Thursday March 5, 2026 Susan Gelfand

Susan Gelfand has been constructing crosswords for over five Winter Olympics! To celebrate the victories of both the men's and women's USA Hockey teams, she offers us a POWER play. She trying to stay current.

If you unwrap them, there's chocolate inside!

No reveal, just five nice phrases that begin with something an electrician would deal with.

17. Electrician's favorite method of payment?: CHARGE CARD.

25. Electrician's favorite exercise?: POWER WALK.

36. Like an electrician's favorite sweater?: CABLE KNIT.

51. Like an electrician's favorite eyeglasses?: WIRE FRAME.

61. Electrician's favorite shopping venue?: OUTLET MALL. My favorite of the bunch. 

Nothing shocking here, so it didn't put up much resistance for a Thursday. Minimal proper nouns (only two of which were people) was a big plus. Thanks Susan! 

Let's CHARGE ahead.

Across:

1. Rx orders: MEDS. MEDICATIONS. The "Rx" symbol is derived from the Latin word recipe or “recipere,”which means to take, often the first word in a prescription. It was later abbreviated to Rx.

5. Accumulate: AMASS.

10. Jacksonville team, familiarly: JAGS. JAGUARS football team.

14. Farmland unit: ACRE. 

15. Valletta's island: MALTA.

16. HarperCollins romance imprint: AVON. 

Ding. Dong. Romance calling!

17. [theme]

19. Was dressed in: WORE.

20. Vicinity: REGION.

21. "You __ my day!": MADE.

23. Chef-training sch. in Hyde Park: CIA. Julia Child is the most famous "chef spy," having worked for the OSS (precursor to the CIA) during WWII. Wait, that has nothing to do with this! They're talking about the Culinary Institute of America.

24. Floating: ALOFT.

25. [theme]

27. "Au contraire, __ frère": MON. "On the contrary, my brother." Those Frenchmen, they have a different word for everything!

28. The WNBA's Sky, on scoreboards: CHI. The CHICAGO Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association.

30. Tease: NEEDLE. 

31. Nav. rank: ENS. An ENSIGN is the lowest commissioned officer rank in the Navy, and is equivalent to a Second Lieutenant.

32. Shucks: HULLS. I wrote HUSKS before shucking it.

35. Fly like an eagle: SOAR. Land like an eagle: SORE.

Two bald eagles crash landed but survived the fall.

36. [theme]

39. California valley that was one of the first American Viticultural Areas: NAPA. Viticultural pertains to growing grapes for wine production.

42. Flight part: STAIR. Flight part: STAGE. 

43. Craze: FAD. It's all the rage!

46. Make true: EVEN UP. In carpentry, "true" means perfectly straight and aligned.

49. Chinese philosophical concept: TAO.

50. "Is that __?": A NO. Yes, it's A NO.

51. [theme]

54. Game with a caller: BINGO. 

56. Game with a chaser: TAG. I thought this might be a drinking game of some sort. Like every time I enter the wrong word first, I have to take a shot. If this review stops making sense near the bottom, now you know why.

57. Move like molasses: OOZE.

58. Lounged around: LOAFED. I wrote LOLLED at first...bottoms up!

59. Perched on: ATOP.

61. [theme]

63. Caffeine-rich nut: KOLA. I had COLA first, which goes nicely with shots of rum.

64. Trademarked refrigerant: FREON. Is it cold in here, or is it just me?

65. French cheese with a rind: BRIE.

66. Notable periods: ERAS. The one at the end of this sentence is not notable.

67. Some Slavs: SERBS.

68. Min. divisions: SECS. Three minute divisions are Triple SECS. 

Down:

1. Knotty craft: MACRAME. 

2. Level: ECHELON.

3. Creatures on the flags of Wales and Bhutan: DRAGONS.

Wales (left) and Bhutan (right) 

4. Calligraphy stroke: SERIF.

5. "Could not agree more": AMEN.

6. Big name in laptops and lipstick: MAC. I knew the Apple product, but not MAC Cosmetics. 

7. San Antonio field trip destination: ALAMO. I remember going there.

8. Scarecrow contents: STRAW. Now, if it only had a brain...

9. Make melancholy: SADDEN.

10. Mandible: JAW. Here's Richard Kiel in his memorable role as JAWs, a villain with metal teeth, in two James Bond movies: The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Turns out his bite was worse than his bark.

11. Toast spread: AVOCADO.

12. Silverback, for one: GORILLA.

13. Puma, for one: SNEAKER. True, but I like to buy them in pairs. Conversely, here's a puma SNEAKER:

18. "Heard": GOTCHA. Roger that.

22. Quaint preposition: ERE.

25. Contents of some weekly organizers: PILLS. I don't think this person knows how they are supposed to work.

26. Dominic of "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale": WEST. Dominic WEST is an English actor, director, producer, and musician.

29. Center of activity: HUB.

33. Lead-in to "It Go" and "It Be," in song titles: LET. "LET It Go" from Disney's Frozen, and "LET It Be," from the Fab Four.

34. Manta ray kin: SKATE. SKATEs and manta rays are both cartilaginous fish (like sharks), but they have significant differences. SKATEs lay eggs, have stocky tails with small thorns, and live on the seafloor. Conversely, manta rays give birth to live young, have long, whip-like tails without stingers, and are large, filter-feeders that swim near the surface.

36. Sugar stalk: CANE. Sugar stalker: NINJA.

37. "Hedda" writer/director DaCosta: NIA. NIA daCosta is an award-winning American filmmaker.

38. Asimov collection first published in 1950: I, ROBOT. I, ROBOT serves as a cautionary tale, warning against issues like unchecked AI and monopolized control. Written in 1950, it predicted a world with "smart" machines that are integrated into daily life, and is still relevant today.

39. Fresh perspective: NEW TAKE. I entered NEW FACE, which fit with KOLA (misspelled with a "C"). It worked for a while, but now I'm tipsy.

40. Cockpit occupant: AVIATOR. We hope so, anyway.

41. Covered walkway: PERGOLA. 

43. Fuss and feathers: FANFARE.Tar and feathers: FORFEIT. Tarring and feathering was a form of punishment and public humiliation used primarily in 18th-century America. 

A Cure for the Refractory (Williamsburg, Va)

44. Sporting a halo: ANGELIC. Just like my kids...now that they're out of prison.

45. Absent-minded scribbles: DOODLES. Some are worth more than others.

John Lennon

47. Strange sight in the night sky: UFO. An Unidentified Flying Object is now called a UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena), but we still don't know what it is.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

48. Reads for errors: PROOFS. Or proofreads. 

52. Sky blue: AZURE.

53. Olympic track unit: METER. 

55. Sonnet line quintet: IAMBS. For example, "Mary had a little IAMB..."

58. Binoculars part: LENS. Pet peeve: In movies, they use a mask like this to simulate looking through binoculars, but when you actually use them, you see a single round image like a telescope. 

Is that alien from a UFO or a UAP ?

60. Faux __: PAS.

62. Arcing throw: LOB.

Stay positive and let the negativity discharge.

Be good. RB

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, Jacob Reed

 

Theme:  𝄲𝅘𝅥𝇤𝇥  "The best part of waking up ..." 

Is not Folgers; trust me! But this "cover" of the jingle is what made my morning!

 

 

Puzzling thoughts:

Chairman Moe here, bringing you a little bit of frivolity to accompany your morning joe and crossword puzzle solve.  Today's puzzle gives you a caffeine jolt, right in the reveal:

 

64-across. Mid-morning respite, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: COFFEE BREAK. 

 

Jacob Reed - our crossword barista du jour - has quite the varied vocations/avocations in his brief time on this orb we call Planet Earth.  And while being a crossword constructor is a relatively new vocation to Jacob, he was published three times in 2025 at NY Times; which is a feat that is quite uncommon, given the plethora of puzzle-preparers who pepper that paper with printed previews for potential publication

 

Jacob supports his coffee break puzzle as follows: 

 

1) placing the key letters to search for in circles (oh, the dreaded circles!)

2) using a black square (also known as a block) to "break" the circled letters

3) using zero "entry phrases" in the puzzle

 

This is a construction technique that CMoe really digs.  I am currently working on two such puzzles which, fingers crossed, will eventually make it into publication.  Not sure where Jacob "learned" this technique; mine came from a puzzle that that Jeffrey Wechsler created - you'll note that Jeffrey did not use any circles to reveal his "fromage a trois"

 

The four types of coffee that Jacob features in his puzzle are:

 

ICED

 

 

 

DRIP

 

 

 

INSTANT 

 

 

 

IRISH 

 

 

 

  

I highlighted these in red so you can see the break in the coffees below:

 

Here is the filled grid 

 

 On to the rest of the words:

Across:
1. Dept. of Labor div.: OSHA.

5. Clinks with drinks: TOASTS.  Something our erstwhile and dear departed poster tinbeni did every evening to we Cornerites - RIP

11. Loop in on the DL: BCC. If you didn't know what "DL" is (from the clue), I think it means "down low"

14. Tangible: REAL.  Moe-ku:

        Traveled to Rio.

        Exchanged dollars and asked: "Is

        This money REAL*?"

*FYI:  The Brazilian Real is the local currency ...

15. The great outdoors: NATURE. With 16-across. WC: LOO, a place where many of us - whether we admit it or not - have relieved ourselves 😅

17. Like many theme park puppets: ANIMATRONIC. Plus 19-across. School URL ending: EDU is the first of the "coffee breaks" in today's puzzle (ICED).  The first ANIMATRONIC I recall was this group @ DisneyWorld: (long video)

 

20. Off: NOT ON.

21. Award season oversight: SNUB.  (long video)

 

22. Barter: SWAP. 

23. Dating app that went public in 2022: GRINDR. A dating site for a select few

25. Apple Store purchase: IPAD CASE. I have one of these for my i13 phone, and it has proven itself a huge benefit over multiple drops by this clumsy person

27. Coat with, as melted chocolate: DIP IN. Remember seeing one of these at a wedding reception?

 

29. Dining table extender: LEAF. Moe-ku:

 

        IKEA has new

        Dining table set, and it's 

        Called LEAF Erikson 

 

30. __ and cheese: MAC.  If we were making a sandwich, it might have been HAM and cheese

 

33. Running jokes: GAGS.

35. Hurled: FLUNG. 
 

38. Not for: AGAINST.
 

41. Pays to play: ANTES UP. 
 

43. World Heritage Site in Jordan: PETRA.

 

 

44. Huge production: EPIC.  According to Google, this was the first EPIC movie .  Of course, YMMV
 

46. "Wheels down" hr.: ETA. "Wheels up" hr. would be ETD methinks
 

47. Shoe brand known for a checkerboard design: VANS.

 

 

49. Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid: ALIAS.  My alias is Chairman Moe
 

52. Rum cocktail: DAIQUIRI. Here is the recipe, plus a little back story
 

55. Sundial need: SHADOW.  I have visited this one in Carefree, AZ

 

 

59. Grocery chain that requires a deposit for a shopping cart: ALDI. I think that Aldi and Trader Joe's are linked through a family ownership
 

60. Darn: MEND. Dang, I tried drat first
 

62. Upscale Honda: ACURA.
 

63. "Emilia Prez" Oscar winner Saldana: ZOE. Her:

 

 

[reveal]
 

66. Musician Brian who co-developed the Oblique Strategies creative process: ENO.
 

67. Like disposable products: ONE USE. A good idea, really!  Moe-ku:

        A disposable

        Product was used more than once.

        It exclaimed: "I'm wiped!"

  

68. Diminutive suffix: ETTE.  Moe-ku:

        Bach piece in G Maj.

        Was shortened, as per schedule;

        Renamed, MinuETTE

  

69. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.
 

70. Camelot figure: MERLIN. 

 

 

 

71. Female deer: DOES.  Unlike Homer Simpson's deer, which are DOH's
 

Down:
1. Chimp kin: ORANG.
 

2. Man of La Mancha: SENOR.
 

3. Wyclef Jean's birth country: HAITI. 

 

 4. Amaretto flavor: ALMOND.
 

5. Letters on red Minecraft blocks: TNT.  A generational clue

 

 

6. Rower's pair: OARS.
 

7. Performing acts of contrition: ATONING.
 

8. Vampire's bedtime: SUNUP.

 

 

9. Of a clan: TRIBAL.
 

10. Jiffy: SEC.
 

11. Flew off the handle: BLEW A FUSE.
 

12. Musical finales: CODAS.
 

13. Sedan alternative: COUPE.  Moe-ku:

        101

        Dalmatians antagonist's

        Ride? A COUPE De Vil

   

18. "__ Mack": Disney Channel series featuring seventh graders: ANDI.  Another generational clue
 

22. Beaufort __: SCALE.  It measures wind speed
 

24. D&D et al.: RPGS. Short for Role-Playing-Games - have I ever said that pluralizing an abbreviation is not my favorite way to add words to a crossword puzzle?  The answer is, "yes"
 

26. Artful: DEFT.
 

28. "Already had a bite": I ATE.
 

30. World view?: MAP.
 

31. Information conveyed by tree rings: AGE.  Fun fact:  As a sommelier, I am aware of the difference between American Oak barrels and French Oak barrels, as containers that hold fermented wine for its initial ageing.  The American Oak barrels have a looser grain (tree rings) than the French Oak barrels, and that "difference" plays a big role in the flavors that are imparted to the wine.  More info in this hyperlink
 

32. Social media posts by some pet owners: CAT VIDEOS. Sorry, I favor dogs to cats, so no videos to support this clue/answer! I will cede this to my fellow Wednesday blogger, C-E D
 

34. Breeze (by): SAIL.  Verb definition of the word "sail"
 

36. Trail mix morsel: NUT. RAISIN was too large to fit
 

37. Dean's list fig.: GPA. After 4 years @ Pitt, my GPA was a 3.25
 

39. Mosul resident: IRAQI. 
 

40. Half of Mork's farewell: NANU. Robin Williams brought joy to millions; RIP

 

 

42. Procedural that spun off from "JAG": NCIS.
 

45. Throbbing: PAINFUL.
 

48. Olympian Biles who wears a goat necklace: SIMONE.  As in, Greatest of All Times?

 

 

50. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. "Barista Manager" was too large to fit
 

51. Revered: SACRED.
 

52. Seeing stars: DAZED. 

 

 

53. Without help: ALONE.  Chairman Moe did this recap, solo
 

54. Send to a specialist: REFER. Fortunately, my new Medicare Advantage program no longer requires me to get a REFERral to see a specialized doctor
 

56. Because of: DUE TO.
 

57. Go on the stump: ORATE.
 

58. Rouses from sleep: WAKES. Moe-ku:

        A Carnival Cruise

        Passenger was aroused from

        Sleep. Turbulent WAKES?

   

61. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI. Another generational clue
 

64. Rom follower: COM. My favorite "rom com"

 

 

 

65. Velvet finish?: EEN.

 

That's a wrap!  See you in April