Monday March 3, 2025 Janice Luttrell and Katie Hale

  

Happy Monday, everyone!

Theme:  

Today we have three themed answers. Each begins with a type of HUMBLE ABODE (modest home):

16 Across. Choose as a live-in romantic partner: SHACK UP WITH.

24 Across. Loose frocks with wide bottoms: TENT DRESSES.

38 Across. Count in a marching command: HUT, TWO, THREE, FOUR.

These are tied together with a two-part reveal:

47 Across. With 59-Across, what one might say when entering the starts of 16-, 24-, and 38-Across?: WELCOME TO MY.

59 Across. See 47-Across: HUMBLE ABODE.

These add up to an impressive 59 themed letters!

Sidebar: Do people say "Welcome in" when you enter a shop in your town? I mostly hear it in retail stores but last month the greeter at an art museum said it to me. It always throws me for a bit. Humorist and author David Sedaris in not a fan. In his book The Best of Me, he wrote about going shopping after the Covid lockdown:

The clerk said, "Welcome in". Civilization as we know it ends, but "Welcome in" survives? I realized I should have been grateful everyday I didn't have to hear that. 

Across:

1. "Why __ I think of that?": DIDN'T.

6. Word after folk or fairy: TALE.  The Dewey Decimal System assigns 398.2 to both folk TALEs and fairy TALEs.

10. PD alert: APB.  Police Department and All Points Bulletin

13. Frozen drinks with spoon-straws: ICEES.

14. __ boom: SONIC.

15. Big bucks or the Bucks, for short: MIL.  a MILlion dollars or the MILwaukee basketball team  

18. Logger's tool: AXE.

19. New Year's popper: CORK.

20. Fashion designer Anna: SUI.  unknown to me

This is her Spring line.

21. Desert watering hole: OASIS.

23. Hosp. areas: ORS.  I spent several hours waiting outside of a hospital's Operating Room last Monday. I found a chair next to a window with a view of a beautiful pepper tree. That helped.

27. Med. condition treated by Ritalin: ADHD.

29. Board game played on a map: RISK.  I noticed RISK crossed 26-Down RISE.

30. Sleep study subject: APNEA.

32. Foamy lather: SUDS.

34. Winter flakes: SNOW.

41. Letter-shaped beam: I-BAR.

42. Flower holder: VASE.  

Still Life:  Vase with Twelve Sunflowers  (1888)
Vincent van Gogh
more info.

43. Dorothy nickname: DOTTY.

44. Share a border with: ABUT.

46. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.

52. Fall over: TIP.

55. Simply must: HAS TO.

56. Sundial numeral: III.  The II other possibilities were VII and XII.

57. Short skirt: MINI.

58. "Kings & Queens" singer Max: AVA.  unknown to me

This is the 2020 song referenced in the clue:  

63. Replayed tennis serve: LET.

64. Great Plains Natives: OTOES.

65. "Zip your lip!": CAN IT.  Neither of these exhibit good manners.

66. Mag staff managers: EDS.  Magazine EDitorS

67. Brewer's oven: OAST.

68. Book report, e.g.: ESSAY.

Down:

1. 1970s music genre: DISCO.

2. Blood of the Greek gods: ICHOR.  This one was another learning moment for me. Merriam-Webster's first definition is "(noun) a thin watery or blood-tinged discharge". The second definition is "(n0un) an ethereal fluid taking the place of blood in the veins of the ancient Greek gods." The adjectival form is ichorous. I wondered if it was connected to Icarus (the character who flew too close to the sun), but I did not find a connection (in my very brief search).

3. Start of a letter to the North Pole: DEAR SANTA.

4. Head twister: NECK.  Fun clue!  

5. Scolding sound: TSK.

6. "Namely ... ": TO WIT.

7. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  Today we had SUI, ANI, AVA, and UTA ... but not Uma.

8. Like an amazing party, slangily: LIT.

9. Canyon comebacks: ECHOES.

10. Accumulate: AMASS.

11. Playful sprite: PIXIE.

12. "__ your heart": BLESS.

14. Like a spiderweb: SPUN.

17. Like most donated clothing: USED.

22. Requests: ASKS FOR.

24. Defrost: THAW.

25. Beats Electronics co-founder: DR DRE.  AVA sports a pair of this brand of headphones in the 58-Across video.

26. Get out of bed: RISE. ...and shine! 🌞

28. Take away (from): DETRACT.

30. Tuna variety: AHI.

31. Alehouse: PUB.

32. Illinois or California: STATE.  Hmmmm, could these be Janice's and Katie's home states?

33. Sounds of uncertainty: UHS.

35. Jottings in the margins: NOTATIONS.  article about doodles in medieval margins

36. No longer cool: OUT.  The answer was not hot because hot would also be cool.

37. Dryly humorous: WRY.

39. Egg cell: OVUM.

40. Jittery: EDGY.

45. Sarcastic "So sad": BOO-HOO.

46. Parisian friend: AMIE.

47. Ocean giant: WHALE.  This video of a mother humpback WHALE and her calf was taken in Monterey Bay last October.  

48. Like a roof with an overhang: EAVED.

49. Exams for future attys.: LSATS.

50. Bhutan neighbor: TIBET.     and     53-Down. Bhutan neighbor: INDIA.  

51. Spa supplies: OILS.

54. Saintliness: PIETY.

57. Degs. sometimes paid for by corps.: MBAS.

60. Tony Award winner Hagen: UTA.  (1919-2004)

61. Mar. and Sept.: MOS.  Hmmmm, could these be Janice's and Katie's birthday MOnthS?

62. Low card in gin rummy: ACE.

The grid:

My apologies for the slim pickings today. DH had (crossword favorite) ENT surgery last Monday for a deviated septum. All went well but my priority this past week was to be a good caregiver so I did not have much time for solving, commenting, or blogging. Today I am taking him back to (another crossword favorite) Palo Alto so his doctor can remove the little breathing tubes in his nose -- which I expect will unleash more ICHOR.  😬

Have a good day! I'll read you later....

Sunday March 2, 2025 Jill Singer

Theme: "In a Manner of Speaking" - Each common expression is reinterpreted literally.

22. "It's so cold my fingers are going numb": DIGITAL COMMUNICATION.

35. "I love my new down comforter": BLANKET STATEMENT.

52. "You should have seen that game-winning throw": PASSING COMMENT.

74. "I only carry one if there's more than a 50% chance of rain": UMBRELLA POLICY.

89. "Granite is best because it's heat-resistant and easy to clean": COUNTER-ARGUMENTS.

108. "Eve and I really wanted that apple": FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE.

I think this is our Jill Singer, a filmmaker in the Boston area. 

She has a fondness for this type of rephrasing theme type. Chuckled at the clues. Fun. 

This grid only has 138 words. Normally we have 142 or 144.

Across:

1. Go from ice to water: MELT.

5. Penn State rival: PITT. Roc the Panther.

9. Church topper: SPIRE.

14. Not stick around: BAIL.

18. Old short film: ONE-REELER.

20. Like an escaped balloon: ALOFT.

21. "Free Willy" mammal: ORCA.

25. Conceptualism debate starter: IS IT ART.

26. Cursed: DOOMED.

27. Cattle markers: BRANDS. San Gu's son-in-law has a huge cattle farm. This is her grandson Er Cong. Don't think he wants to be a farmer.

29. Polar bear platforms: FLOES.

30. Piano key wood, traditionally: EBONY.

32. Laugh half: HEE.

33. Langley org.: CIA.

34. Craving: YEN.

40. Period of time: SPELL.

42. Really annoys: DEVILS. Did not know devil can be a verb. OK, deviled egg. 

43. Creep: EDGE.

44. Escort: SQUIRE.

47. Beats by __: DRE.

50. Collapsible shelter: TENT.

51. Tangy salad herb: CRESS. Just had it last Sunday.

55. S.F. and L.A. locale: CAL.

56. Crème de la crème: A TEAM.

57. __ silence: RADIO.

58. Soak (up): SOP.

59. Starts of some logic problems: IFS.

62. __ photography: still-life genre: TABLETOP.

64. Business letters: LLC.

66. Wine grape variety: CABERNET.

68. Texter's apology: SRY. Sorry.

69. Like sashimi: RAW.

70. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.

72. Dye used in mehndi: HENNA.

73. Josh: KID.

78. Big shot: NABOB.

81. Court entry: PLEA.

82. Jimmy Eat World genre: EMO.

83. Rings around pupils: IRISES.

84. "__ be great!": IT'LL.

85. Part of the largest ethnic minority in the U.S.: LATINO. Hispanic and Latino. Han is the largest in the world. I'm a Han.

87. Very thin: GAUNT. And 99. Gray-faced: ASHEN.

93. Half of hexa-: TRI.

96. WSW reversal: ENE.

97. Urban scourge: RAT.

98. Composer Maurice: RAVEL. "Boléro".

101. Some field day races: RELAYS.

103. Peppermint __: PATTIE.

106. Sticks: ADHERES.

111. "Got that, boss": ON IT.

112. Brother's wife or wife's brother: IN-LAW.

113. Transfers legally: SIGNS OVER.

114. Cincinnati players: REDS.

115. Festoon: ADORN.

116. Cookie one might twist to open: OREO.

117. Robin's home: NEST.

Down:

1. Alter: MODIFY.

2. Maroon: ENISLE.

3. Roman military group: LEGION.

4. Overused: TRITE.

5. Comice or Seckel: PEAR. Seckel pears.

6. Tattler's refrain: I'LL TELL.

7. Private eye: TEC. Detective.

8. Trampled: TROD ON.

9. Siberian dog breed: SAMOYED.

10. Reddish purple hue: PLUM.

11. "La Brea" actress Skye: IONE.

12. Microchip initialism: RFID. Radio Frequency Identification.

13. "You know the rest," briefly: ETC.

14. Buddha's meditation spot: BO TREE.

15. Oratorio solo: ARIA.

16. Words following a loss: I CONCEDE.

17. Positions to stick after vaults: LANDINGS.

19. Airport pickup figs.: ETAS.

23. One living a life of prayer: MONK. Nice clue.

24. Offers some bad advice?: ABETS. Really bad advice.

28. Quenches: SATES.

31. Part of an Uncle Fester costume: BALD CAP.

32. Stop: HALT.

35. "Where have you __?": BEEN.

36. Spot for un béret: TETE.

37. Cartoon reindeer: SVEN.

38. Eyelash treatment: TINT.

39. Reagle who was a special guest on a crossword episode of "The Simpsons": MERL. Had a few nice email exchanges with Merl when I first started making puzzles.

40. Natural fiber in rugs and rope: SISAL.

41. Steakhouse selection: PRIME RIB.

44. Quarrels: SPATS.

45. Saudi Arabia neighbor: QATAR.

46. Important date: USE BY.

48. Towel holder: ROD.

49. Wakim of "SNL": EMIL.

51. Meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: CAPE HORN.

53. "Oh, __ up!": GROW.

54. Wisdom tooth, e.g.: MOLAR.

55. Kernel holder: COB.

58. "Love Song" singer Bareilles: SARA.

59. Civil rights leader Roy: INNIS.

60. Ideal yard feature for pet owners: FENCE.

61. Legal postponements: STAYS.

63. Small amount: TAD.

65. Indigenous Canadians: CREE.

66. City on the Rhine: COLOGNE. 73. 66-Down, in German: KOLN.

67. Got going again, as a gas lamp: RE-LIT.

71. Anti-racism gp.: BLM.

74. Cosmetics chain with beauty salons: ULTA.

75. Golda of Israel: MEIR.

76. Sound of a slamming door: BANG.

77. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.

78. More sympathetic: NICER.

79. Right, as a wrong: ATONE FOR.

80. Transit option to Boston's Logan Airport: BLUE LINE.

81. Hair band?: PART. 

85. "It's the __ I can do": LEAST.

86. Play in which the Stage Manager is a character: OUR TOWN.

88. On the loose: AT LARGE.

90. Secret meetups: TRYSTS.

91. Common street name: MAIN.

92. "Nevertheless ... ": EVEN SO.

93. Not just survive: THRIVE.

94. Actor Keanu: REEVES.

95. Magazine addition: INSERT.

99. Exclamations of understanding: AHAS.

100. Determined to have: SET ON.

102. Like the Namib: ARID. The Namib is world's oldest desert.

103. Await settlement: PEND.

104. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO.

105. Peter the Great or Nicholas II: TSAR.

107. Spy film starring Sean Connery: DR NO.

109. Actress Zadora: PIA.

110. Affectation: AIR.

C.C.

Saturday March 1, 2025, Dr. Ed Sessa

 Saturday Themeless by Dr. Ed Sessa

What a fun puzzle by the good doctor. How cool is it that he has three horizontal and three vertical grid spanners? Wow! As you can see in the colored grid, those spanners were pretty unique. 

You might remember that Dr. Sessa had his house on Sanibel Island wiped out by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Since then he has moved back to the mainland and this is what he told me.

Hi Gary,

We live now in Fort Myers just east of I75 which is out of the flood zone from the Gulf and Caloosahatchee River. Returning north just proved too much of a major move at this point in our lives. Warm regards to everyone at Crossword Corner.

Ed and Penny

Across:

1. Part of an underground network: SEWER.

6. HQs for F-16s: AFBS - These are parked at a Turkish AFB

10. Miles off: AFAR.

14. Opt out of a traditional union: ELOPE 😀

15. Plant: MOLE - Klaus Fuchs was a MOLE for the USSR at Alamogordo, NM where the Manhattan Project was building the atom bomb.

16. Lone: SOLE.

17. Like a land baron: ACRED - Hmmm...

18. Former attorney general Holder: ERIC - This first black US Attorney General called himself Obama's "wingman".

19. Chi-town pub: TRIB - This pub means publication 

20. Comes on the scene: MAKES AN ENTRANCE - Chandler and Joey do just that (:07)

23. Unlikely donor: MISER - A famous one in literature.

Bah Humbug!

24. Device with a rotating handle: VISE. 😀

25. Cruet filler: OIL and perhaps vinegar

26. Storage container: BIN.

27. Word on a coeur de bonbon: AIME - My granddaughter's translation of the text below is, "I love you more than candy"

29. Punic tunics: TOGAS - Love the rhyme!

31. "Young Frankenstein" role: INGA - It's mandatory to include this scene

33. Vassal: SERF.

35. Yoko from Tokyo: ONO - Things were falling apart for The Beatles before she showed up but she accelerated it.

36. Parlor choice: DOUBLE SCOOP CONE - I first got the word DOUBLE and thought this was about a betting parlor but not so much. Butter brickle is my favorite. 

41. Chess, for one: PIE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

42. Pahlavi dynasty title: SHAH.

43. Cheese often served with pale ale: EDAM.

44. Ranchero rope: RIATA.

46. Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA - She and Salvador. Together they made the famous (to someone) Lobster Dress.

 

48. Road houses?: RVS 😀

49. Anthology series that begins with "Murder House," familiarly: AHS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

50. Option in Hawaiian-style fried rice: SPAM - A pineapple, fried rice and SPAM. What says Hawaii more than this? 😀

53. London road of pop fame: ABBEY.

55. Workplace perk for pet owners: PAWTERNITY LEAVE - Some companies allow employees to get time off to adopt a pet or take one to the vet.

59. Concept: IDEA.

60. Danish shoe brand: ECCO.

61. Stand in front of an audience: EASEL 😀 Stand as a noun.

62. Citation abbr.: ET AL.

63. Herring kin: SHAD.

64. Coin collectors: SLOTS 😀

65. Learning method: ROTE - Sometimes it is good but sometimes...

66. Brought on board: SOLD - If you are SOLD on something you might be brought on board.

67. Like fans during a tight championship game: TENSE.

Down:

1. Clothes line: SEAM.

2. "Breaking Bad" epilogue: EL CAMINO - The sequence.

3. Toiling away: WORKING UP A SWEAT.

4. Pentathlon gear: EPEES.

5. Waters in the Great Rift Valley: RED SEA 

6. Devotional period?: AMEN The end of a printed prayer can be a period 😀

7. Pervasive environmental hazard: FOREVER CHEMICAL.

8. Smoked salmon accompaniers: BLINI.

9. Schism units: SECTS.

10. "Black Clover" action hero: ASTA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Nick and Nora's dog? Not so much...

11. Just because: FOR NO GOOD REASON.

12. Vikander of "Irma Vep": ALICIA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

13. Enemies of the Galactic Empire: REBELS.

21. Pop up: ARISE.

22. Pave over: RETOP.

26. Use a paddle, perhaps: BID - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put in ROW

28. MASH potatoes, etc.: MESS - M*A*S*H was where we had an army MESS that served mashedpotatoes 😀

30. As soon as: ONCE - Do it at ONCE!

32. Not too much: A BIT.

34. One with a stable upbringing: FOAL 😀

37. Rental agreement: LEASE.

38. "Y'know, I've been thinking ... ": OH SAY.

39. O'Hare and JFK, e.g.: NAVY VETS - Edward (Butch) O'Hare and JFK are two NAVY VETS who had major airports named after them

40. Pair in gin rummy?: EMS - Meta clue ruMMy

44. Slender sword: RAPIER.

45. "What other choices were there?": I HAD TO.

47. Most fit: ABLEST.

51. Clear clothes lines, in a way: PRESS 😀

52. Dried poblano: ANCHO - When a poblano pepper is dried, it becomes an ANCHO pepper

54. Memphis street of blues fame: BEALE - You'll find this statue of Elvis at 117 BEALE Street

56. Fish story: TALE - "You should'a seen the one that got away!"

57. Maiden name of an 1860s first lady: TODD.

Mary TODD Lincoln

58. "Or __ what?": ELSE.