| BLACK | Crayola color |
| BLACK | Crow's color |
| BLACK | Dark color of the sky on a starless night, or the color of a raven |
| BLACK | Dark colour |
| BLACK | Darkest colour |
| BLACK | Ebony |
| BLACK | Eye ___, functional makeup applied by baseball or lacrosse players to reduce glare |
| BLACK | Forbidding, as 25-Down |
| BLACK | Gloomy in the shade |
| BLACK | H.B.C.U. part |
| BLACK | Halloween hue |
| BLACK | How some people like their coffee |
| BLACK | How some prefer their coffee |
| BLACK | Hugo ___, longtime Supreme Court justice |
| BLACK | Ian —, 1958 Commonwealth 220 yds butterfly swimming gold medallist |
| BLACK | Jack who voices Po in the "Kung Fu Panda" movies |
| BLACK | Large sea east of bulgaria |
| BLACK | Like coal |
| BLACK | Like coffee served without milk or cream |
| BLACK | Like some coffee and comedy |
| BLACK | Like some crossword squares |
| BLACK | Longtime Supreme Court name |
| BLACK | Midnight color |
| BLACK | Not showing any losses |
| BLACK | One 'side' of chessboard |
| BLACK | One color of a bruise |
| BLACK | Raven's color |
| BLACK | Ravenous? |
| BLACK | Roulette bet |
| BLACK | Santa appears to be running late, maybe we should look for some signs of him? (1/4) Keep an eye out for his shiny ___ boots |
| BLACK | See 11 Across |
| BLACK | See 13 Down |
| BLACK | See 15 Down |
| BLACK | See 19 |
| BLACK | See 24 |
| BLACK | See 24 Across |
| BLACK | See 25 Across |
| BLACK | See 30-Across |
| BLACK | Shade of 17- and 57-Across |
| BLACK | Shade of night |
| BLACK | Shoe color, often |
| BLACK | Side represented by triangles |
| BLACK | Snooker ball colour |
| BLACK | Surname for a wizarding family in the "Harry Potter" series that has members like Sirius and Regulus |
| BLACK | The ___ Lake aka the Great Lake, fictional location in the "Harry Potter" series that is part of its fantastical geography |
| BLACK | The ___ Mamba, "Love Is On My Side" band that represented Portugal in the 2021 Eurovision |
| BLACK | The absence of light or all pigments combined |
| BLACK | The circled letters in the first shaded area |
| BLACK | The color of a raven flying in the night |
| BLACK | Ultraviolet bulb/Deem as undesirable |
| BLACK | When did Barbie make her debut? On this day in 1959, rocking her iconic ___ and white striped swimsuit. Talk about an entrance! |
| BLACK | With 27-Across, one who's into heavy metal? |
| BLACK | With 2-Down, ripe, dark salad bit |
| BLACK | With 41- and 43-Across, cop cruiser ... or a description of the five animals named in this puzzle |
| BLACK | With 42-Across, a famous pirate |
| BLACK | With 49-Across, 2018 Marvel film starring Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger |
| BLACK | With 5-Down, a piano has 36 of these |
| BLACK | With 5-Down, unfathomably attractive body? |
| BLACK | With 62-Across, game in which players can hit or stand |
| BLACK | With 6-Across, practice using curse words? |
| BLACK | With 7-Across, breed of beef cattle |
| BLACK | With 8-Across, unlucky thing to cross your path, it's said |
| BLACK | Word with Friday, comedy or hole |
| BLACK | Word with tie or belt |
| BLACK | ___ Eye Galaxy, galaxy named after its dark dust band and bright nucleus |
| BLACK | ___ Eyed Peas, group whose songs "I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow" were simultaneously #1 and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 |
| BLACK | ___ Forest, mountain range in Germany that is home to Blauen |
| BLACK | ___ Friday (huge holiday shopping day) |
| BLACK | ___ Friday, day following Thanksgiving which marks the beginning of Christmas shopping season |
| BLACK | ___ Jack, aniseed-flavored chewing gum originally made of chicle |
| BLACK | ___ Jack, card game |
| BLACK | ___ Panther, fictional superhero from the kingdom of Wakanda |
| BLACK | ___ Sabbath, English rock band whose song "Iron Man" won the 2000 Grammy for Best Metal Performance |
| BLACK | ___ Uhuru, reggae group behind hits like "Shine Eye Gal" and "Plastic Smile" |
| BLACK | ___ Widow, Marvel character who goes by the name of Natalia Romanoff and appears in "The Avengers" movies |
| BLACK | ___ Widow, fictional Marvel character who has a "charcoal-colored" name |
| BLACK | ___ cat who appeared in "The Amazing Spider-Man" who has sometimes been his enemy, love interest and ally |
| BLACK | ___ leggings, popular bottom wear from the '80s music scene worn by the likes of Slash |
| BLACK | ___ pepper, plant that has existed on Earth since the Cretaceous period |
| BLACK | ___ tupelo, tree whose leaves turn red during fall |
| BLACK | ___, Starr, & Frost, oldest jewelry firm in America that was founded in 1810 |
| BLACK | ___-eyed Susan, yellow flower with a charcoal-colored center that symbolizes justice |
| BLACK | ___-eyed peas, legumes found in a Hoppin' John that you can savor after New Year festivities |
| BLACK | - |
| BLACK | — Sea, body of water between Asia and SE Europe also called the Euxine Sea |
| BLACK | “Back to ___” (2007 Amy Winehouse hit) |
| BLACK | “___ Iris” (1926 Georgia O’Keeffe painting) |
| BLACK | “___ Widow” (2021 superhero film starring Scarlett Johansson) |
| BLACK | *Comic actor / *Card game ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues |
| BLACK | *Hypothetical object that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation |
| BLACK | *One side of a 23-Across piece |