Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Zhouqin Burnikel & Brian Russell

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here . . . and, yes, you read that correctly . . . . with a recap of a Wednesday puzzle.  As C.C. mentioned late last year, I have gone from recapping on alternate Fridays to recapping the final Wednesday puzzle each month.  Call it semi-retirement or a new adventure . . . or both.  As the fates would have it, for this, my first Wednesday foray, we get a puzzle co-constructed by C.C.  I have reviewed something like 125 puzzles here on the corner and this is first C.C. puzzle I have had the privilege to recap.  To make things even more special, C.C's co-constructor is our own Brian "Rusty Brain" Russell who is making his debut.  What a nice way to enter the Wonderful World of Wednesday.

Brian describes the genesis of the puzzle, and its evolution, as follows:  

"My initial inspiration was the old joke, “How do you make a jam sandwich? Take two pieces of bread and jam them together!” It got me thinking about different kinds of jams, and here we are. Creating a crossword is a great learning experience. While I came up with phrases and clues, C.C. is the mastermind that pulled it together on a grid. Hope you enjoy!"

With that in mind, let's dive right in starting with the unifier:

63 Across:  Impromptu jazz performance, or an apt title for this puzzle: JAM SESSION.  In this case a JAM is a group of musicians playing together more or less making it up as they go along.  However, at four other places in the grid, C.C. and Brian have asked us to come up with answers that riff on the word JAM in its various other forms

17 Across: Filled pastry: JELLY DONUT.  Jelly, marmalade, confiture, etc.  In other words - JAM.

24 Across:  Office machine: LASER PRINTER.  We are all familiar with printer jams.   Bottleneck, congestion, stoppage.  In other words - JAM.

39 Across:  High-flying NBA All-Star event: SLAM DUNK CONTEST. Stuff, push, cram.  In other words - JAM.  A basketball reference.  A slam dunk is also called a "jam" and that formed the basis of a successful electronic game:

51 Across:  Rush hour gridlock: TRAFFIC SNARL.  AKA a traffic jam.  This one could have referenced a musical moment by Steve Winwood and Dave Mason.

This is how it all appears in the grid:

. . . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Violin players: BOWS.  Not the musicians.  What they often hold in their hands.

5. Discussion site: FORUM.  As in an online FORUM, or I suppose an ancient form of FORUM.

10. Omelet need: EGGS.

14. Potatoes, in Indian dishes: ALOO.   This has become a crossword staple.

15. Remove from memory: ERASE.

16. Young stallion: COLT.  By definition.

19. Clarinet kin: OBOE.  Frequently heard in our puzzles.

20. Promotional cost: AD FEE.

21. Field expert: REF.  A REFerence to a REFeree (on, for example, a football field).

23. Night before: EVE.

29. __ Martin cognac: REMY.

32. Charlottesville sch.: UVA.

33. Slow-cooked dish: STEW.  Security professionals advise to never use ‘beef stew’ as a password.  It isn’t stroganoff.

34. "Peace" shape: VEE.

35. Camera component: LENS.  What is the best type of lens to use for photographing cars?  Auto focus.

37. "Gotcha": I SEE.

44. Keep a sauce from congealing, say: STIR.

45. Screw feature: SLOT.  Oh, the noun.

46. __ sequitur: NON

47. Tech in key cards: RFID.

49. Prove human, in a way: ERR.  A misstep frequently occuring in our puzzles.

50. Attention-getting hiss: PSST.  A sound often heard in our puzzles.

55. Gut punch reaction: OOF.

56. Sheridan of "Ready Player One": TYE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

57. Tree that's tapped: MAPLE.  For sap from which to make syrup.

61. Ride-hailing company whose cars once featured big pink mustaches: LYFT.   From Wiki: "The Lyft pink mustache was a large, fuzzy icon that drivers attached to their cars to identify themselves as part of the Lyft ride-sharing service. It was replaced in 2015 by a smaller, glowing dashboard version called the "glowstache" to create a more subtle appearance."

67. In __ land: LA LA.  Slang for being out of touch with reality.

68. Acting award won by Ke Huy Quan in 2023: OSCAR.  For his role in "Everything Everywhere All At Once".

69. Patch up: MEND.  How do you mend a broken Jack O'lantern?  With a pumpkin patch.

70. Winter slider: SLED.  People ask me why I keep bringing my sled to places like yard sales and flea markets.  I tell them the answer is simple...Toboggan!

71. Rosary components: BEADS.

72. Mount Olympus figure: ARES.  One of twelve.

Down:

1. Mexican peninsula, informally: BAJA.  Una de las lecciones de español de hoy.  BAJA California.

2. Screen on some handheld games, for short: OLED.  Organic Light-Emitting Diode

3. Canine in some fairy tales: WOLF.

4. Exclusively: SOLELY.  I hear that Google is set to come out with a new browser that manages search results based SOLELY on your DNA.  The browser is going to be called Google Chromosome.

5. Provided with kibble, say: FED.

6. El Dorado building material: ORO.  Una de las lecciones de español de hoy.  El dorado is the legendary city of gold.  ORO is gold in Spanish.

7. Legged it: RAN.

8. Take illegitimately: USURP.

9. Units of length: METERS.  So many to choose from.  Thanks, perps, for narrowing things down.

10. Earth-friendly prefix: ECO.

11. Intermediaries: GO BETWEENS. Liaisons.

12. Baseball fielder's need: GLOVE.  MITT was not long enough.

13. Take the wheel: STEER.

18. Vote of approval: YEA.  We never know if it will turn out to be AYE or YEA.  At least there's not a three-letter word with the same letters that begins with E and means a vote of approval.

22. Mesh with a group: FIT IN.

25. Chekov colleague: SULU.  Not a Russian novelist reference.  A "Star Trek" reference.  Pavel Checkov and Hikaru SULU.

26. Makes level: EVENS.

27. Irritates deeply: RANKLES.  From the Web:  "The word “rankle” isn’t just another random slang—it has roots going way back to Old English and Middle French! Originally, rankle described a physical wound that kept festering or burning inside. Imagine a sore that just won’t heal, constantly annoying you—that’s literally what rankling felt like.  Fast forward to today, and we’re mainly using it to describe emotional or mental irritation rather than literal wounds. The idea of an “annoyance that won’t heal” stuck around pretty well!"

28. Cheep digs?: NEST.  Cheep not cheap.

29. Campers on wheels, briefly: RVS.  Recreational VehicleS

30. Slippery swimmers: EELS.  What a shocker !

31. Fundraising event where one can win a round: MEAT RAFFLE.  Round as in a beef round roast.  From Wiki:  "A meat raffle is a tradition of raffling off meat, often in pubs and bars in Australia, in some areas of Britain and the US, and in Western Canada."  New to this solver.

36. Treat with contempt: SCORN.

38. Those, in Havana: ESOS.  Una de las lecciones de español de hoy.  The language of Havana, Cuba is, of course, Spanish.

40. Annoy slightly: MIFF.

41. Train of thought: DRIFT.  As in "Do you catch my DRIFT?"

42. __ vez: again, in Spanish: OTRA.  Una de las lecciones de español de hoy.  Literally, another time.

43. Blasting material: TNT.  TriNitroToluene

48. Home project done solo: DIY JOB.  Do It Yourself

50. Blood bank supply: PLASMA.

51. Charges on roads: TOLLS.

52. Fit for a queen: ROYAL  Add an E and we get:

53. Stop: CEASE.

54. Suite divs.: RMS.  RooMS

58. Place to dock: PIER.  I never wanted to go to the docks, but after my friends pestered me for an hour I finally gave into PIER pressure.

59. Unaccompanied: LONE.

The LONE Ranger

60. Stops: ENDS.

62. Little bit: TAD.  The teacher asked, "Name three famous Poles!"  Tommy proudly answered, "North, South and TAD."

64. Former Lynyrd Skynyrd label: MCA.   This solver did not know the label but it was pretty clear, after a couple of perps, that it was going to be something like either RCA or MCA.   And, since it's been teed up:

65. Like lyrics full of heartache: SAD.  One of the saddest:

66. Critical-care hosp. areas: ERS.  Emergency RoomS

Well, that will wrap things up for this Wednesday.  Have a great (Wednes)day, everyone.

_________________________________________

M M OUT

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Craig Stowe

Two For the Price of One.

20-Across. *  Special report: NEWS BULLETIN.  //  News Room and Bulletin Board

27-Across. *  Document for some immigrants: GREEN CARD.  //  Green Room and CardBoard

38-Across. *  The sun, for one: DAY STAR.  //  Day Room and StarBoard.

46-Across. *  Panic button for computer users: ESCAPE KEY.  //  Escape Room and KeyBoard.

And the unifier:

51-Across. Part of an au pair's compensation, or what can respectively follow the two parts of the answers to the starred clues: ROOM AND BOARD.

Here's the Grid.

Across:

1. Expect: AWAIT.

6. Honduras house: CASA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

10. Portion (out): METE.

14. Seventh sign of the zodiac: LIBRA.

15. "Small world!": OH, HI!

16. Canceled abruptly: AXED.

17. "No worries": IT'S OK.

18. Volkswagen crossover SUV: TAOS.

19. Do-or-die, situationwise: DIRE.

23. When Caesar asks, "Et tu, Brute?": ACT III.  Julius Caesar is the historical tragedy by Willie the Shakes.  Spoiler Alert:  Caesar dies in Act III, having been betrayed by his friend Brutus.

26. "Scientology: Fair Game" podcast co-host Remini: LEAH.  Leah Marie Remini (b. June 15, 1970) is an American actress.  When she was a child, her mother joined the Church of Scientology and she and her sister were subsequently raised in that ideology.  She left the cult in 2013 and has been an outspoken advocate against the practice since.

30. Disallows: BANS.

33. Goals: AIMS.

34. Nashville-based awards org.: CMA.  As in the Country Music Awards.

35. Jackal kin: COYOTE.

37. Little terror: IMP.  Imps make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

40. Pickle: JAM.

41. Nobel Peace Prize winner Mandela: NELSON.  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 ~ Dec. 5, 2013) South African anti-apartheid activist.  In 1962, he was arrested for his political activities and was sentenced to life in prison.  He was ultimately released in 1990 and went on to become the first president of South Africa.  He served as President from 1994 to 1999.  He was also the country's first Black head of state.  In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in dismantling South Africa's apartheid  system.  What is not so well known, is that he shared the Peace Prize with South African President F.W. de Klerk (Mar. 18, 1936 ~ Nov. 11, 2021).

43. Bowler's target: PIN.

44. Knighted actor Ian: HOLM.  I thought I knew who Sir Ian Holm (né Ian Holm Cuthbert; Sept. 12, 1931 ~ June 19, 2020) was, but when I saw his photo, I realized I must have been thinking of someone else.

45. Stitched together: SEWN.

48. Many an attribution: ANON.  A possible source of its origin.

50. Greasy spoons: DINERS.  We had a dinner a Tuesday or so ago.

Edward Hooper's Nighthawks.

56. Per person, informally: A POP.

57. Musician son of Yoko and John: SEAN.  Sean Taro Ono (b. Oct. 9, 1975) looks just like his father.  He, too went into the music business.

58. Knight guard: ARMOR.

62. Pencil puzzle with false paths: MAZE.

63. "Slow down!": EASY.

64. Pageant crown: TIARA.

65. Responded to a charge: PLED.

66. Dino with disproportionate limbs: T REX.

67. American living abroad, familiarly: EX-PAT.

Down:

1. "__ Baba and the Forty Thieves": ALI.  You can read all about Ali Baba here.

2. Clever humor: WIT.

3. Core muscles worked by crunches: ABs.  As in Abdominal Muscles.

4. Life's little twists: IRONIES.

5. See, as a show: TAKE IN.

6. Rollaways for guests: COTS.

7. Melville captain: AHAB.  Call me Ishmael.

8. "__ you change your mind ... ": SHOULD.

9. Bridal path: AISLE.

10. Took advantage of a situation: MADE HAY.

11. Leave: EXIT.

12. Actress Polo: TERI.

13. Garden of Genesis: EDEN.

21. Modern pagan: WICCAN.

22. Parts partner: LABOR.

23. "From the top": AGAIN.

24. Fashion faux pas, humorously: CRIMES.

25. Pennsylvania university: TEMPLE.  A brief history of Temple University.

28. Meg, Beth, and Jo's sister: AMY.  A reverence to Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (Nov. 29, 1832 ~ Mar. 6, 1888).

29. Speaks with a harsh voice: RASPS.

31. "Dead serious": NO JOKE.

32. Not as fresh: STALER.

35. Home of seven NHL teams: CANADA.  There are 32 teams in the National Hockey League: 25 in United States and 7 in Canada.  The NHL was formed in Canada in 1917 and the initial four teams were all Canadian.  The Boston Bruins joined the league in 1924.  The current Canadian teams are the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and the Winnipeg Jets.

36. TV awards: EMMYS.

38. Prima __: DONNA.  Today's Italian lesson.  A literal translation is First Lady.  It originally referred to the lead female soprano in an opera.  Today, it generally refers to a temperamental and spoiled person, male or female.

39. Muscle twitch: TIC.

42. Burdened with too many tasks: SWAMPED.

44. Guitar great Jimi: HENDRIX.  Sadly, Jimi Hendrix (né James Marshall Hendrix; Nov. 28, 1942 ~ Sept. 18, 1970) is a member of the 27 club.  His song, Purple Haze, is a great example of a mondegreen (misheard lyric).  The phrase in the song, Excuse me while I kiss the sky, is often mistaken for Excuse me while I kiss this guy.

46. Make lovable: ENDEAR.

47. Halloween costume that might involve a fake parrot: PIRATE.

49. First wave: ONSET.

51. Inclined walkway: RAMP.

52. White gem: OPAL.  An opal shimmers with colors.  //  And 55-Down. Black gem: ONYX.

Opal

Onyx

53. Seep: OOZE.

54. Reliable bloc of voters: BASE.

59. Flight tracker display: MAP.  I usually follow the flight tracker when I fly.

60. "The Masked Singer" judge Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990) makes frequent guests appearances in the puzzles.  She is a British actress but was born in Yugoslavia, now known as Kosovo.

61. __ race: RAT.

That's all for today.  

חתולה