1 Group that had a 40-year gap between its two most recent studio albums (1981-2025) : ABBA
2 Study, study, study! : CRAM
3 Word with cow or Communion : HOLY
4 Lion : pride :: ___ parliament : OWL
5 Snap, crackle or pop : ONOMATOPOEIA
6 Ties : BONDS
7 “Days of Grace” memoirist, 1993 : ASHE
8 Providers of college courses? : MEALPLANS
9 Term of ___ : ART
10 Common but often counterproductive response to a recurring problem : ANTIPATTERN
11 What a button mushroom becomes when it matures : PORTOBELLO
12 “Thelma & Louise” auto, informally : TBIRD
13 Rikishi’s sport : SUMO
15 Inexperienced gamers, in slang : NOOBS
21 2010s satirical reality series starring comedian Fielder : NATHANFORYOU
22 They may be dry or dirty : GINMARTINIS
24 Abbott and Costello in the film “Arrival,” informally : ETS
25 Title Toni Morrison character who lives in the Bottom : SULA
26 Calculated : NOACCIDENT
27 Many Fertile Crescent residents : ARABS
28 Covert field? : BCC
29 Cookie brand whose name is stylized with an exclamation point : CHIPSAHOY
30 “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria : SALS
31 Org. whose workers usually wear gloves : TSA
36 Once called : NEE
39 Turn away : AVERT
40 Chef Jacques ___, holder of 16 James Beard awards : PEPIN
41 Nod, say : AGREE
42 N.Y.C. attraction : MOMA
44 Pro sports team named for some of its equipment : NETS
45 Elegy, e.g. : POEM
46 What an orange dot might indicate in a chat : IDLE
47 Only U.S. president other than J.F.K. to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery : TAFT
49 Fareed Zakaria’s channel : CNN
50 Target of some phishing scams: Abbr. : SSN
