Thursday, July 31, 2025, Daniel Hrynick

Theme:  Sticking to the recipe.

Earlier this year -- on Valentine's Day -- I wrote the blog post for another Daniel Hrynick crossword puzzle, which also had a food theme.  How nice to be able to come back for seconds!

In today's puzzle, circles help us locate four food items that may be grilled when pierced with sticks or metal rods.  Let's look at the reveal, and then at the answers where the food items appear.

14-Down. Stick on a grill, or what passes through this puzzle's circled words?: BARBECUE SKEWER.  A barbecue skewer can be pushed through the food items in the theme answers.

16-Across. Rating scale on a film review site: THE TOMATO METER.  The circled word is TOMATO, but the reference here is to https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ where movies are rated based on the percentage of positive reviews received from critics.

27-Across. Drink with zero calories and a blend of 23 flavors: DIET DR PEPPER.  The circled word is PEPPER, but the clue refers to a soft drink.  Diet Dr Pepper and regular Dr Pepper have the same 23 flavors, none of which are discernable to me.

50-Across. Wedding reception activity with flapping and clapping: CHICKEN DANCE.  The circled word is CHICKEN, but the clue refers to a dance that became popular at American Oktoberfest events in the 1980s, and at weddings where polka music is played.  

I was blissfully unaware of this activity until just now.

63-Across. Devices that test internet security: WIFI PINEAPPLES. A WiFi Pineapple is a small, black device with several spikes, developed by Hak5.  Positioned between your computer and router, it can inspect all the data moving from one to the other.  On the downside, a hacker might use one to see the data moving from a server to a private device.

WiFi Pineapple -- who knew?

Well, that was a tasty start to the puzzle, and I hope Misty thinks so, too!

Let's see what else is on the menu ...

Across:

1. Pub delivery: ALE KEG.

7. Festoons: ADORNS.

13. Hailed lift: TAXI CAB.

15. Deeply religious: DEVOUT.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Biceps locale: ARM.

19. __ on the side of caution: ERR.  Better safe than sorry!

20. Roam: ROVE.

21. Battleship piece: PEG.  The game was originally played on paper grids, but Milton Bradley introduced a version with plastic boards and pegs in 1967.  A player cannot see his opponent's fleet, but takes turns calling shots by grid location, with the objective of destroying the opposing player's ships.

24. Setting: BACKDROP.

27. [Theme clue]

31. Rest stop in a high-fantasy game: INN.  I was thinking of Dungeons & Dragons, with various inns where characters meet, rest, and recover, but it turns out there are also fantasy games focused on running an inn, where a player can manage staff, upgrade the facility, and improve the menu.  

Now I have to work in my fantasies, too.

32. Seven-layer dip layer, for short: GUAC.  Guacamole.  This sort of thing used to be popular at potlucks.

33. Darth Vader's first name: ANAKIN.

37. Like a bubble bath: SUDSY.

39. Tease (out): SUSS.  To inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge; figure out.

41. Burkina __: West African country: FASO.

42. Harvested plants: CROP.

43. "The Last of Us" protagonist: JOEL.

Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller

44. Certain Fender, casually: STRAT.  The Fender Stratocaster is a model of electric guitar manufactured by The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation since 1954.  The shape and the modular components of the guitar were revolutionary at the time.

45. Iroquois nation: SENECA.

47. Decidedly meh: SO-SO.  Neither very good nor very bad.

49. Pink Mr. Potato Head piece: EAR.

50. [Theme clue]

53. Steel on library racks: DANIELLE.  Any Danielle Steel readers here?  I haven't read her novels, but I found someone who did, and who summarized each one in 140 characters or less:

56. Young fellow: LAD.

57. Former NHL goalie Kölzig: OLAF.  Currently coaching for the Washington Capitals.

Olaf Kölzig

58. Shoemaker's tool: AWL.

60. Genetic testing material: DNA.

63. [Theme clue]

68. Goes in: ENTERS.

69. Skynet in "The Terminator," e.g.: ROGUE AI.  When Artificial Intelligence goes awry.

70. Rental agreements: LEASES.

71. George's "Gravity" co-star: SANDRA.  George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.

Down:

1. Chapati flour: ATTA.  Atta girl (or boy) if you remember this word from previous puzzles.

2. Bert of "The Wizard of Oz": LAHR.

Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.

3. Spared (from): EXEMPT.

4. First-aid __: KIT.

5. Good for the planet, for short: ECO.

6. Risk or Trouble: GAME.  When you're tired of playing Battleship, take a Risk on Trouble.

7. Big fuss: ADO.

8. JFK's party: DEM.  John F. Kennedy was a Democrat.

9. Account action that may result in a fee: OVERDRAFT.

10. Drone part: ROTOR.

Drone with six rotors.

11. New, in Mexico: NUEVO.

12. __ throat: STREP.

14. [Theme clue]

17. Atlanta hip-hop genre: TRAP.  Trap is a subgenre of hip-hop music that gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house," a house used exclusively to sell drugs.  Nice.

22. Boundary-pushing: EDGY.

23. "Despicable Me" role for Steve Carell: GRU.  Another cultural touchstone I've missed.  But I like Steve Carell, best known for his role as Michael Scott on the NBC sitcom The Office from 2005–2011.

25. IRS form experts: CPAs.

26. Jeong of "Community": KEN.  Ken Jeong is an American stand-up comedian and actor who rose to prominence for his roles in The Hangover film series (2009-2013) and in the NBC sitcom Community (2009-2015).  He's been in a bunch of other films, too.  Did you see Crazy Rich Asians (2018)?

Ken Jeong

27. Burned items: DISCS.  "Burning a disc" refers to the process of writing data onto a recordable or rewritable disc, such as a CD or DVD, using a laser. The process is called "burning" because it uses a laser to physically alter the surface of the disc, creating a pattern of marks that represent the data. 

28. Accustom: INURE.

29. Finish with: END ON.

30. El __, Texas: PASO.

34. Actress Gillan: KAREN.  Karen Gillan is a Scottish actress and filmmaker, who gained recognition for roles in the Doctor Who series, and eventually Hollywood films including some Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Jumanji, and others.  

Karen Gillan

35. Novelist Asimov: ISAAC.

36. "The Hunchback of __-Dame": NOTRE.

38. Indicates precisely: SPECIFIES.

40. Gin infusion fruit: SLOE.

43. Monopoly corner: JAIL.  More fun and games!

44. Pop: SODA.  Dr Pepper, anyone?  23 flavors!  Where else are you going to get that many?

46. "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE.  Michael Che is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He's best known for his work on Saturday Night Live as co-anchor of "Weekend Update" with Colin Jost since 2014. From 2017–2022, the two were also co-head writers for the show.

Colin Jost and Michael Che

48. "Weekend Update" program: SNL.  See the previous entry -- Saturday Night Live.

51. Group with a tartan: CLAN.

52. Confused: ADDLED.

53. Wooden pin: DOWEL.

54. Flared skirt style: A-LINE.  A skirt with a silhouette that is narrower at the top and gradually widens towards the hem, resembling the shape of a capital letter "A."

55. International pact until 2020: NAFTA.

59. China neighbor: LAOS.

61. Just around the corner: NEAR.

62. 59-Down's continent: ASIA.  Laos's continent.  China's, too.

64. Start to fix?: PRE.  A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to produce a related word.  

65. Research facility in orbit: Abbr.: ISS.  The International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at an altitude of approximately 250 miles (400 kilometers). It travels at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour), completing one orbit every 90 minutes. This means the ISS circles the Earth about 16 times a day. 

66. Links gp.: PGA.  A links golf course is built on sandy coastal land that offers a firmer playing surface than inland courses.  PGA is the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

67. Many a one-liner: PUN.  When this blog post is published, I'll be getting ready for our youngest daughter's wedding weekend.  Everyone will be so emotional, even the cake will be in tiers.

Here's the grid:

Did you enjoy today's GAMEs and snacks?

Or did the experience END ON a sour note for you?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, Jul 30th, 2025 ~ Dan Kammann & C.C. Burnikel

X(word)-RAY 

EYES

Blue Oyster Cult - X-ray Eyes, from Heaven Forbid, 1998

which refernces the movie starring RAY Milland

This is the fourth collaboration  between "Ironman" Dan ( see here - thanks HuskerG~! ) and our lovely hostess, C.C., plus their second crossword this month for the LA Times.  A simple but enjoyable puzzle featuring four unique and different "Rays", with two 10-letter Down fills as well.  Twenty 3LWs, Twenty-six 4LWs, a handful of names, and no circles. Yay~!  The themers, with no reveal;  

17. Place to catch some rays: SCI-FI MOVIE - classic "laser guns" type of "RAY" - I loved the original 1953 War of the Worlds movie - and despite being a huge fan of Speilberg's work and the stunning visuals, his remake was awful

Based on the H.G. Wells book

34. Place to catch some rays: ROOFTOP DECK

Now that's how to find 11D.~!

42. Place to catch a Ray: FOOD NETWORK - Rachel Ray, that is - struggling lately

62. Place to catch a ray: OCEAN FLOOR

More on Rays here

And A-Ray We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like just-cut radish slices: CRISP

6. Butter used in pantua: GHEE - Learned from doing crosswords

10. Lack of objectivity: BIAS

14. Wood that repels moths: CEDAR - I currently have a cedar bench in my kitchen, but I have plans to build a foyer on the front stoop of my house - the bench will move in there; item #28 on my self-inflicted "to-do" list . . . .

15. Covered with grease: OILY - I got covered in grease last week when I discovered the trailer ball on my minivan was rusted into the hitch bar; it took 70A. of penetrating oil, lying on the garage floor, and a sledgehammer to get the thing loose and free, dammit. 

16. "Do __ others ... ": "UNTO" - The Golden Rule

19. Nose-in-the-air sort: SNOB

20. Set of the rosary: DECADE - I have it on good authority that this was the editor's clue; not familiar with a 'decade of the rosary' ( I'm not Catholic, just spiritual ), a "set" of ten Hail Marys - more here

21. Scavenging carnivore: HYENA

22. [This isn't my typo]: SIC

23. Like a locked door: SHUT

26. Visibly embarrassed: RED - or like lethal alien "Death rays"

27. Traffic report vehicles, briefly: COPTERS - Ironic when it creates the traffic and can't report it . . . .

I found this shocking and incedible Wiki article

31. Readily available: ON TAP

33. Guatemala gold: ORO - Espaniol lesson #1

38. __ of Skye: ISLE

40. Not 'neath: O'ER - poetic contractions

41. "Basket of Bread" painter Salvador: DALI - there are TWO, actually - Basket and THE Basket

47. Pepsi holder: CAN

48. Hide from prying eyes: STASH

49. Pool section with diving boards: DEEP END - falls between DEPEND and DEEPENED when unparsed

51. Residue in a fire pit: ASH

53. Desperate request: PLEA

55. Jellyfish home: SEA

56. Midnight fridge visits: RAIDS - If I raid the fridge now, it's for a handful of air-fried shrimp 

58. Petty complaints: GRIPES

61. Coin in the Trevi Fountain: EURO - one day I hope to toss a coin . . . .

66. Penny-__: ANTE - low-cost poker

67. "What __ wrong?": "WENT"

68. "Broad City" star Glazer: ILANA - only name I did not know; filled via perps

Her IMDb

69. Bratty back talk: SASS

70. Tons: LOTS

71. Like reserved seats: TAKEN

DOWN:

1. Loops in on an email thread: CCs - a self-shout-out~?

2. Remote button with a red dot: RECord - or the "Death ray" button 😜

3. Response to "Anyone see that?": "I DID~!" - unparsed, it's "IDID"; looks Latin

4. Least dangerous: SAFEST - "don't push the button with the red dot~!"

5. More expensive: PRICIER

6. "No news is __ news": GOOD

7. Spots for queens: HIVES - oh, that kind of  queen - bees; I was thinking chess board

I made this image with Revit; here's another cool chess image

8. "Hostel" director Roth: ELI - I was going to add a link, but it's horror, and NSFW - or me, really

9. Calm part of a storm: EYE

10. Unable to hang out: BUSY

11. State sought in meditation: INNER PEACE - OM - our first 10-letter Down fill

12. Right wrongs: ATONE - Dah~!  Not AMEND; 40% correct, plus an "E"

13. Just terrible: SO BAD - like my War of the Worlds 2005 review

18. "Large" prefix: MACRO - Don McMillan, Technically Funny

Better than "Microsoft"

21. URL opener: HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol

24. Souped-up car: HOT ROD

25. __, dos, tres: UNO - Espaniol lesson dos

27. Hairdo: COIF - had it, took it out; my 29D was GOLF shirts, so the Across answers were not making any sense

28. Approximately: OR SO

29. Top choices for golfers: POLO SHIRTS - 'top' as in clothing; by default could NOT  be "GOLF shirts", Duh.  The second 10-letter Down fill.

30. Provide comfort to: SOOTHE

32. Say further: ADD

35. __ and far between: FEW

36. Family group: CLAN

37. Warmhearted: KIND

39. Toronto summer hrs.: EDT - Eastern Daylight Time - we need to scrap this nonsense

43. Catches a few z's: NAPS - I am up at 3 or 4am every day, and take a nap every day - I like this way of living

44. Adult ed class: ESL - Crosswordese, English as Second Language

45. Sticky pine secretion: RESIN

46. Stay in shape: KEEP FIT - Dah~!  Not WORK OUT - I have grown to enjoy my workout at the gym - this past Saturday, my trainer was out ( he went to the ball game the night before ) and I had the opportunity to "play hookey", but I went in anyway; he sent me a text of what exercises I could do that morning

50. Spanish dish with rice and saffron: PAELLA - I enjoy this dish, but over the past few weeks, I have been perfecting my "chicken crust" pizza, where I use ground chicken, 93% lean, to make a 'pie' - it is so good, and good for me

51. Calculus calculations: AREAS - specifically the area under a curve

 I prefer L x W . . . . 😁

52. Bathhouse hot spot: SAUNA

54. Singer's representative: AGENT - I'd like to be just famous enough to require an agent, whether for my music, games, or publications - I am still working on my Sci-Fi novel

57. "What __ it matter?": "DOES"

59. "Well, darn!": "RATS~!"

60. Enjoy a bubble bath: SOAK  - I came home to soak last Saturday, partially due to being sore, and also due to the poison ivy - which I get every F*&%ing summer - aaah, Aveeno~!

62. Bird with piercing eyes: OWL - "WHO" has piercing eyes~?

Are you lookin' at me~?

63. Jensen Huang of Nvidia, e.g.: CEO - didn't recognize him, but it was easy enough to suss 

64. Atomic number of hydrogen: ONE - the first, and most abundant element in the universe

The other elements artistically rendered

65. Competed in a relay, say: RAN - I like to walk my neighborhood; I don't "get" running - JMHO

Splynter

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Kelly Richardson

Get Down!  The circles are all in the Down position and spell out a type of common type of a System.

4-Down. Unauthorized rock recordings: BOOTLEG ALBUMS.  Legal System.  A Legal System is the framework of rules, procedures, and institutions that a community uses to interpret and enforce their laws.

8-Down. "SNL" sketch featuring Christopher Walken and a percussion instrument: MORE COWBELL.  Ecosystem.  An Ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.

25-Down. Retail rep's quota: SALES TARGET.  Star System.  A Star system is a group of planets, meteors, or other objects that orbit a large star. 

And the unifier:

19-Down. Grammy-winning metal band, or what can be found three times in this puzzle?: SYSTEM OF A DOWN.  Hand up if you knew of this Armenian-American band.  Apparently it has been active since the mid-1990s.  It was unknown to me and if it wasn't for the circles, I would have had trouble with today's theme.

Here's the Grid:

Across:

1. Wound cover: SCAB.

5. Fox or ox: ANIMAL.

11. Tub: VAT.

14. Christmas pageant headwear: HALO.

15. "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" star Lombard: CAROLE.  Mr. and Mrs. Smith was a 1941 film.  Tragically, the following year Carole Lombard (née Jane Alice Peters; Oct. 6, 1908 ~ Jan. 16, 1942) was killed in a plane crash.

16. Australian bird: EMU.

17. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.

18. 1920s dance craze that originated in South Carolina: CHARLESTON.

20. Oregon Trail river: PLATTE.  The Platte River originates in the Rocky Mountains as two main tributaries, the North Platte and the South Platte, in Colorado and Wyoming.  It flows through Nebraska and eventually empties into the Missouri River near Plattsmouth, Nebraska

22. Letters that end a proof: QED.  Today's Latin lesson.  QED is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase Quod Erat Demonstrandum, which roughly translates to that which was to be proved.

23. Oxen harness: YOKE.

24. Aviator hat features: EARLAPS.

26. T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical __": CATS.

28. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.  Our old friend Etta James (née Jamesettta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) is back to grace us with song.

29. Raw bar mollusks: OYSTERS.  For a fascinating look into the history of oysters, I recommend The Big Oyster, by Mark Kurlansky.

33. Male deer: STAG.  I tried Buck first, but the perps objected.

36. Reuben sammie side: SLAW.

38. Orange __ tea: PEKOE.  Everything you didn't know you needed to know about Orange Pekoe Tea.

39. Like ice caps: POLAR.

41. Wane: EBB.

42. Troutlike fish in the Great Lakes: SMELT.  Yummers!

43. Use TurboTax, say: E-FILE.

44. Oracle: SEER.

46. Poems of praise: ODES.

47. Give up, informally: CUT BAIT.

49. Laze: LOAF.

51. Arm bone: ULNA.

52. Celebrity chef Emeril: LAGASSE.  Although Emeril Lagasse (né Emeril John Lagassé, III; b. Oct. 15, 1959) is known for Creole and Cajun cuisine, he was actually born in Fall River, Massachusetts and is of French and Portuguese descent.

56. Like some margins of victory: SLIM.

59. Globe: ORB.

61. Mellow: SEDATE.

62. The "MO" of FOMO: MISSING OUT.  Fear Of Missing Out.

65. Foreboding sign: OMEN.

66. MLB official: UMP.

67. South Dakota's capital: PIERRE.  Unless you are from South Dakota, this is probably more than you ever though you would know about Pierre.

68. Troubles: WOES.

69. Identity celebrated during Pride Month: GAY.  June is Gay Pride Month.

70. Show up for: ATTEND.

71. __ a soul: NARY.

Down:

1. Circle or triangle: SHAPE.

2. __ lily: trumpet-shaped flower: CALLA.  They are beautiful flowers.

3. Religious platform: ALTAR.

5. Says yes to: ACCEPTS.

6. "Nope": NAH.

7. Country where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet: IRAQ.

9. From sunrise to sunset: ALL DAY.

10. Olympic gymnast Suni: LEE.  Her given name is Sunisa Phabsomphou Lee (b. Mar. 9, 2003).  She participated in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

11. Presidential power: VETO.

12. Out of control: AMOK.

13. Melody: TUNE.

21. Tit for __: TAT.

27. Recipe amts.: TSPS.  As in Teaspoons.

30. Just managed, with "out": EKED.

31. Actor's part: ROLE.

32. Production designer's creations: SETS.

33. Job detail, for short: SPEC.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

34. Pad thai protein option: TOFU.  Yummers!  I love pad thai.

35. Landed: ALIT.

37. "The Godfather" actor Vigoda: ABE.  Abraham Vigoda (Feb. 24, 1921 ~ Jan. 26, 2016) portrayed Salvadore Tessio in The Godfather and Phil Fish in the sitcom Barney Miller.

40. Not imagined: REAL.

45. Like some nuts: ROASTED.

48. Complicit: IN ON IT.

50. Life time: AGE.

53. South Pacific island group: SAMOA.

54. Take the wheel: STEER.

55. Itty-bitty: EENSY.

56. Self-satisfied: SMUG.

57. Peru's capital: LIMA.

58. Classic road trip game: I SPY.  I Spy with my Little Eye ...

60. Tire through tedium: BORE.

63. Hoppy brew letters: IPA.  As in India Pale Ale.  Everything you ever wanted to know about IPA.

64. Coffee server in a diner: URN.

That's it for this week.

חתולה