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.
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
