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!

  

Friday, December 19, 2025 - Samantha Podos Nowak

 Theme:  Addition can sometimes be better than subtraction ... OR ... am I adding or losing some (L)B's?

Puzzling thoughts:

First, this is my last recap/blog of 2025.  Second, since we are one week before Christmas, my recap today will be more brief than usual

Now, with regards to today's puzzle, this is not the first Samantha Podos Nowak puzzle I've blogged. One of her earlier efforts was a collaboration with LAT assistant editor, Katie Hale.  Samantha, like I, came into constructing puzzles after/during the Covid pandemic.  In fact, she and I both had a puzzle that ran the same day (her's at WSJ and mine at LAT) but that's just a coincidence ...

Today's puzzle has an interesting theme, based on a famous line in a Shakespeare play:

36-across. Soliloquy dilemma, and a phonetic hint to 17-, 25-, 51-, and 61-Across: TO BE OR NOT TO BE.  I checked a few sources, and surprisingly this entry has not been seen in a published xword puzzle in almost a decade, and obviously, not used with this set of entries:

17-across. "Pencils, down!" for one: TIMBERLINE. The "Be(B)" or Not to Be(B") is highlighted in the entry.  Use the B and the entry means - literally - the upper limit of tree growth (usually in mountainous regions).  Such as this:

But if you eliminate the B the clue fits the "not to be(B)" meaning.  Think of when you were taking a timed test in school and the proctor calls out:  "Pencils, down!"  I guess (stretching one's imagination) that this would be a TIMER "LINE"

25-across. "What I did last summer" essay penned by a lifeguard?: POOL TABLE.  A pool table should not be mistaken for a billiards table.  Likewise, if you are working a summer part-time job as a lifeguard, you probably don't want to go off telling pool tales or this might happen:

51-across. Ice cream truck jingle, e.g.?: SUGAR CUBE.  When was the last time you saw a sugar cube served in a restaurant?

Now lose the B and you get a semi-ridiculous answer that fits another semi-ridiculous clue ... I never thought of the jingle from an ice cream truck as a sugar CUE.  You can thank me later for the earworm I am about to inject you with, once you click on the "play" button on the video below:

61-across. Fee for a reunion dinner?: ALBUM COVER.  With the B you get this:

IMO, the best ALBUM, ever

Without the B you get a goofy answer to a goofy clue.  At my latest HS reunion, the "ALUM COVER" was $50 which included the cost of renting the venue and what turned out to be a pretty good buffet dinner.  Here is a picture from mine this past September:

Oh, and those of you who wanted to know why Moe thinks that Led Zeppelin IV is the best ever, here is the full album on YouTube - starting with one of my top 5 favorite songs ever:

So, Moe, if you didn't like SUGAR CUBE entry, what would you have suggested, instead?  Ok, here:

51-across. Preserves made by artisans from Wisconsin resort county? DOOR JAMBS - but alas, this one would be cut as the B in JAMBS is silent ... 

How about: Comment from a Jewish kid when he realizes spring break is over? SCHOOLBOY

The Grid:  

I will address the words I disliked or stumbled with in the other clues/answers, below

Across:
1. "Black Widow" singer Rita: ORA.  She is not a singer that I listen to, so this one sat for a while before the perps appeared

4. Oodles: STACKS.  Another that took some time to fill

10. Harvest: CROP.  REAP also fits

14. Loonie currency, briefly: CAD.  For some reason I thought CND would be the answer; but come on, even for a Friday the clue for cad should've been for a noun, not an abbreviation

15. Prestige: CACHET.  It's interesting to note that when I asked the Thesaurusaurus for a synonym for cachet it provided me with prestige - but when I asked for a synonym for prestige it gave me this:

16. Lentil pancake: DOSA.  This word has been used somewhat often @ both Universal Crosswords and USA Today.  Mostly since 2020.  Was this a food item that was introduced during COVID that C-Moe possibly ignored?  I don't think I have ever had one (or two)

And of course, my puerile brain had to think of a Moe-ku:

        Do Indian chef's

        Like Square Dancing? They must. They

        Do the DOSA-dough

[theme entry]

19. Scattered: SOWN.  I originally spelled this SEWN; then, realized my mistake (which left me in stitches)

20. More than half of the world's population: ASIANS.

21. Courtroom figs.: D.A.s. Again, a clue for an abbreviation, when the clue could have been:  German article (DER, DIE, and DAS) and have been just as difficult (IMO)

23. Brief read?: MAG. What's with all of the abbreviations? Sheesh

24. Curriculum __: VITAE.  After watching this video, I am perfectly happy being retired! 

 

[theme entry]

28. USN rank: ENS.  Maybe I should have started counting abbr's ...

29. Hotel bar: SOAP.  My mind immediately thought "MINI"

31. Burrito option: ASADA.  As in "carne asada".  Asada translates to the English "grilled".  Personally, I prefer El Pastor burritos

32. Alien-seeking org.: SETI.  Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - and the abbr's continue

34. Bind: TIE.  

35. Class with pastels: ART.  

[reveal of the theme]

41. Sculpture medium: ICE.  Phil Conners was quite the ice sculptor, as depicted in this movie by (54-across. "Groundhog Day" writer/director) Harold RAMIS.

42. Bygone JFK carrier: TWA.  I'm done panning all of the abbreviations ... if I see another one, I will ignore it and move on, FWIW

43. Silver State city: RENO. Silver State = Nevada

45. Fountain spot, perhaps: PLAZA.  

48. Staffer: AIDE. 

50. Keebler baker: ELF.  Moe-ku:

        Michael Bloomberg's one

        Of the shortest billionaires

        He's an ELF-made-man

[theme entry]

56. Slip: ERR.  

57. __ Quixote: DON.

58. From the beginning: DE NOVO.  Our Latin word-of-the-day

59. Luau strings: UKES. 

[theme entry] 

64. Bambi, for one: DEER.  FAWN also fits

65. Afternoon trayful: TEA SET.  SCONES also fits

66. QB mistake: INT. 

67. Ish: OR SO.  Ballpark estimate might have worked as a clue, too

 
68. Knight mares: STEEDS.  While this definition doesn't specify, a steed can be either a stallion or a mare - and since it can be a female horse, it allowed Samantha (or maybe Patti) to use this witty clue

69. Season opener?: ESS. For those who don't "get" the wordplay, season opener usually refers to the first MLB game of the new year - but here, it's the starting letter in the word, season

Down:
1. So-so ranges?: OCTAVES.  Sometimes clues go too far ... but I am guessing that whoever came up with this one was referring to the "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do" range, which is also an octave  

And for anyone here who learned/played their first scale (octave) on the piano - with "do" being middle C - I trust that you will "get" this Moe-ku:

        "So-so ranges" was

        The clue. I knew where to start.

        Gee, I'm one sharp guy

2. Chocolate-covered bite: RAISINET.  Did anyone else think that this chocolate-covered candy was spelled Raisinette?

3. Comes clean about: ADMITS TO.  See 2-down for MY confession

4. Tantrums: SCENES.  Having just returned from spending time with a 5-1/2 year old grandson, I endured more scenes than a Shakespeare play

5. Works on the road: TARS.  Or, sailors on a ship

6. Knee pt.: ACL. 

7. Home of the Cubbies and the Bears: CHI.

8. Martial art that began as sword exercises practiced by samurai: KENDO.  In Japan, I hear that toy stores are selling a figurine by the same name (Kendo) that's equipped with a sword, a convertible, and a girlfriend named Barbie 

9. Take the wrong way?: STEAL.  This word (steal) is among the more popular starting words for the online game, Wordle

10. Common PC inserts, once: CDS.
 
11. Floor model?: ROOMBA.  Model, as in which model Roomba would you purchase for cleaning your floor.  The one on the left below looks pretty functional, to me

12. The Penguin's first name: OSWALD.  Seriously?

13. Supercontinent of the late Paleozoic Era: PANGEA.  And if you just got over the previous clue/answer ...

18. Sheepish remark: BAA.

22. Tee off: START.  As in the start of a golf hole

25. Two of a kind: PAIR.  What's your favorite pair? These?

26. Bill with round numbers?: OPEN TAB.  More wordplay in this clue ... 

27. Mary of "The Maltese Falcon": ASTOR.  Also known as Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke

30. Oklahoma Natives: OTOE.  So, Otoe is also the plural?

33. Island near Majorca: IBIZA.  Okay.  I've been pretty lenient about the obscurity of many of today's words.  And honestly, a couple of "odd" words for a Friday are OK if the puzzle venue specifies that.  But the LA Times Friday puzzles lately have been anything but consistent.  IBIZA, PANGEA, OSWALD, ROOMBA, KENDO, RAISINET, SETI, VITAE, DOSA (and I still have a few more words to recap ...)

35. Little bit: A TAD.  You think I am a tad frustrated by today's puzzle?  I don't think I will be the only one

37. Digital greeting: E-CARD.  

38. Tot's bruise: OWIE.

39. Animated film in which Renée Zellweger voices a florist named Vanessa Bloome: BEE MOVIE.  I wonder if one of the possible titles for this film was "To Bee or Not to Bee"?

40. Spices up: ENLIVENS.  I suppose you could say that Moe-kus enlivens my recaps (44-down. In a way:) OF SORTS.

45. Ersatz: PSEUDO.  Don't believe this answer; it's fake

46. Forum visitor who never posts: LURKER.  How many lurkers do we have at this forum?  I'm guessing it's in the hundreds - maybe more

47. Sees eye to eye: AGREES.  

49. Raises: ERECTS.

52. Checked garments: COATS.  Do restaurants still have coat check rooms? 

53. Still in need of tenants: UNLET.  Can we add unlet to the list of weird words today?

55. "That's __-brainer!": A NO.  [see above] - maybe not

58. Contacted privately, briefly: DM'ED.

60. B'way sign: SRO.

62. Honeybunny: BAE.

63. Capitalize on: USE.  Did anyone keep a count of how many abbreviated words there were today?  Does anyone use many of these in their normal conversations, written or oral?

I hoped my last puzzle to recap this year could've been more fun.  But I have enjoyed doing these; hard to believe it's been 5-1/2 years since I volunteered to blog on C.C.'s LATCC site

Wishing everyone a safe and blessed holiday season - see you next year!