Theme: Neighboring states
How exciting to have the opportunity to blog a puzzle by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano! On Saturday, April 5, 2025, Enrique co-authored a puzzle in the L.A. Times with Erik Agard in which they used the clue & answer: Brown bread specialist: BURSAR. In the comments section of our Corner, it was the most hated puzzle I can remember. Enrique had a solo puzzle in the L.A. Times on Saturday, February 15, 2025, which I liked, but some loathed. Enrique has also published in the New Yorker and in the New York Times. Is he closer to our wavelength and abilities today? I think so! And you know what else is close today? The circled abbreviations for neighboring states.
The theme clues and answers are:
18. Guest spot in a studio, perhaps: FOLD OUT COUCH. In a studio apartment, a guest might sleep on a fold out couch. The circled letters are UT (Utah) and CO (Colorado).
 |
| fold out couch |
31. Denim option: ACID WASH JEANS. Acid wash jeans are soaked in chlorine bleach, then washed with pumice stones. The bleach removes the indigo dye, while the stones create a pattern of dark and light patches. The circled letters are ID (Idaho) and WA (Washington).
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| acid wash jeans |
49. Spot for a home bartender's stash: LIQUOR CABINET. Some folks keep the booze in a cabinet, some display it on a little cart. The circled letters are OR (Oregon) and CA (California).
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| liquor cabinet |
65. Big name in money transfers, and a hint to the neighbors found in this puzzle's circled letters: WESTERN UNION. Western Union was a pioneer in telegraph technology, but today focuses on helping folks send money hither and yon. It hints at the relationship of the circled letters in the theme answers: they are all Western states, and they form a union with the state next door by virtue of being placed right next to it in the circles.
Looks like Enrique has come back to be a good neighbor.
The rest of the puzzle goes like this:
Across:1. Network in Venice: CANALS. Venice, Italy, is famously crisscrossed by a network of canals.
 |
| Venice is a marvel of engineering. Built on wood stakes driven into muddy islets in a lagoon, it has survived for 1600 years. |
12. LGBTQ History Mo.: OCT. DNK but perps helped.
15. "Well, I guess so": UM YEAH. Some of our solvers hate these conversational equivalents. This one wasn't easy. Again, perps to the rescue.
16. 32-Down need: VODKA. 32-Down is a COSMO cocktail: vodka, cointreau or triple sec, cranberry juice, and lime juice. I don't do vodka. Nope.
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| Cosmopolitan cocktails were the drink of choice on "Sex and the City" |
17. Travel to or from 67-Down: FLY. 67-Down is an airport, so you would FLY to or from there.
18. [Theme clue]
20. Smart dresser: FOP. A man who is concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy.
21. Natural hairstyle, for short: FRO. Short for Afro.
 |
| Afro hairstyle |
23. Periodical release: ISSUE. A periodical is a magazine or newspaper. From time to time, it releases an issue.
25. Text status: SENT.
27. Came across as: SEEMED.
30. "__ Lasso": TED. Looks like we're all going to have to subscribe to Apple TV again, as season 4 is in the works.
31. [Theme clue]
35. Guiding light: BEACON.
38. Couldn't keep a secret: TOLD.
39. Transgression: SIN.
40. Leaves out: OMITS.
41. Nouveau réalisme artist Klein: YVES. Yves Klein (1928-1962) was a leading member of the French artistic movement called Nouveau réalisme. In the 1950s, he focused on monochrome paintings, eventually settling on International Klein Blue. People bought this stuff.
 |
| Yves Klein, IKB 191, 1962 |
45. "This means __!": WAR.
46. Many a viral GIF: MEME.
48. Music app on old Macs: iTUNES.
49. [Theme clue]
53. Tote: LUG.
54. Coastal city in Andalusia: MÁLAGA. Málaga was founded around 770 BCE by Phoenicians. It has been under the rule of Ancient Carthage, Rome, the Visigoths, the Byzantine Empire, Islamic caliphates, the Spanish Catholic monarchy, and today's constitutional monarchy.
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| Málaga in the south of Spain |
59. WordPress sites: BLOGS.
61. Word derived from the Japanese for "a bit": SKOSH.
63. Sign of summer: LEO.
64. Hoppin': LIT. "It's lit" is a slang term meaning something is really good, fun, exciting, or intense, similar to other terms like "poppin'," "hoppin'," or "off the chain."
65. [Theme clue]
69. Put into practice: USE.
70. Fill in the blanks, in a way: INFER. To infer is to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises. Deduce is a near relative. We do a lot of this in crossword solving.
71. Meeting outline: AGENDA.
72. UFO pilots: ETs. Extraterrestrials pilot Unidentified Flying Objects.
73. "Music" from a cat organ: MEOWS. That organ being the larynx.
Down:
1. Slaps: CUFFS. To cuff is to hit someone with your hand in a light, joking way.
2. Love, in Firenze: AMORE.
3. Parachute fabric: NYLON.
4. Lifesaving device for an EMT: AED. An Automated External Defibrillator can be used by an Emergency Medical Technician to treat a person whose heart has suddenly stopped working.
5. Vietnam neighbor: LAOS.
6. Closes the door on: SHUTS IN.
7. Network news team: TV CREW.
8. Casual movie night partner: ROOMMATE.
9. Howard URL suffix: EDU. Colleges and universities use .EDU domains for their websites.
10. Pedigree org.: AKC. American Kennel Club. There's a place for purebred dogs, but I miss our mutts.
 |
| Daphne and Huxley, 2008-2024 |
12. Time for travel deals: OFF SEASON. There are things to be said for traveling in the off season, especially fewer crowds and lower prices. But sometimes the weather is a challenge!
13. State of bliss: CLOUD NINE.
14. Sort: TYPE.
19. Three-__ sloth: TOED. Three-toed sloths live in the tropical forest canopy in Central and South America. Their algae-covered fur is an ecosystem unto itself.
26. Social finesse: TACT.
28. Those, in Spanish: ESOS. Used for masculine or mixed gender persons or objects. Those men = Esos hombres. Those men and women = Esos hombres y mujeres.
29. UPS competitor: DHL. UPS (United Parcel Service) and DHL (Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) offer shipping and delivery services.
32. Pink cocktail, familiarly: COSMO. Short for cosmopolitan. See 16-Across.
33. Matchmaking app available in Hebrew: JDATE. I know several young people who have looked for love on JDate, but I think their eventual matches occurred through unplanned encounters.
34. Donkey Kong Country console, for short: SNES. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It helps to be a certain age, or to have children or grandchildren of a certain age. SNES was sold in North America from 1990 to 1999.
35. Get the ball rolling?: BOWL.
36. Need for a marketing blast: EMAIL LIST.
37. Punctuation made with bunny ears: AIR QUOTES.
41. Community gym org.: YMCA.
42. Hearty beef dish: VEAL STEW.
44. Pear-shaped instrument: LUTE.
.jpg) |
| Lute |
48. Just like that: IN A SNAP.
50. Comfy boot brand: UGG.
51. Patisserie staff: BAKERS. Patisserie is French for "pastry shop."
52. "Petrushka" composer Stravinsky: IGOR.
56. Flicker of light: GLINT.
57. Glittery rock: GEODE.
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| A geode's glitter is all on the inside. |
59. Smurf-colored: BLUE.
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| Would Yves Klein have appreciated their blueness? |
62. Bigger than big: HUGE.
66. WSW opposite: ENE. Directions.
67. Second-busiest Calif. airport: SFO. San Francisco International Airport.
68. Top condition on eBay listings: NEW. My younger sister, of blessed memory, liked to buy fancy dresses on eBay, and taught me to look for the abbreviation NWT -- new with tags.
41 comments:
Well, I got it, but I still
didn’t understand what was in the circles or the theme until I came on this site. Oh well, FIR anyway, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Didn't notice the circles, so the theme played no role in the solve. Didn't care for LIT and ERM. Didn't recognize AED -- sounds like an American version of the OED. Thanx for the diversion, Enrique, and for the explication, NaomiZ. (Enjoy our time off.)
DHL: I thought the letters stood for Dewey, Huey, and Louie.
ACID WASH JEANS: Is this the ice tea of the clothing world?
FIR. Once again I ignored the stupid circles. Why have them in a CW? They belong in a Jumble, not here. And the theme was of no help in the solve. I stared at the reveal, and what was in those circles, and nothing. I had to come here to have it explained.
I really dislike erm as an answer. Had it not been in several previous puzzles I would not have been able to guess Malaga and gotten the answer.
Overall this was a very unenjoyable puzzle.
FIR without erasure.
Last time I looked, chlorine was a base. Guess ACID sounds better than "base WASHED JEANS."
Just got back from the grocery store. EGGS are under $4/dozen again. Cheap protein, even when they were twice as expensive.
SFO averages about 950 flight operations per day. Unless you fly private you've probably never heard of the Van Nuys Airport with its nearly 850 per day. Scheduled airline operations aren't allowed there.
Does DHL deliver for Amazon? UPS is greatly reducing the number of Amazon packages it will accept. UPS says that although Amazon is a large part of their revenue, its packages provide very little profit. If DHL doesn't want them, I guess those rural deliveries might all go to the USPS, which can't opt out.
Thanks to Enrique for the puzzle that wasn't nearly as bad as that Saturday thing. Didn't like MALAGA x ERM, but the rest wasn't too bad. And thanks to NaomiZ for the fine tour. Enjoy your time away from the Corner sweat shop.
Took 7:24 today to CANVas the area.
Once again, the theme played no role in my solve.
"Nouveau réalisme artist Klein: Yves"?
"Coastal city in Andalusia: Managa"?
Oh joy, circles!
Good Morning:
It took me a few minutes to decipher the theme, even after I filled in Western Union and reread the clue several times. Finally, it made sense and I thought it was clever and well-executed with very solid themers. There were a few tricky spots, i.e., Dahi, AED, Yves, as clued, and I went astray at Gleam/Glint but, otherwise, the solve was smooth and rapid.
Thanks, Enrique, for redeeming yourself after the April 5th outing and thanks, Naomi, for the truly informative review. Your explanations and observations are crystal clear and easy to absorb. All of the photos were eye-catching but the ones of Daphne and Huxley were particularly touching. Happy and safe travels!
Have a great day.
A fairly easy puzzle, in which the gimmick had no effect on the solve.
ROOMMATE and FOP could have used better clues.
By definition, a smart-dressed man is only a fop if he is "concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy." (OED)
On the bright side, there was no collaboration with Erik Agard this time, which makes me happy.
Based on today's puzzle, I guess we can cut Enrique some slack regarding that Saturday travesty he constructed last month with Erik Agard. Today's was clever, fresh, and enjoyable. I don't know if Patti and cohorts put a tighter editing rein on him here, but whatever, today's challenge was at the refreshing end of the scale as opposed to being repugnant.
The theme was creative; admittedly thorny, but therefore more satisfying in the solve. I noticed Enrique was just an X and Z short of a pangram. The neighboring states of AZCA or NMAZ would have taken care of the Z, but he would still have had to figure out an X.
I appreciated the circles. To have assumed the letters in today's circles were a Jumble is absurd, since a true jumble of only 4 letters would be solved in a fraction of a second. Figuring out the three four-letter themes required an adjustment in one's thinking.
I do have a beef, so to speak, with the clue in 42Down. Veal and beef are not one and the same. Young bovine = veal; mature bovine = beef.
Thanks, Enrique, for showing your true colors today with a vibrant Thursday challenge. And thanks, Naomi, for your comprehensive and fun explication.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Enrique and NaomiZ (have a good break).
Although officially a FIW, I felt that I succeeded with this CW. My Word Jumble skills were useless, but the reveal sent me back to those circled letters, and I saw the WESTERN states. This Canadian patted herself on the back!
But that Andalusian city was my downfall. I had ERs instead or ERM (not used here), and my stew was bEAn (read the clue with “beef”, d’uh!), giving me sAnAGA. Oy!
Tote was not a bag (noun) but LUG (verb).
SHUTS It became IN.
I learned DHL doing CWs.
I am very familiar with seeing AED signs placed around the equipment in public buildings. You do not have to be an EMT to use one. The sooner, the better for lifesaving effect.
Count me in the group that hates UM YEAH.
I agree with Anonymous@8:12 that not all smart dressers are FOPs. (If we had more spaces, I might have used the clue “smart dresser” for a futuristic CABINET in the bedroom.)
Favourite was the clue for BOWL (RIP Boomer)
Wishing you all a great day.
But VEAL was closer to beef than my bEAn. LOL,
Musings
-A just-right Thursday puzzle whose gimmick finally hit me! The forest was hiding the trees.
-Naomi, I can still recall when Brown, bread, specialist and BURSAR hit me for the write-up!
-One of my many faults is to INFER something is true when it is not
-Dean Martin sang, That’s AMORE. He was from Steubenville, OH not Florence, IT
-On a recent Jeopardy, the answer was AED and the contestant said, “What is Automated Electronic Defibrillator” and lost $2,000. At the end of the round, Ken Jennings said the judges ruled Electronic was acceptable and added $4,000 to the man’s score just before Final Jeopardy. He lost anyway.
-I have an E-MAIL list for sending great cartoons I see here to my colleagues
-If you play golf with me, you might use AIR QUOTES when calling me a golfer
-A Sheffer Puzzle runs right next to The Jumble and I take the few minutes to solve it before coming here. Today's puzzle used two two-letter fills which I think would eliminate them from Patti's eligible stack.
Thank you Enrique for a not exactly facile Thursday FIR -- I managed to find all the fill but flubbed the theme -- but I did like your puzzle!
And thank you Naomi for another insightful, delightful review -- and enjoy your vacation!
A few favs:
20A FOP. I've never been accused of being a "smart dresser".
44A YVES. As P.T. Barnum once said -- "Never give a sucker an even break!".
45A. WAR. "This means WAR!" -- said by the shareholders in companies that manufacture armaments and munitions and who eventually demand a return on their investments.
54A MALAGA. DNK this city and it was the last to fall.
10D AKC. We used to be owned by two Labrador retrievers: NEPTUNE was the runt of a litter and JUPITER XV was a pedigree.
19D TOED. The next time you visit Baltimore you can see a 2-TOED sloth in the rainforest exhibit of the National Aquarium.
29D DHL. We once used them in Vienna to return a key that we'd forgotten to return to a Venetian hotelier. Today Teri is using UPS to send two BDAY gifts to a grandson in Lander, WY.
52D IGOR. Petruska was the ballet that put Stravinsky on the map -- here's a brief horn solo depicting the Ballerina's Dance.
Cheers,
Bill
Hmm,
How to critique this puzzle, without taking a Thumper that it doesn't deserve...
Erm...
FIR, but needed perps for UM YEAH, AED, LIT, YVES, as clued. As for the circles, I was not able to figure them out. All I could see was ORCA. Thank goodness for NaomiZ’s explanation.
There is no way in my mind that VEAL STEW can be hearty, because VEAL is á very delicate meat. Also, I’ve never heard of such á STEW.
So, to answer NaomiZ’s query, I have no strong feelings about this CW one way or the other.
Thank you NaomiZ and enjoy your break.
Yes, Monkey, I thought that VEAL is too expensive to “waste” in STEW, when a cheaper cut of meat can be used. But a Google search brings up many recipes.
Or my mEAt STEW! (I'm a lousy cook)
I'll make a bet I'd like yours. I rarely meet a stew I don't love.
Once over humpday CWs seem to make a Great Leap Forward in difficulty. Didn’t get the theme.
Inkover: Low/OFFSEASON
“This means WAR” Speaking of … Isn’t making “Bunny Ears” putting your two fingers behind someone’s head as a gag in a photo ?
ACID WASH JEANS. Is that how they get that stylish, torn, full of holes, time -to-throw-away look that is so popular? …. DAHI?
Before we bought them a FOLDOUTCOUCH I used to sleep on a FUTON (”my achin’ back”) at my DD’s house. I even learned how to unfold and refold it by myself, a true challenge
A FOP is a fellow outlandishly or flamboyantly dressed. “Patisserie” is French for bakery shop and English for overpriced bakery shop.
Brits don’t pronounce the letter R after a vowel so ERM sounds like UMM. (They don’t pronounce their “arse” 🤭)
Are related: BEACON
Johnny Cash song where a boy’s name____ …. ISSUE
An alley for thousands: ____ _____ BOWL BOWL
Nosy Frenchman, _____ dropper… YVES
NaomiZ (I like to abbreviate cornerite names but Na-Z is just wrong). “Mutts” is the archaic term for “designer dogs” which one used to get free as a rescue 😄
Still rainin’ ruinin’ my week off 😟
Hey Naomi, great review! Glad you figured out the adjoining states because I was lost. I parsed UT as U of Texas, the Longhorns, and got to thinking about school rivalries, although UNION makes no sense in that regard. Maybe a student UNION? Crash and burn.
I agree that Enrique did a much better job with this one than on that infamous Saturday. However, I now reference the "bursar" clue when talking with friends about the insidious nature of some crosswords.
Got briefly hung up on the "guest spot, in a studio" clue. I started with FOLiO...and was led astray.
And I wanted the patisserie staff to be a French word for bakers, like boulangers.
Point well taken about veal. The Europeans have over the centuries figured it out, whether it's the Austrian wienerschnitzel, or any of the luscious Italian veal dishes like scaloppine or piccata. I think they take care not to overcook, and perhaps beat the *!#*?!#* out of the veal to tenderize.
Is it Friday? This was a little crunchy for me, especially in the NE. I had one red letter. Drat! It was gettable. I missed the theme. Clever. I enjoy the themes whether or not I solve them. I count a correct fill as success, and getting the theme a bonus.
Yves Saint Laurent would have been more Thursday-like.
I agree about the price of eggs. I made deviled eggs as contribution to the snack table at the dance. Other contributions have cost me more. The eggs were gobbled up very quickly.
You got me curious about why it's called acid wash when bleach is a base.
AI says, " When added to water, it (bleach) forms a mixture of hypochlorite ions (OCl-) and a small amount of hypochlorous acid (HOCl)" BTW, I started with WASHED ,too. Many of the comments here pique my curiosity and I LIU.
I see ERM very often in novels and in puzzles. Because it is so hated here, I listen for it in everyday speech. I do hear it a lot, a combination of Er and UM, both parts.
Veal is not considered beef, but that didn't hold me up. I like veal stew, a much different flavor than beef stew. I consider it hearty because with the added veggies it is filling and satisfying.
I was picturing the AED device, but needed the perp to come up with the E, external.
If someone is serving cosmos, only one is plenty for me. I'll have seconds on wine or G&T.
Naomi, as always, a very interesting blog. Enjoy your time off.
Was it ever established that the BURSAR clue/answer was Henry’s and not an editor’s switcheroo?
I'm with d-o on the "ed" in acid-washed -- and the DHL quip. Nicely said.
LOL at "Florence, IT." There is a prominent Florence in OR, by the way.
WTG Enrique. Redemption 😊
Fop reminds me of ZZTop song “Sharp Dressed Man”
Erm should be issued a cease and desist order from a federal judge.
Patisserie as noted is a pastry shop. The staff would be boulangers. You don’t get a free switcheroo between languages. Ref gave you a yellow card on that word play.
Thanks for the colorful review Naomi.
Other than placing UH, YEAH and ERM in the same puzzle and concocting one of the lamest unifiers ever, there were things to admire about this puzzle.
With only 23 empty/black squares, the puzzle could have passed for an acceptable Saturday themeless. The circles and the “theme” made it something less, not more – and I’m not even one of the circles-haters in our midst. Finally, with the grid long since filled, the UT propelled me in the right direction to solve the theme. I use the two-letter postal abbreviations only when I post.
There were a few other problems. I know what yogurt and lassi mean, but DAHI seemed exceptionally obscure. I know what an IUD is, but not an AED. IN A SNAP doesn’t quite ring true outside of a constructor’s fill needs. I doubt I’ve ever eaten VEAL STEW. Veal is a delicacy, too valuable for a stew. And unless there’s some instrument or doohickey outside the feline anatomy known as a “cat organ,” that was a faulty clue.
I did like the learning moment in the SKOSH entry, the guest spot/studio clue, the glittery rock misdirection, and the MALAGA trivia.
Thanks Naomi, I had no idea on the theme but didn't spend much time on it. "Erm" is a stretch for me. I thought this puzzle was much easier than yesterday.
Hola! On my first trip to Spain, I landed in MALAGA. It's a lovely town.
FOLD OUT COUCH reminds me of when we first moved into our townhouse. it was the only furniture we had for a long time. Does WESTERN UNION still exist? What a surprise! I recently finished reading THE GLASSMAKER which takes place in Murano and Venice.
SFO is very familiar to me and since the remodeling is finally finished, it's really nice though it's a long, long walk through the concourse.
YMCA and what? No link? I love the Village People.
My friend, Kathy, frequently says :just a SKOSH" and I used to think she make it up. Have a lovely day, everyone! Enjoy your time off, Naomi.
I forgot to mention that we say many three-toed sloths in Costa Rica. They sleep on top of the trees.
Wow!! An American Pope, Robert Prevost Leo XIV 69 yo 🇺🇸
And a Florence, SC, a good place to stay to attend NASCAR's Southern 500 in nearby Darlington. Then there's a Florence, Kentucky. Cincinatti is nearby.
Ray O, I was carving a rotisserie chicken breast when that announcement came and I almost carved a few fingers off! 😂
Thanks, Ray, for posting that an American Pope has been elected--the first one in history. I hope he'll be as wonderful and liberal and caring as Pope Francis.
As is the norm, the WESTERN UNIONs were not noticed; I never pay attention to circles, only finishing the puzzle. I have a LIQUOR CABINET (that has stuff used only for parties and guests) and once had some ACID WASHED JEANS, but have never heard of a FOLD OUT COUCH. Sleeper sofa or sofa bed. DAHI, SKOSH, SNES, OCT, and YVES were the only other unknowns today.
Hoppin' and LIT; didn't really know but figured it was a druggy term.
UM, YEAH deserves and um, no as a fill.
YVES' painting. A sucker is born every minute. That's who would buy that paint sample painting.
Was I on The Temptaions' COULD NINE after FIR? Not really. Puzzles are getting gimmicky with to many abbr. and what I would consider non-words.
I read today that one of yesterday's fills, Brazil's SILVA, is in Moscow to celebrate with his friend Putrid today. It's been 80 years since the end of WWII but his choice of companions is appalling.
(wooHOO, I actually got to this early — so maybe my post won’t be DFL for a change 😆)
Indeed a redemption for E.H.A. after that abomination with his cohort Eric a few Saturdays ago; perhaps you should FLY ALONE from here on out as a constructor, Enrique — this CW was quite enjoyable! Good on ya, mate.
I will say that, until I read the reveal, the content in the circled ones eluded me; but once Naomi pointed it out, I went “Oh. Duh!!”. Nice little ploy there, I thought.
These days, UFO’s are called UAP’s — Unidentified Aerial Phenomena; I wonder who will be the first constructor to incorporate this update?
@KS, you need to hang out with more Brits — you’ll get quite used to hearing ERM with that crowd!
VEAL…yeah, that raised my eyebrows, too; but I went “okay, it’s still from a cow, so…UMYEAH”.
The only reason I nailed MALAGA immediately is because it’s the name of a paint color on vintage BMW’s, which I have a lot of involvement with (I’ve been building and racing old BMW 02’s since the late ‘70’s).
Another great review, @NaomiZ! Enjoy your travels, “see” ya when you get back 😎
====> Darren / L.A.
Amazon has its own fleet here in Tucson. Has for several years.
Once I read the reveal clue I saw the fused state abbreviations immediately. Having lived in several western states for the 50 some years helped.
Some stuff in this puzzle I liked (e.g. Breakfast burrito proteins: EGGS and State of bliss: CLOUD NINE) and some I did not (e.g. "Well, I guess so": UM YEAH and Hoppin': LIT.)
Concerning the election of an American pope for the first time ever, technically that’s not accurate since the previous pope was also from á country on the American continent and could be called American. I’m playing devil’s advocate here.
Yeah, they have the urban centers covered with their own fleet. It's out in the boonies where there's not sufficient volume to justify the cost that they rely on other carriers, notably UPS and USPS.
There is North American and South American. I doubt if ANYONE would equate them. We do say "the Americas" but that is a different context.
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