Monday December 22, 2025 Rena Cohen

  

Happy Monday everyone! sumdaze here with the penultimate 2025 Monday puzzle.

Theme:    

Go to the back of the line.
(Note that the girl in blue is "in front", even though she is to the right in the photo.)

We will begin with the three themed clues and answers:

20 Across. Basic lunch choice: CHEESE SANDWICH.  

definitely basic 

26 Across. Art activity that comes with a key: COLOR BY NUMBER.  I am more familiar with paint BY NUMBERs but apparently this is a thing. Below is an example from a book that does not tell you what the finished image will be. It is a mystery until you fill it in. (The top part is the legend or key, if you will.) 

46 Across. 1986 film teen with a poor attendance record: FERRIS BUELLER.  This clue references the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, starring Mathew Broderick. Here is a 1:14 min. clip documenting Ferris' poor attendance.

That is Ben Stein playing the teacher. 

The unifier:

55 Across. Driving a car, or an apt description of the ends of 20-, 26-, and 46-Across: BEHIND THE WHEEL.  This is an idiomatic phrase that refers to the act of driving a vehicle.

Also, the ends of the themed clues can be placed BEHIND ("after") THE (word) WHEEL to create new phrases. We now have:  WHEEL CHEESE, WHEEL COLOR, and WHEEL FERRIS.

[record scratch] Wait, that cannot be right. I am pretty sure the intention was:  

CHEESE WHEEL, COLOR WHEEL, and FERRIS WHEEL

So I had to think about this differently. Suppose I first wrote the word

WHEEL

Then I added the word fifth like this

FIFTH WHEEL

One could say that I added the word FIFTH behind the word WHEEL. In today's puzzle, BEHIND  does not mean "after". It means "in front of" ... on the printed page, that is. You might think of it as " to get in line behind" as seen in my theme illustration above.

Still not convinced? Just roll with it!

One more note... Props for FERRIS as being a word with no connection between the themed answer and the reveal.

Are you ready to bet your fortune on the remaining clues?

Across:

1. Apple Pay alternative: CASH.  I was thinking of on-line purchases so CASH was the last thing on my mind.

5. Egg on: GOAD.  

9. Spills the beans: BLABS.  

14. Blue Buffalo competitor: ALPO.  Both are brands of pet food.

15. Opposed to: ANTI.  Also, ANT I was the first ruler of the colony.  😜

16. Lounges: LOLLS.  Def.:  (intransitive verb) to act or move in a lax, lazy, or indolent manner; lounge.

Quoting from Merriam-Webster:  LOLL has origins similar to another soothing verb, lull, which means "to cause to rest or sleep."

17. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES.  Please enjoy this seasonal manifestation of on your TOES.

Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy from The Nutcracker

18. Yoga studio supply: MATS.

19. Large body of water: OCEAN.     and     34-Down. Dot in the 19-Across: ISLE.  

The British island group of Tristan da Cunha
is the most remote inhabited island on Earth.
The nearest landfall is South Africa (1,750 miles / 2,816 km. east).
In case you are wondering, there is no airstrip on the island.

23. Owned: HAD.  

24. Rock concert sound booster: AMP.

25. Ages and ages: EON.

33. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.  Pope Pius XXII passed in 1958.

35. Narc's org.: DEA.  Narcotic and Drug Enforcement Administration are both abbreviated.

36. Diet that shuns processed foods: PALEO.  Also known as the "caveman" diet, this eating plan centers on whole foods such as lean meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It avoids grains, legumes, dairy, sugars, and processed foods.

37. Standard connector for electronic devices: USB C.  Anything I have purchased recently has this style of connector. I am glad they are moving away from the little, trapezoidal-shaped ones. I was always plugging those in up-side down. Oof!

38. Minuscule: EENSY.  This category broadens when I am not wearing my glasses.

41. Site with a Write a Review button: YELP.

42. Pet collar targets: FLEAS.     and     67-Across. Exterminator's target: PEST.  

Get it?  "Collar" also means to arrest someone. LOL!

44. Tea, in French: THÉ.  

45. Military outpost: BASE.  This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but the Navy, Air Force, and Marines generally have BASEs and the Army has forts.

50. The Marlins, on scoreboards: MIA.  

I like the use of negative space in their logo.

51. __-mo video: SLO.

52. "I accept!": YES.  

60. Cry to someone learning to ride a bike: PEDAL.  PEDAL is used as an imperative sentence here. Note the influence from the Latin word for foot as in pedestrian, expedition, and podiatrist. 

61. Wetlands plant: REED.     and     65-Across. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy: REID.

62. Brontë's "Jane __": EYRE.  This novel was published in 1847. It follows the life of the title character, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Edward Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall.

63. Middle Schuyler sister in "Hamilton": ELIZA.  Eliza is the central female character from this 2015 musical.

64. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA.

66. Change: ALTER.

68. Poems of praise: ODES.

Down:

1. Little Leaguer's warm-up activity: CATCH.  Little League Baseball players begin practice by pairing up and playing an easy game of CATCH. They know if they throw a ball with full effort without first warming up, they could pull a muscle. 

2. "__ 'Oe": "Lilo & Stitch" song: ALOHA.  Translation:  Farewell to Thee

While you might not be familiar with the song, it is fair to say that solvers would know this movie is set in Hawaii -- making ALOHA a reasonable guess.

3. Competitive puzzler with quick fingers: SPEEDCUBER.  They solve combination puzzles such as a Rubik's Cube. Two of the categories are fastest time and fewest moves.  History of Speed Cubing

4. Garden spigot attachment: HOSE.  

5. Esports player's computer setting: GAME MODE.  Esports is short for "electronic sports". They are organized, multi-player video game competitions. This 2:50 min. video gives us a taste of how huge these competitions can be.

6. Spending like mad: ON A SPREE.  

7. Roti flour: ATTA.  I only know this one from XWDs.

8. Mickey Mouse operation?: DISNEY.  Cute.

9. Like beach balls and bouncy castles: BLOWN UP.  

pink bouncy castle with slide

10. Sets of points, in math: LOCI.  LOCI is the plural of locus. In math, locus is defined as the set of all points whose location is determined by stated conditions.

For example, the green area of this diagram shows all of the points that are closer to  Line AB than to Line AC. We can see this because a bisecting line shows us the half-way points. If you cross that half-way line, you will be closer to Line AC and will not longer satisfy the stated condition.

11. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  [1914-2000]  His memoir, Blessings in Disguise, was published in the UK in 1985.

12. Boring: BLAH.

13. ID fig. often hidden by x's: SSN.  

Remember when these were printed on checks and medical bills?

21. Spanish seasoning: SAL.  

salt

22. Put on, as clothing: DON.  

Deck the Halls 

🎵 "Don we now our gay apparel,

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la."  🎵

27. "I Love Trash" singer on "Sesame Street": OSCAR.  

Who else could it be?

28. Language family that includes Zulu: BANTU.   

link to the article that goes with this map
(and a larger version of the map)

29. Noncommittal reply: MAYBE.  MAYBE 15-A. ANTI; MAYBE 52-A. YES

30. Feeling the effects of studying all night, say: BLEARY-EYED.

31. Snakelike swimmers: EELS.

32. Tug-of-war need: ROPE.  Please do not play this game with EELS.

33. __ pastry: PUFF.  Just in time for holiday baking, Martha discusses the difference between PUFF pastry and Phyllo Dough

39. Man cave counterparts: SHE SHEDS.  A SHE SHED is a small building that has been converted into a space where a woman can be alone to do a hobby. Some are used for practicing yoga, painting, doing crafts, or reading books. They are similar to man caves in that one can go there to unwind in private.

40. Scolded loudly: YELLED AT.  

Can you guess who this USMC  Sergeant is yelling at?

43. Like: SIMILAR.  

47. Moral wrong: SIN.

48. Unfair reputation: BAD RAP.  an undeserved, negative reputation

49. Close to the floor: LOW.  

53. Like a haunted house: EERIE.

54. Snow day toys: SLEDS.  

55. End-of-class signal: BELL.  

Carol of the Bells performed by LIBERA (2019)

56. Menu heading often next to File: EDIT.

57. Foggy state: HAZE.

58. Prefix with health: TELE-.

59. Gallant one: HERO.  Do we have any other Big Hero 6 fans on The Corner? (2:32 min.)

60. Split __ soup: PEA.  Some people make this with their leftover holiday ham.

The grid:  

Rena gave us several fun answers for the Down fill.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Sunday December 21, 2025 Scott Hogan

Theme: "BIG SHOTS" - Each common phrase that ends with a synonym for "big shot" is humorously rephrased so that the phrase now describes a literal standout in the industry named in the clue.

22. Big shot in the bulb industry?: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT.

35. Big shot in the sci-fi awards industry?: HUGO BOSS.

42. Big shot in the paver industry?: BRICK CHEESE.

61. Big shot in the podiatry industry?: FOOTBALLER.

67. Big shot in the treasure-hunting industry?: FINDING GOD.

89. Big shot in the champagne glass industry?: FLUTE PLAYER.

95. Big shot in the cab industry?: RED BARON.

109. Big shot in the refrigeration industry?: COOLING SENSATION.

Hard to believe, but this is Scott's solo LAT debut. All of his previous puzzles have been collaborations. As Naomi noted in her last blog, "Hogan is a patent attorney in Michigan who has frequently teamed up with other constructors, most often Katie Hale."

67-Across is the only verb phrase in the set, but the clue fits it perfectly.

Scott Hogan

Across:

1. Béla Fleck's instrument: BANJO.

6. Pricey German imports: BMWS. We call BMW "Precious Horse" in Chinese.

10. Italian wine: VINO.

14. Chaps: LADS.

18. Not very approachable: ALOOF.

19. Source of a scoop: LEAK. Reporter's "scoop".

20. Overly caffeinated, perhaps: MANIC.

21. Social sci. major: ECON.

25. K: THOU. 

26. Henry VI's school: ETON. He founded Eton.

27. __ of Man: ISLE.

28. Luv: HON.

29. Take in: ABSORB.

31. Cards: WITS.

33. Squandered: BLEW.

37. Put on a pedestal: ADMIRE.

40. Fort __, Florida: MYERS. Spring training place for the Twins.

41. Wash and wear?: ERODE.  No laundry involved, Just good old-fashioned erosion.

44. Shrewd: CANNY.

45. Stocky antelope: GNU.

48. Green house?: BANK.  Also 39. Money makers: MINTS.

49. Trending: HOT.

50. Fabled messages: MORALS.

52. "If I were in your __ ... ": SHOES.

54. Withdraw, with "out": OPT.

55. Salty one: MARINER. And 57. Salty five: OCEANS.

58. Skills assessment: TEST.

60. Spots: SITES.

64. "Daaaaang!": OH SNAP.

66. Drawing (in): LURING.

71. Make fast again: RE-TIE. Not "quick" fast, but "secure".

72. Concert gear: AMPS.

76. Old sub titles?: U BOATS. German submarines.

77. Positively reinforces: REWARDS.

79. Shrill bark: YAP.

80. Home of the world's largest irrigation project: LIBYA. The Great Man-Made River Project. Learning moment for me.

81. Source of some travel reservations?: JET LAG. The doubt/reluctance meaning of "reservation".

83. Put away: ATE.

85. Arequipa's land: PERU.

86. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU.

87. Drywall supports: STUDS.

92. Battery terminal: ANODE.

93. Blah: STALE.

94. Edmonton NHL team: OILERS.

98. Folk-rock supergroup, familiarly: CSNY. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

99. Soapy residue in a sink: SCUM.

100. Come out: EMERGE.

101. Sanskrit honorific: SRI.

102. Ruler who commissioned the Taj Mahal, for one: SHAH. , Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor,

104. Slight advantage: EDGE.
 
108. Game that can only be played right-handed: POLO. Google AI: a rule implemented for safety to prevent dangerous head-on collisions between players using opposite hands on their strong sides, ensuring everyone stays on the same "side of the road," much like driving.

114. "Tell Mama" singer James: ETTA.

115. Per __: ANNUM.

116. Serpentine: EELY.

117. Place for a cross: STAND.

118. Show the way: LEAD.

119. Actor Postlethwaite: PETE. Don't know him.

120. Scandinavian capital: OSLO.

121. Plot inconsistencies: HOLES.

Down:

1. Hay bundle: BALE.

2. Came down to earth: ALIT.

3. Off-limits: NO GO.

4. Antihero played by Keanu Reeves: JOHN WICK.

5. Many times o'er: OFT.

6. Sprinkle with holy water, e.g.: BLESS. You can bless yourself when you enter or exit the church. 

7. Combo, say: MEAL.

8. Make a parting gesture: WAVE BYE.

9. Chicago WNBA team: SKY.

10. Like the subject of a Carly Simon classic: VAIN. "You're So Vain".

11. Gerund maker: ING.

12. Medical research org.: NIH.

13. Umbrella shape, typically: OCTAGON.

14. Does not disturb: LETS BE.

15. Sneeze sound: ACHOO.

16. Closers: DOORS.

17. Gives the cold shoulder to: SNUBS.

20. Asks for more catnip, perhaps: MEOWS.

23. Advanced, as gadgets: HI-TECH.

24. "Infected be the air __ they ride": Macbeth: WHEREON. Not many ways to clue this archaic word. 

30. Part of some security checkpoints: BODY SCAN.

32. Vex: IRK.

34. Jean Valjean's story, familiarly: LES MIS.

35. Get well: HEAL.

36. Large garden planters: URNS.

37. Head monk: ABBOT.

38. Fall in folds: DRAPE.

40. Descriptive piece of HTML code: META TAG. Working behind the scenes. 

43. Zeroing (in on): HOMING.

44. Holiday singer: CAROLER.

45. Tender prelude?: GOAL. Preceding "tender": goaltender.

46. State bird of Hawaii: NENE.

47. Space race initials: USSR.

51. Third in a ring: REF. The referee is the third man in the boxing ring. 

53. Wife of Hägar the Horrible: HELGA.

56. Shows up for duty: REPORTS.

57. Four Tops singer Benson: OBIE. Just learned this from doing another puzzle.

59. Until midnight: TODAY.

60. IRS tracking info: SSNS.

62. Render obsolete: OUTDATE.

63. Blue, in Burgundy: TRISTE. Sad "blue". .

65. Had to pivot to plan B, say: HIT A SNAG. Keep pivoting!

67. Out of room: FULL.

68. Wading bird in Egyptian art: IBIS.

69. Japanese-Peruvian fusion chain: NOBU. Signature dish: miso-marinated black cod.

70. Third key in a reboot sequence: DEL. Ctrl+Alt+Del.

71. Sleeve style: RAGLAN.

73. "Poppycock!": MY EYE.

74. Prep chef's knife: PARER.

75. San Antonio team: SPURS.

78. Enters the room airily: WAFTS IN.

81. Grand Slam Tokyo discipline: JUDO.

82. Paradise: EDEN.

84. Multiple ages: EPOCHS.

85. Tree on South Carolina's flag: PALMETTO.

88. "In summary ... ": TO RECAP.

90. Government Grant?: ULYSSES. Capitalized Grant.

91. Simu of "Barbie": LIU.

92. Overseas: ABROAD.

93. Hanging in the theater: SCRIM. For curtains.

95. Put off: REPEL.

96. Really get into a role: EMOTE.

97. Airline that grew from a crop-dusting operation founded in 1925: DELTA. 

99. Panasonic subsidiary: SANYO. Literally "three oceans".  San = Three in both Chinese and Japanese. 

101. Swivel around: SLUE.

103. "Inferno" setting: HELL.

105. Tuning knob: DIAL.

106. Out of the park: GONE.

107. Pulls the plug on: ENDS.

110. Individual: ONE.

111. Province between Man. and Que.: ONT.

112. Prefix with cache: GEO.

113. Bat wood: ASH.

C.C. 

Saturday, December 20, 2025, Rafael Musa

 Saturday Themeless by Rafael Musa

Rafael is a frequent constructor from Patti's coterie (how 'bout that word?) and is often seen paired with Rebecca Goldstein who had a nice Thursday puzzle this week. Rafa is a software engineer for Airbnb in San Francisco.

I could stare at that red cell below until the proverbial cows come home and would never get it, so I'll take one bad cell and, as Taylor Swift would sing, Shake It Off.

Across:

1. Florentine political dynasty: MEDICI - The MEDICI family were the main patrons of Galileo and supported much of his work.

7. Posters that are usually ignored: SPAMBOTS.

15. Transfer: IRON ON - Mom IRONED ON a big Superman IRON transfer for 10-yr-old me and it was my favorite shirt for many years.

16. Music genre that originated in 1930s Shanghai: MANDO POP - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A mix of Mandarin and Western music.  Origin and an example of it today.

17. Confection: BONBON.

18. Cold look: ICY STARE.

19. Put away: STOW.

20. Bajo opposite: ALTO - I always think of Baj(a) California (lower california) and Palo ALTO (tall stick), CA.

21. Meathead: CLOD.

22. Federal holiday since 2021: JUNETEENTH.

25. Secondary account, informally: FINSTA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  You might create a FINSTA (fake instagram account) along with your RINSTA (real instagram account) to share more freely with a small group of friends. It's a way to post silly memes, inside jokes, and unfiltered thoughts without worrying about your public image. 

26. Revolutionary outcomes, often: NEW ERAS - Mao's Cultural Revolution brought a NEW ERA to China and he tried hard to eliminate Mandopop and other "Western cultural trash". BTW, Taylor Swift has a huge following in China today.

30. Stick around the TSA line: WAND 😀

31. Meddle: PRY.

33. In profile: SIDE ON - You might have some miles on your tires to recognize this famous profile. (*answer at bottom of write-up). BTW, I don't anyone who knew FINSTA would get this famous profile.

34. Cancel: NIX.

35. Vegan baking ingredient made with ground seeds: CHIA EGG ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Egg substitutes 

37. __ Jayawardenepura Kotte: urban area near Colombo: SRI - This suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka is usually just referred to as Kotte. Be sure to get a tee shirt at the gift shop.

                                           

38. Scrub Daddy competitor: BRILLO.

40. Greeting often followed by "Como vai?": OLA - "How are you?" and "Hello" in Portugese 

41. Smith of "House of the Dragon": MATT - I wonder if Rafa even knows the name Gunsmoke's MATT Dillon

42. Flabbergast: ASTOUND.

44. Tame __: "The Slow Rush" band: IMPALA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  but it just kept filling itself in

46. Find peace: FEEL AT EASE.

48. Abbr. in some titles: ASST.

51. Workers' residence: HIVE 😀

52. Crash site org.: NTSB - The National Transportation Safety Board examines a damaged aircraft in Philadelphia

54. Like some hair products: TWO IN ONE.

56. Amused sound: TEE HEE.

58. Thing that's handled badly: MISNOMER - A handle can be called a name for something so a misnomer could be Koala Bear (is a marsupial not a bear), a peanut is a legume (not a nut), lead pencils (they use graphite), etc.

59. Wading birds with powder down: HERONS - Not EGRETS this time

60. Exhaustive analysis?: SMOG TEST.

61. New money?: CRYPTO - 😀 What I know about CRYPTO could be put in here

Down:

1. Sci-fi franchise starring Will Smith: MIB - Men In Black

2. Cherubic deity: EROS.

3. "You'll bring us bad luck!": DONT JINX IT.

4. Like some rush-hour traffic: INBOUND.

5. Shares responsibility, in a way: COOWNS.

6. Stonewall __: INN - The site of a 1969 riot that launched the gay rights movement 

7. Katy Perry album with the single "Cry About It Later": SMILE.

8. Old name of a gp. that now has two members: PAC TEN - All the schools left and only lOregon State and Washington State remained

9. Impossible to call: ANYONE'S GAME - Tie score in the ninth inning...

10. Physical performers, for short: MDS 😀

11. Made a mess of: BOTCHED.

12. Gem for a Libra: OPAL - Ruby is the only other 4-letter birthstone

13. Sushi bar cut: TORO.

14. Tore: SPED.

20. Game company that released a 50th anniversary bundle in 2022: ATARI.

23. Classic movie line uttered while pointing out the window: ET PHONE HOME.

24. Bit of kindling: TWIG.

25. The Big E et al.: FAIRS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

27. Old stock market: RESALE SHOP.

28. Left ventricle outlet: AORTA.

29. Foul mood: SNIT.

30. Dream realm?: WNBA.

32. Former Rocket Ming: YAO - His wife is 6' 3" but he is 7' 6"

35. Fingerprint, maybe: CLUE.

36. Select few: ELITE.

39. Hitting up: LOFTING - That'll get them away from the net

41. Proficiency: MASTERY.

43. Tackling groups, for short: D-LINES - a famous one played in Pittsburgh in the 70's

45. Saag __: spinach dish with cheese: PANEER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'll bet you can get this in Jayawardenepura Kotte

47. Stave off: AVERT.

48. PIN-points: ATMS.

49. Make waves, say: SWIM.

50. Shrugworthy: SO SO.

53. Dog-eared, say: BENT - Don't let the librarian catch you 😊

55. "__ cool!": NOT.

56. Compound in some edibles: THC - The hilarious day everyone in Grey's Anatomy ate cookies that were laced wtih marijuana (active ingreint is  (Tetra Hydro Cannabinol) (5:58)

57. Spanish pronoun: ESO -  Paul Anka's ESO Besso (Ooo That Kiss) always saves me. here.

*That famous SIDE ON profile is of Alfred Hitchcock and was used at the start of his 60's TV show

Jess Rucks, a crossword constructor, whose puzzles I have blogged many times, contacted me via FaceBook to meet in Lincoln for dinner on Friday night as she was driving from Colorado Springs to her hometown in Minnesota. We met at Lazlo’s Restaurant and had a very pleasant evening. Here is a picture of me and Jess. As you might imagine from the picture, she played D1 volleyball at New Mexico but not so obviously she later served as an Urdu translator for the Air Force. Besides being brilliant, she also has a wonderful sense of humor!