Tuesday December 23, 2025 Alan P. Olschwang

 CrossEyedDave here, filling in again. My interpretation of a theme for this puzzle would be:

It's For The Birds... 

Alan Olschwang is a prolific constructor, and has provided many puzzles for us to enjoy. You can find CC's 2009 interview with him on the right side of the Blog, 3rd from the bottom. 

As near as i can comprehend, these birds are cooped up in the circles as follows:

18 Across. Rather often: QUITE A LOT

Teal

23 Across. In large quantities: HAND OVER FIST

Dove

37 Across. Taunting remark: EAT YOUR HEART OUT.

Rhea

50 Across. NHL legend known as "The Great One": WAYNE GRETZKY

Egret

And, the reveal:

60 Across. Handmade backyard nest box, and an apt description of 18-, 23-, 37-, and 50-Across: BIRDHOUSE.

Across:
1. Root beer brand owned by Coca-Cola: BARQ'S. This combined with 3 down, Regan, was almost a Natick for me. But the R in Barqs was dredged up from previous Crosswords.

6. Tightly closed: SHUT. 

10. Smile joyously: BEAM. 😀

14. Indigenous Alaskan: ALEUT. Indigenous Alaskans are diverse peoples, including Inupiaq, Yup'ik, Aleut (Unangan/Alutiiq), Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. (And you thought they were just Eskimos...)

15. Work hard for: EARN. (I earned this puzzle review!)

16. Feminine Spanish pronoun: ELLA. (e.g., Ella es mi madre - She is my mother; Los regalos son para ella - The gifts are for her). I have no explanation for "Cinderella..."

17. Roman robes: TOGAS.

Or, a rallying cry...

18. [Theme]

20. Jackie on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: CHAN.

21. Mardi Gras, for one: Abbr.: TUE. I cannot imagine only one person celebrating Marci Gras...

22. Selling point: ASSET.

23. [Theme]

27. Name on a former lake in Central Asia: ARAL. This word is as common as Oreo...

28. "Guys and Dolls" composer Frank: LOESSER.

This Guy

32. "Been __, done that": THERE.

35. Chapel bench: PEW.

36. Med. plan option: HMO. (Health Maintenance Organization)

37. [Theme]

42. Chicken __ king: ALA.

43. Hundred Acre Wood joey: ROO.

This Guy

44. Cropped up: AROSE. 

What cropped up, was a rose upon his nose...

45. Antarctic body of water with penguin rookeries: ROSS SEA.

48. "Othello" frenemy: IAGO.

NOT this guy

50. [Theme]

55. Poker buy-ins: ANTES.

58. Final tally: SUM.

59. Prefix with -gram: SONO. (One of too many to mention...)

60. [Theme]

63. Hollowed out: CORED.

64. Crossword hint: CLUE.

65. Finds a purpose for: USES.

66. Blender setting for pumpkin pie filling: PUREE. And baby food.

67. "As __ on TV": SEEN.

68. "Devil Inside" band: INXS. This was another almost Natick, saved by U.S. Navy...

 

69. Ring-shaped island: ATOLL.

Down:

1. Baker's sheetful: BATCH.

2. "Welcome to Maui!": ALOHA.

3. Middle daughter of King Lear: REGAN. (Half an almost Natick.)

4. Difficult situation: QUANDARY. (What ever should i post here.)

5. MA, ME, MI, and MO, but not MU: STS.  (And not Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum...)

6. Follow-up film: SEQUEL.

7. Rutger of "Blade Runner": HAUER.

This guy

8. Ocean State sch.: URI. University of Rhodesia Island.

9. Blasting letters: TNT.

10. __ of burden: plow-pulling animals: BEASTS.

11. Letter-shaped pipe joints: ELLS.

12. __ vera gel: ALOE.

13. "The Simpsons" creator Groening: MATT.

The guy on the left

19. "At __, soldier!": EASE.

21. FDR energy project: TVA. Tennessee  Valley Authority

24. Dirt pie cookie: OREO.

25. Escape in a hurry: FLEE.

26. Ames locale: IOWA.

29. "Go on, git!": SHOO. (Scram! Or Skidaddle...)

30. Big birds of Australia: EMUS. Not Rheas, 

31. Learning by repetition: ROTE. (The answer is Oreo!)

32. Salty drop: TEAR.

33. Saintly glow: HALO.

34. Airport pickup figs.: ETAS.

35. Vietnamese soup: PHO. (Do i need to post a pic?)

38. Manhattan Project scientist Harold: UREY.

OMG!

Another name!

(This is getting to be a pain...)

39. Multicolored horse: ROAN. I would post a pic, but I really thought they were more colorful...

40. All the __: very popular: RAGE.

41. Brings forward for display: TROTS OUT.  (Hmm, see 47 down...)

46. Country between Finland and Norway: SWEDEN.

47. Merit badge holder: SASH.

48. "Well, maybe": I GUESS.

49. Sleeve: ARM. (If you are armed, would you be sleeved?)

51. English county south of Suffolk: ESSEX.

52. Masked vigilante whose name is Spanish for "fox": ZORRO. Learning moment

53. Genuflect: KNEEL. Only know this from The Wizard of Oz... (The Lions Solo song)

54. Alpine song: YODEL.

55. School basics: ABCS.

56. Aswan's river: NILE.

57. Factual: TRUE.

61. French yes: OUI.

62. Top Gun org.: USN.

63. Audit firm pro: CPA.

This would have been a Pangram, but was missing the "J."

Well, you didn't need to be an Ornithologist to solve this one. Hope it was right up your roost, aviary, dovecote, aerie or henhouse, and didn't ruffle any feathers.

CE:D out.

 

 

Note from C.C: 

 

Today we celebrate the 81st birthday of our sweet Misty, who has been with our blog since 2011 and means so much to all of us. Wishing you a beautiful day, Margot!

Misty and her husband Rowland

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.