The answer to “Go to great lengths, or what this puzzle's circled letters do?” in the LA Times Crossword

ACR "A Christmas Carol" scoff 3 ltr ACR "Bro!" 4 ltr DWN "Comfortable. Confident." shoe brand 4 ltr DWN "Cowboy Carter" icon 7 ltr DWN "Ghost" psychic __ Mae Brown 3 ltr DWN "The Simpsons" disco guy 3 ltr ACR "The gall!" 9 ltr ACR "Well, not quite ... " 13 ltr DWN "Yep" 4 ltr DWN Anti-inflammatory choice 7 ltr DWN Auto racing family name 5 ltr ACR Book part 5 ltr DWN Bot blocker 7 ltr ACR Bundled software collection 5 ltr DWN Butterflies-to-be 5 ltr ACR Catchy part of a song 4 ltr ACR Compass rose dir. 3 ltr DWN Concave belly buttons 6 ltr ACR County seat of Hawaii County 4 ltr DWN Cultural territory in France's Grand Est region 6 ltr DWN Diagonal mover in chess 6 ltr DWN Diplomatic mission 7 ltr ACR Disapproving sounds 4 ltr ACR Discomfit 5 ltr DWN Elena Rybakina's org. 3 ltr ACR Excuses 6 ltr DWN Exec's helper 4 ltr ACR Fabric store meas. 3 ltr ACR Fashion 5 ltr ACR Financing figs. 4 ltr DWN Finger painting? 7 ltr DWN Finito 4 ltr ACR Goes out with 4 ltr DWN Grab before anyone else can 7 ltr DWN Helped (out) 6 ltr DWN High-pH substance 6 ltr ACR Home of the Mighty Five national parks 4 ltr ACR IRS form expert 3 ltr DWN Image on Dutch Bros coffee cups 8 ltr DWN In charge of Thanksgiving dinner, say 7 ltr ACR Insta posts 4 ltr DWN Made it home quickly? 4 ltr DWN Migratory people 6 ltr DWN Mispronounce horrendously, as a name 7 ltr ACR Move to the country? 9 ltr ACR Murmur 3 ltr DWN Okra or orca unit 3 ltr DWN Part of an encrypted URL 5 ltr ACR Persona non __ 5 ltr ACR Play a banjo 5 ltr ACR Plumbing part 4 ltr ACR Portuguese greeting 3 ltr DWN Rawalpindi language 4 ltr DWN Realtor's success 4 ltr DWN Restaurant 6 ltr ACR Sch. in the smallest U.S. state 3 ltr ACR Scope 5 ltr ACR Share one's thoughts 5 ltr DWN Shock jock's sound effects 8 ltr