Friday Jan 2nd, 2026 ~ Nate Curry & Kevin Curry

 Café Au L.A.(IT)

or, the Times Crossword with your Morning Joe~?

Hi there~!  Splynter here, commencing my new day blogging.  Our first Friday puzzle of 2026 is a crossword from constructor Kevin Curry (alliteration), a regular, and what I gather is one of his three kids, Nate, who is 10(ish) yrs old - he and younger sister Kaela created a puzzle that made the NYT.  Today's grid, an oversized 15x16 to accommodate the center spanner, consists of four themers that drop, or "knock off" the I & T at the end of common phrases to create punny new ones.  A few too many names for me, a whole SLEW of abbrs, no circles, and a balance of 26 3LWs compared with the 24 five-letter ones.  The themers and the reveal; 

18. Warning on a note passed in a seminar?: NOT FOR PROF(IT)

more here

25. Crystal ball consulted atop Mount Everest?: HIGH EARTH ORB(IT)  - A.K.A. Geosynchronous Orbit

37. The discovery of the Lucy fossils, for one?: SIGNIFICANT DIG(IT)

52. Beauty school treatment?: LEARNER'S PERM(IT) - I got my learning-to-drive permit at 16yrs old

61. "Cut that out!," or an apt title for this puzzle: "KNOCK IT OFF~!"

Two other thoughts:

Unruly CanadianEh!~? - Bad Hab(IT)

Robinson with his musicians~? - Smokey and the Band(IT)

But Wait~!
There's More~!  ( all good, -T - Onward~! was my Saturday sign-in )

ACROSS:

1. Charges: BILLS - the contractor "charges" $$ for his time

6. During: AMID

10. House shower?: CSPAN - I wondered if this was "shOU-er", or shOH-er; I finally figured out it was the latter, with the channel that shows Congress, the US "House" of Representatives & Senate

15. More slick: ICIER - 'tis the season~! - I've cleared my driveway three times so far

16. 2024 NBA All-Star Game MVP "__ Time" Lillard: DAME - name #1, and I had "G-ame", since that made more sense at first, but I knew my "AD" at 6D. had to be correct - more about him here

17. In the loop: AWARE

20. Sew loosely: BASTE - I knew this 'cause my mom was a sewing master

21. Not gross: NET - weights and measures, as opposed to icky over sterile

22. Some Duracells: AAs - I'm an "AA" as well, but not a battery

23. Like many fiddle-leaf figs: POTTED - I had p-I-tted, which made sense at first - but figs have seeds, not pits - sigh.  

All(IT)eration

24. Land south of Eur.: AFRica

28. Hawaiian for "white": KEA

29. Highest seed: ONE - as of this writing, the Denver Broncos are the #1 seed in the NFL

30. Regret: RUE

31. Marble __: RYE

32. Up and about: ASTIR - if you have to ASTIR, you might need AWHISK - found at 60A.

34. Mother with a Nobel Peace Prize: TERESA - even if we all know who this is, still name #2

42. Agree: ASSENT - all(IT)eration

43. Soccer star Sergio who scored more than 100 goals for Real Madrid: RAMOS - no clue, name #3

45. Audible sighs: "AHs"

48. Long. crosser: LATitiude, the grid of the globe - all(IT)iteration

49. "Rugrats" dad: STU - name #4, learned doing crosswords

51. Tiebreaker periods, for short: OTs - OverTimes

56. Opposite of oui: NON - yes/no - ah, my first Friday Franwche fill - all(IT)eration

Oui~!  Oui~! Très Oui~!

57. Release: LET OUT - "who let the dogs out~?" woof, woof

58. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE - name #5, we see her a lot in crosswords

59. Paramount+ partner, briefly: SHO - SHOwtime, streaming services - all(IT)teration

60. Batter beater: WHISK - what a whip~! - all(IT)eration

65. Like déjà vu: EERIE

66. Cry of dismay: "OH NO~!"

67. Leaves for dinner: SALAD - my first thought was the leaf sections when expanding the dining room table, but it's the 'other' leaf - lettuce, romaine, etc.

68. Freezing temps: TEENS

69. Large number: SLEW - Hercules "slew" a whole slew of heads off the - - -

70. Monster with regenerative heads: HYDRA

The 1960 movie "Hercules vs. the Hydra" - all(IT)eration

DOWN:

1. Recycling container: BIN - my blue recycling bin goes out every other week - my garbage, rarely once a month

2. Admission of guilt: "I CONFESS."

3. Well-read individuals: LITERATI - filled via perps

4. Not right?: LEFT - I am a LEFTY, so I nailed this one

5. Sold-out letters: SRO - crossword staple, Standing Room Only

6. Magazine income source: AD PAGE - I had figured it being "AD" something . . . .

7. Swampy habitat: MARSH - I had BAYOU to start; been reading a lot of James Lee Burke books that take place in Louisiana, so this 'hab(IT)at' was on my mind; I did get a David Weber Sci-Fi book, "Off Armageddon Reef", and finished "Hail Mary" from Andy Weir; great book - thank you all for the reading suggestions

8. Texter's qualifier: IMO - In My Opinion

9. Pt. of HDTV: DEFinition; High and TeleVision were too long

10. Novelist Meg: CABOT - name #6, had no clue, learned she is the author of "The Princess Diaries", and the "O" does seem more likely than the "I" that I had from p-I-tted

11. Broad strip: SWATH - as in a swath of destruction laid down by a tornado

12. Tacos al __: PASTOR - never heard of this, so the NE corner was messy; name (ish) - the Wiki

13. Aorta, for one: ARTERY

14. (If) necessary: NEED BE - in hockey playoffs, games 5,6 and 7 may be "if necessary"

19. Picnic spoiler: RAIN - I pondered "ANTS" first

23. Groom feathers: PREEN

24. Pseudonym preceder: A.K.A. - Also Known As

25. Features of orchestras and rhinos: HORNS - clever

26. Upright: ERECT

27. Spiritual glow: AURA - it was either HALO or AURA, and I guessed correctly

33. Four-time French Open winner Swiatek: IGA - name #7, learned doing crosswords

34. Window shades: TINTS - slightly meh; I think windows GET tinted - OR - treatments like drapes, curtains, blinds, shades, etc.

35. Play guitar: STRUM - well, that is part of the mechanics - there's also picking, fretting, tapping, bending, sliding - did I miss anything~?

Eddie would have turned 71 on Jan 26th

36. Org. for orthodontists: ADA - American Dental Assoc.

38. Key: ISLET - That kind of key

39. Dread: FEAR

40. Comment from someone listening to elevator music, perhaps: "I'M ON HOLD."

41. Push beyond acceptable limits: GO TOO FAR - "you've gone far, Ted" was a classic Benny Hill gag

44. ID with two hyphens: SSN

45. Totally wrong: ALL WET - I had heard this phrase before, usually from my mother

46. [Giggle]: HEE-HEE - I had TEE-HEE, so 5/6ths correct - and technically, our Monday dupe~!

all(IT)eration

47. Many a mockumentary: SATIRE - this ROCK-umentary comes to mind

49. Manatee, e.g.: SEACOW - Awww, this puzzle shoulda been blogged by MM~!

50. Taxing trip: TREK - All(IT)eration

53. Gymnast's gripping aid: ROSIN - Dah~!  Not CHALK

54. Zaps: NUKES - Ah.  I use this term all the time when referring to the microwave

55. Susceptible (to): PRONE - as in "prone to lying down while sleeping" 😜

59. "Don't go!": "STAY~!"

61. MMA stat: KOs - Mixed Martial Arts, a sport I do not watch, and Knock Outs

62. Kraken's realm, briefly: NHL - the 'briefly' should have clued me in to the abbr, but I went with "SEA" - yet this is also correct , as the Kraken of the National Hockey League hail from SEAttle

63. "Or so": "ISH." - I'll be over about nine"ish"

64. HHS agency: FDA - Health & Human Sevices, and the Food & Drug Administration; here's the hierarchy on the website

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.9

Thursday January 1, 2026 Jill Rafaloff & Michelle Sontarp

Happy New Year! It's RustyBrain kicking off 2026. Starting today, I'll be your host every Thursday. NaomiZ, who always did a fabulous job on Thursdays, is moving to Mondays to take over from sumdaze who is retiring after an incredible run. Big shoes to fill all around (not to imply they have big feet!). Moving on before I get in any more trouble this year...

Jill Rafaloff and Michelle Sontarp have me at a disadvantage here. I never got into women's clothing, so I didn't know most of the designers. We picked the wrong day for Naomi to move! That being said, the perps were fair so the solve went smoothly. All the themers are compound nouns for everyday things, but one or more of the words is also an article of clothing. Let's try them on for size:

17. Crossover design from Vivienne Westwood and Diane von Fürstenberg?: BUBBLE WRAP. Our fashion show begins with two models on the catwalk: Westwood's BUBBLE skirt and von Fürstenberg's WRAP dress. Iconic looks from their signature designers that should never be worn together.

29. Creative team behind Lilly Pulitzer's signature frock?: SHIFT WORKERS. Pulitzer's bright, colorful clothes were very popular and worn by the likes of Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. She rose in prominence when her original SHIFT dress, a simple loose-fitting garment that allowed a women to "shift" around, was photographed on Jackie Kennedy.

47. Item in Giorgio Armani's 50th anniversary collection?: BIRTHDAY SUIT. The devil wears NADA! I know Armani also makes SUITs for men, as I have a closet full. Not. 

62. Line of Mary Quant's trademark skirts?: MINISERIES. I'm familiar with Quant creating the MINIskirt only because of crosswords (I swear, honey, I never even looked at one!).

So, everything fits but this puzzle didn't have anything to do with the New Year. Not the constructors' fault as puzzles are created months in advance, but I'll see if I can work some magic for you!

Across:

1. Complete failures: BOMBS. BOMBS can also be explosives, just like the fireworks used to ring in the New Year over Sydney Harbour.

6. "Now!": STAT. I wrote ASAP at first, but I was too quick.

10. A couple of bucks?: DEER. Fun clue!

14. Oak tree, once: ACORN. This little fella has a secret ACORN stash.

15. Words of dismay: OH NO.

16. New Age artist who often sings in Irish: ENYA. ENYA is Irish, but I'd like to hear her sing this old Scottish favorite:

17. [theme]

19. Suds: BEER. Hopefully you didn't overdo it last night!

20. Former quarterback Manning: ELI. Peyton's younger brother, Archie's son and Arch's uncle.

21. __-Caps candy: SNO. Is your maple syrup candy SNO-Capped on January 1st?

22. Give a damn?: CURSE. Fie on you!

23. __ gel: contents of "Do not eat" packets: SILICA. Interestingly, SILICA gel is non-toxic. It's the packets themselves that may pose a choking hazard to children and pets.

26. On the decline: WANING.

29. [theme]

33. Liturgical vestment: STOLE. Sorta related to the women's fashion theme. 

36. Really, really enjoy a joke: ROAR.

37. Madre's sister: TIA. Your mother's sister is your aunt.

38. Greek cafe: TAVERNA.

40. Alive and __: KICKING. I'm happy to be here!

43. Viking weapon: AXE.

44. Pinnacle: ACME.

46. Affection from a dog: LICKS.

47. [theme]

51. Patterned fabric woven on Jacquard looms: DAMASK. The fashion show continues. DAMASK is woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. This creates a fabric that when flipped over makes a mirror image of the often intricate pattern. 

52. Orates: SPEAKS.

56. __ shorts: CARGO. You probably won't find these hanging in a fashionista's closet. Then again, you might. Everything I know about fashion would fit in a thimble.

58. Be in debt: OWE.

60. Briny: SEA.

61. Vaping device: ECIG. Electronic Cigarette.

62. [theme]

66. Place for pews: NAVE. These congregants in the central NAVE of a church in Chicago are celebrating the Lunar New Year, an ancient tradition in Chinese and other Asian cultures. It typically falls between January 21st and February 20th.

67. Legend: ICON.

68. Wet bars?: SOAPS. Another fun clue!

69. Even: TIED.

70. Keyboard locale: DESK.

71. Really hard to see: EENSY.

Down:
1. Innocents: BABES. 

2. Circular openings in domes: OCULI.

3. Synergy Supreme+ gasoline retailer: MOBIL. Pegasus was part of the MOBIL logo for many years.

4. "Putting my phone down a sec": BRB. Be Right Back in textspeak.

5. Weekly skit show, for short: SNL. Saturday Night Live.

6. Scattered: SOWN.

7. Target in a game of catch: THROW TO. I thought "target" was a noun at first and went through a list of people one could THROW TO.

9. Blouse: TOP. And yet another fashion reference.

10. Expose as false: DEBUNK.

11. Peppy: ENERGETIC.

12. Seeing things: EYES.

13. Redder than medium: RARE. Unless we're talking about your EYES on the morning after a NYE party!

18. Actor Morales: ESAI.

22. Round fig.: CIR. A CIRcle is the roundest of FIGures.

24. Remote getaway spot: ISLE. Remote getaway spot: SOFA. 

.
25. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER.

27. Faces the day: AWAKES. This is the perfect time to try something new.

28. Musubi seaweed: NORI.

30. Brawl: FRACAS.

31. Playing surface surrounded by boards: RINK. 

32. Droops: SAGS. Just like these banners!

33. Try: STAB.

34. Call with a raised hand: TAXI.

35. State of ramped-up productivity: OVERDRIVE.

39. Zilch: NADA. The number of days left in 2025. 

41. Rate of speed: CLIP. The years seem to go by at a faster CLIP as I get older. It can't be 2026 already?! It seems like only yesterday that Y2K was a problem. Now that's a quarter century ago.

42. Beach toy: KITE.

45. Greek island in the Cyclades: MYKONOS. Known for luxury and high-end tourism, MYKONOS is a great place to greet the New Year...if you can afford it.

48. Caught off base?: TAGGED.

49. Med. plan option: HMO. Health Maintenance Organization is a medical plan option, but you already knew that.

50. Functions: USES. Functions: NYE parties!

53. Nepali, e.g.: ASIAN.

54. Stays fresh: KEEPS. How long will you KEEP your New Year's resolution?

55. "Listen to __": podcast that covers a classic teen magazine: SASSY.

56. Penny: CENT.

57. Berry native to the Amazon rainforest: ACAI.

59. "Don't take me too seriously" indicator: WINK.

62. Prefix with way or wife: MID. MIDway or MIDwife.

63. Raw bar need: ICE. Also a NYE bar need!

64. Language suffix: ESE. 

65. Caviar: ROE.

Thank you, C.C., for this wonderful opportunity to be a permanent part of the smartest and friendliest corner of the web. And for those of you who are frequent visitors but haven't commented yet, here's a New Year's Resolution for you: introduce yourself and join the conversation. We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy (and Natick-free) New Year! 
Be good. RB

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - Rebecca Goldstein

CrossEyedDave here... When CC asked me to fill in, it was a Saturday morning, and i thought, "Great! I can do this instead of the Saturday Stumper!"  Well, right from the get go, 1Across just screamed out "Cube!" And with that, my Saturday turned into a Wednesday Stumper... I did finally work my way out of a DNF/FIW/TiTT, and was looking forward to reading the write up for someone to explain it all. (Wait! What! I have to splain this!! Aw nuts and dang it all...)

Well, at least Rebecca provided a title:

16. Intentionally delaying, or a punny title for this puzzle?: PLAYING FOR TIME.

"Playing For Time."

Now unless you can play Tetris blindfolded, i don't want to hear any complaints in the comments about circles. I would still be trying to solve this puzzle, if it were not for these life saving theme circles, that helped me discover all of the "off my wavelength" clue/answers that tripped me up.

The Reveal:

54. Constant reshuffling of one's schedule, or what's depicted in this puzzle's circles: CALENDAR TETRIS

The Calendar items circled included: Gala, Game, Work, Yoga, Call, Date, and Trip. You could possibly turn this into another puzzle by trying to find "another" calendar item that wasn't circled. Please let me know if you find any, I'm already too exhausted by Rebecca's offering to even try...

Here is a short Bio:

Link

Across:
1. Sugar serving: LUMP. My horse sense told me this should be "Cube." I mean, you don't give a horse a lump of sugar, you give him/her a sugar cube! Which led to disastrous stabs at the early downs.

5. Crockery flaw: CHIP.

Hmm, i wonder what was wrong with the kid "before" the spell?

9. Paper or plastic items: BAGS.

13. Microbiology lab gel: AGAR.

14. "__ that the truth!": AINT.

15. "At your earliest convenience," less politely: ASAP. (Not STAT!)

19. Error message?: SIC. Latin, literally ‘so, thus’. used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original.

20. NYC nabe near the Bowery: NOHO. (Not SOHO, or South of Houston, but North of...)

21. Added to the team: HIRED.

22. Kicking sport: SOCCER.

24. Actress Palmer: KEKE. The second K was a personal Natick with 9 Downs Batik, and caused and alpha run ending to this almost DNF/FIW/TiTT...

25. The Queen of Pop: MADONNA.

27. Network featured in "Good Night, and Good Luck": CBS. (3 letters awaiting a perp)

30. Low voices in a women's choir: ALTOS. (Really?)

33. Lav: LOO. (What?  Not Water Closet? Hmm, which reminds me...)

34. Sailor's assent: AYE.

35. Shabby: WORN.

36. Rare opening in 54-Across: SLOT. (A Clecho! Or Clue Echo...)

37. Screen writing?: BLOG.

38. Squeak (out): EKE.

39. Tom, Dick, and Harry, for example: MEN. (Not "anybody"...)

40. Name after peach or before toast: MELBA.

41. Mom, to Auntie: SIS. (I don't know why I wanted "Tia" here...)

42. "Be glad to": SURE CAN. Or put another Glad Bag in the Trash Can...

44. Image file format: JPEG.

46. Like the pick of the litter?: CUTEST.

49. Beefy, casually: SWOLE. Learning moment, i can't complain if it's legit...

51. Move like a hummingbird: DART.  (Not flit)

52. D-backs, in box scores: ARI. (A crossword fill staple...)

54. [Theme Reveal]

57. Shawkat of "Search Party": ALIA. (Either you know her, or you dont. Perps to the rescue...)

58. Team with a red-tailed hawk mascot named Swoop: UTES. (If you say so...)

59. California county with a wine train: NAPA. More info here:

60. Ran in the wash: BLED.

61. "__ there, tiger": EASY.

62. Gender-fluid pronoun: THEY. (Could have been Them, I could blame Them. But I can't blame They...)

Down:
1. Slurps (up): LAPS.

2. Uniq fruits: UGLIS.

3. Body shop franchise: MAACO. I must have misread this clue, because Maaco with lump and laps turned this corner into a nightmare...

4. Ask too much, say: PRY.

5. Paddled about: CANOED.

6. One regularly experiencing bettor days: HIGHROLLER. Not familiar with this, I wonder why...

7. IT part: INFO. (New to me)

8. Vacay from work: PTO. Paid Time Off (another tricky clue/answer)

9. Patterned fabric that originated in Indonesia: BATIK. I'll let A.I. explain this Learning Moment

10. "If memory serves": AS I RECALL. (Without the spaces, reminds me of nothing...)

11. Up for a challenge: GAME.

12. Went a mile a minute, maybe: SPED.

17. Quechua speakers who didn't have a written alphabet: INCAS. Not entirely true They used ropes!

18. Seehorn of "Pluribus": RHEA. (If you say so, but I say its just a smaller Emu from a different country)

23. "Please be serious": CMON. (I am serious about the Rhea/Emu's)

24. Twist into a pretzel: KNOT.

26. "Sounds like a you problem": NO ONE CARES.  (Ouch!)

28. Notation on an invite: BYOB. Bring Your own Bottle/Beer.

29. Sonic the Hedgehog developer: SEGA.

30. Leaves speechless: AWES.

31. Norse god of mischief: LOKI. Around long before The Marvel Universe took over his image on the internet. And is now invading politics?

32. "Ooh la la!": TRES JOLIE. It's French...

36. Self-satisfied: SMUG.

37. Good start?: BENE. Italian. Curiously, when I went to research, 

IT WASN'T Bene Nota?

(I get this confused with Bella Notte.)

40. Low-gloss: MATTE.

42. Checked out: SEEN. This nose wrinkle really gave me angst crossing 49A. Swole

43. Bow alternative: CURTSY. (Not bow,,, bow...  AhNuts!)

45. Be appealing?: PLEAD. (Cute)

47. One of the Torah's four matriarchs: SARAH. (Perped in, because i always leave off the H.)

48. Type of offal: TRIPE. (Anyone want a picture?) Offal is the internal organs and parts trimmed off an animal for food, although tripe has other meanings as well...

49. Sign of healing: SCAB.

50. Muralist's canvas: WALL.

51. Target of some mining: DATA.

53. "My word": I SAY. (Sounds kinda British to me, an I do say so myself...)

55. Expected any minute: DUE.

56. Explosive used in some mining: TNT.

Well, that about does it for this year. On to the next!

Happy New Year!

CE:D Out...

Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Susan Gelfand

Don't leave mad, just leave.  

20-Across. Departure instructions for an ornithologist?: LEAVE THE NEST.  Birds leave the Nest.

35-Across. Departure instructions for a railway worker?: MAKE TRACKS.  Railway workers leave the Tracks.

42-Across. Departure instructions for a student pilot?: TAKE FLIGHT.  Pilots leave when they take Flight.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Plan for ending involvement, or an apt title for this puzzle: EXIT STRATEGY. 

Here's the grid:

Across:
1. Closes, as a parka: ZIPS.

5. Animal that may sleep upside down: SLOTH.  Sloths are interesting creatures.  They are so incredibly slow that it can take them a month to digest a leaf.  Did you know that they can swim?  They are faster in water than on land.

10. Morning joe: JAVA.

14. Prepare for publication: EDIT.

15. Secret stash: CACHE.

16. Decorative pitcher in still lifes: EWER.

Still Life with Ewer, by Willem Kalf

17. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.

18. Catchall option on a survey: OTHER.

19. Smartphone message: TEXT.

23. Keyboard key with an arrow: ENTER.

24. Behr product: PAINT.

28. Zodiac sign boundaries: CUSPS.

31. Green vegetable in a pod: PEA.

33. Soccer star Hamm: MIA.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm, b. Mar. 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004.

34. Not in support of: ANTI.

39. Box office bomb: FLOP.

40. Stadium: ARENA.

41. Eccentric fellow: COOT.  Also a water bird.

44. Play part: ROLE.

45. Blackjack card: ACE.

46. Spearheaded: LED.

47. Back tooth: MOLAR.

48. Gumption: NERVE.

50. Tiny bits: IOTAS.

59. Bowl over: STUN.

62. Unpleasant, as weather: NASTY.

63. Speck in the ocean: ISLE.

64. Machu Picchu country: PERU.  //  And 54-Down. Machu Picchu native: INCA.  Machu Picchu will really take your breath away.

65. Crossword hints: CLUES.

66. Old Testament brother: CAIN.  //  And 56. Old Testament brother: ESAU.  So many choices here.  I had to wait for the down answer to find Cain, who slew Abel.  This biblical story is the basic theme of John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden.  Esau was the fraternal twin brother of the patriarch, Jacob.  Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah.

67. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

68. Bright-eyed: ALERT.

69. Underwater vessels: SUBS.

Down:
1. Unbridled enthusiasm: ZEAL.

2. Loafing around: IDLE.  Not to be confused with Eric Idle, who is anything but.

Eric Idle (b. Mar. 29, 1943)

3. Bread with a pocket: PITA.

4. Hat worn by Abraham Lincoln: STOVE PIPE.

5. "Severance" star Adam: SCOTT.  Adam Scott (né Adam Paul Scott) also portrayed Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation.  I tried watching Severance, but quickly got bored.

6. Spinning shaper in a woodshop: LATHE.

7. Earthy pigment: OCHER.  This pigment contains ferric oxide, which gives it varying shades light yellow to brown or red.

8. Every now and __: sporadically: THEN.

9. Roll-call response: HERE.

10. Volkswagen sedan: JETTA.

11. Fill with wonder: AWE.

12. Irk: VEX.

13. Museum collection: ART.

 

21. Coast Guard rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  The Coast Guard Ensign is the most junior commissioned officer rank.

22. Practice boxing: SPAR.

25. "That works for me": I'M COOL.

26. Inventor Tesla: NIKOLA.  Nikola Tesla (July 9, 1856 ~ Jan. 7, 1943) was a Croatian-American inventor and futurist.  He is best known for designing the AC electrical system, the global standard for power transmission. In 1898, he also invented a remote-controlled boat.

27. Many a winery visitor: TASTER.

28. Flowy robe with long sleeves: CAFTAN.

29. Loosen, as a shoe: UNLACE.

30. Novelist Bram who created Dracula: STOKER.  Bram Stoker (né Abraham Stoker; Nov. 8, 1847 ~ Apr. 20, 1912) was an Irish novelist.  He is best known for writing the 1897 novel Dracula, the Transylvanian vampire.   and the creator of the fictional character Count Dracula.  Stoker never went to Transylvania, but did a lot of research to create its environs.

31. Phnom __, Cambodia: PENH.  Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia.

32. Coup d'__: sudden regime change: ETAT.

35. Like green-headed mallards: MALE.

36. Extremely dry: ARID.

37. Beer barrel: KEG.

38. Word puzzles with hidden messages: ACROSTICS.

43. Move a muscle: FLEX.

47. Goat's bleat: MAA.

49. Event site: VENUE.  Radio City Music Hall is the venue of the Rockettes.  Did you know that the Rockettes are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year?  The dance troupe was actually founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925 before moving to New York in 1932.  They were first known as the Missouri Rockets.  The venue has a seating capacity of just under 6,000!

50. Magazine edition: ISSUE.

51. Furry swimmer: OTTER.

52. Lovers' meeting: TRYST.

55. Like skyscrapers: TALL.

57. Smooth-talking: GLIB.

58. Cravings: YENS.  Not to be confused with the currency of Japan.

59. Pampering place: SPA.

60. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.

61. Web address: URL.  As in Universal Resource Locator.  This has become a crossword staple.

~~~~~~~

Apropos of yesterday's puzzle, and of special interest to Lucina, Idris Elba has just been knighted.  According to the chart that Sumdaze provided, being a knight is a lower ranking noble, but still an honor to our dear actor.

We will miss you dearly, Sumdaze.  All the best to you and I hope you pop in to see us on occasion.

I make tracks now on this Penultimate day of 2025.  Wishing you all joy and health for 2026.  See you in January.

חתולה