google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Matthew Stock and Mark Valdez

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Oct 7, 2025

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Matthew Stock and Mark Valdez

Steal  My Heart

16-Across. Replace a player on the basepath: PINCH RUN.

20-Across. Comedian who co-created the Netflix animated series "Big Mouth": NICK KROLL.

32-Across. Ski resort pass: LIFT TICKET.

43-Across. "RuPaul's Drag Race" segment featuring celebrity impressions: SNATCH GAME.

57-Across. Reject, on a dating app: SWIPE LEFT.

63-Across. Go on a break, or what the starts of 16-, 20-, 32-, 43-, and 57-Across can be called: TAKE FIVE.  Five examples of stealing.


Across:
1. Scrabble piece: TILE.

5. Come to a close: END.

8. Small fruit pie: TART.

12. Beyoncé, to the Beyhive: IDOL.  Before she went out on her own, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (b. Sept. 4, 1981), she was the lead singer of Destiny's Child.  Her ardent fans are known as the Beyhive.


13. Caviar: ROE.


14. "Makes sense now": AH, I SEE!

18. Sibling's daughters: NIECES.  //  Lots of family relationships in today's puzzle.  We also saw 24-Across. Unlike 18-Across: MALE.  //  And we have 40-Across. Mama's hermana: TIA.

19. Critical time: D-DAY.

22. October birthstone: OPAL.  Many opals are found in Australia.  Hi, Kazie!

25. Bag-checking org.: TSA.  As in the Transportation Security Administration.

26. Dana Bash's channel: CNN.  Dana Ruth Bash (b. 1971) is an American journalist, news anchor, host of Inside Politics and co-anchor of State of the Union on CNN.


28. Loose-leaf beverage: TEA.  //  And 3-Down. Drink made with Earl Grey tea and steamed milk: LONDON FOG.  I thought London Fog was a clothing manufacturer.


30. Fly or fish, for example: VERB.  //  And 6-Down. Fly or fish, for example: NOUN.

35. Top poker cards: ACES.

39. Houseplant that seldom needs watering: ALOE.


41. Iditarod town: NOME.  A brief history of the Iditarod sled race.


42. Prefix with watts: MEGA.-  So fraught with meaning ...

46. Bread served with biryani: ROTI.  Let's travel to India for today's meal.  Roti is a simple, unleavened flatbread and biryani is an elaborate, aromatic mixed rice dish.  Yummers!


48. Body of water: SEA.

49. Glum: SAD.

50. Orbiting facility: Abbr.: ISS.  As in the International Space Station.

53. __ de gallo: PICO.  Now let's travel to Mexico for our next meal.  Pico de gallo is a Mexican salsa.  Yummers!

55. Dethrone: OUST.

60. Informed: TOLD.

62. Bemoan: LAMENT.

66. Add a raised design to: EMBOSS.


67. Younger "ManningCast" host: ELI.  Eli Manning (né Elisha Nelson Manning; b. Jan. 3, 1981) is the son of Archie (né Elisha Archibald Manning, III; b. May 19, 1949) and the younger brother of Cooper (né  Cooper Archibald Manning) and Peyton (né Peyton Williams Manning; b. Mar. 24, 1976).  The sons were all born in New Orleans.  Cooper's dreams of following the family into a football career were dashed when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis.  His son, Arch (Archibald Charles Manning; b. Apr. 27, 2004) plays college football.


68. Reverse: UNDO.

69. Stretch across: SPAN.  Bridge building is an engineering feat.



70. Earn after taxes: NET.

71. Loch with a legend: NESS.



Down:
1. Helpful pointer: TIP.

2. Terse confession: I DID.

4. Yosemite Valley landmark, for short: EL CAP.  It's formal name is El Capitan and it is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park.  Sadly, just last week a young climber, Balin Miller (Jan. 12, 2002 ~ October 1, 2025), fell to his death attempting a climb up the face of this rock formation.


5. Use bleach on a load of colored laundry, say: ERR.

7. Jeans fabric: DENIM.  A brief history of Denim.

8. Cake layer: TIER.


9. Posh neckwear: ASCOT.

10. Film spools: REELS.

11. Unit of magnetic flux density: TESLA.


14. Belly dancer's jewelry: ANKLET.


15. Someone to trail behind?: HIKER.


17. Luxury hotel chain: HYATT.


21. Warnings: CAVEATS.

23. "Lilo & Stitch" costume accessory: LEI.
26. Chowder morsel: CLAM.  New England or Manhattan?


27. Cairo's river: NILE.

29. "Smile and be on your best behavior!": ACT NICE!

31. Sharp noise: BANG.

33. Origami slipup: TEAR.


34. Korean automaker: KIA.

36. Boundary between land and water: COASTLINE.

37. Actress Thompson: EMMA.

Emma Thompson, b. Apr. 15, 1959

38. Bird feeder filler: SEED.

43. Tall circus performer's pair: STILTS.


44. Corp. leader: CEO.  As in the Chief Executive Officer.

45. High in the Alps?: HAUTE.  Today's French lesson.  A portion of the Alps are in France.


47. Works the first shift at a café, say: OPENS.

50. Cruise stopovers: ISLES.


51. Shrek's home: SWAMP.

52. Lion hoisted skyward during "Circle of Life": SIMBA.  A reference to The Lion King.

54. Not infrequently: OFTEN.

56. "Whee!": SO FUN!

58. Laborer: PEON.

59. Story: TALE.

61. Box set units: DVDs.

64. Baby fox: KIT.


65. Lip balm brand: EOS. Although EOS is the name of the Greek Goddess of Dawn, in the realm of lip balm, it refers to the Evolution OSmoothness.


Here's the Grid:


חתולה

33 comments:

Subgenius said...

Except for that female
comedian with the unusual name, this puzzle was a piece of cake. And the theme was evident pretty much from the get go. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

OH I SEE at 14a made ANKLET slow to appear. NICK KROLL, too. (He's not female, Sub.) It's definitely gotta be New England CLAM chowder, not Manhattan. Thanx Matthew, Mark, and Hahtoolah. ("Juveniles" was cute.)

Anonymous said...

Oh, I see my mistake, D-O, thanks for pointing that out.

SubG

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but oh i see->AH I SEE, in on->TOLD, and el cid->EL CAP (I blame decaf.)

For my money, the G.O.A.T. jazz instrumental has to be TAKE FIVE. Thanks for the link.

Thanks to Matthew and Mark for the fun, easy Tuesday special. I guess Luke and John were busy with other endeavors. And thanks to Ha2la for another fine review. That "aloe" gag will never get old.

Hahtoolah said...

Jinx: I agree that Brubeck's Take Five is the best. We played it at my father's funeral.
QOD: If you want peace, don’t talk to your friends. Talk to your enemies. ~ Desmond Tutu (né Desmond Mpilo Tutu; Oct. 7, 1931 ~ Dec. 26, 2021), South African cleric and recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize

KS said...

FIR. I had no idea who the comedian was, and don't know anything about drag queens. That made this puzzle all about perps for me.
The reveal finally made sense of the theme which was certainly not obvious. But it helped with solving nick in 20A and snatch at 43A.
Overall not at all an enjoyable puzzle.

Anonymous said...

A Monday-level walk in the park. Straightforward cluing, some clever fill, and an absence of obscurities made for a very enjoyable puzzle.

CanadianEh! said...

Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Matthew and Mark, and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in good time, and saw the TAKE FIVE theme (although originally I was looking at a GAME theme with the ends of the themers (RUN, ROLL before I had the K, TICKET).

We had a secondary Water theme with NILE, SEA, SWAMP, NESS, COASTLINE, ISLES.

Hand up for OH before AH I SEE.
Unknown-to-me names (NICK KROLL, CNN with Dana Bush) perped.

CSOs to our late OMK with ASCOT, and Picard with STILTS.

AnonT- you may have already seen the big announcement of the Rush Tour in 2026 (with new drummer, Anika Nilles). There are a couple of concerts in Fort Worth. https://www.rush.com/rush-fifty-something-tour/

Wishing you all a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

Even though the first few theme answers gave away the gimmick, the reveal was a fun and fitting surprise. I was bewildered about the Five part until Hahtoolah enlightened me. No real stumbling blocks but London Fog and Snatch Game were unknowns. This was a pleasant solve with a Tuesday level theme and above average fill, IMO.

Thanks, Matthew and Mark, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the informative review and commentary. The Origami comic was my favorite and the baby fox was adorable. I enjoyed all of the food photos, too. New England Clam Chowder is my favorite, by far, and I make it using a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.

Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Took 5:05 today for me to steal away (my apologies to Robbie Dupree).

Never heard of "snactch game" before. I knew the Actress of the Day (Emma), but not the French lesson (haute). Thankfully, today's foods were friendly today (pico and roti, and I guess clams and roe too).

Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park is absolutely breathtaking, and I felt content to look at El Cap from the safety of the ground.


CanadianEh! said...

I forgot to vote - I’ll opt for New England Clam Chowder since Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is not on the ballot.

Tony Express said...

I too was a little perplexed by the "five" in take five. Sometimes the obvious can be obscure. Also, in my highschool is days, we called shoplifting the "Five finger discount", a misdirection on my part.

Monkey said...

Silly me, I left the first K of NICK KROLL blank not knowing that name and because (and that’s my lame excuse) I had OH I SEE, and was looking for belly button jewelry. Otherwise, in spite of not being familiar with SNATCH GAME and LONDON FOG, enjoyed this puzzle.

I liked the two fly or fish clues.

Thank goodness I’ve never had to go on a dating app.

Definitely New England clam chowder. I remember having a super delicious one on Cape Cod on a moon-lit night like last night’s.

Thank you Hahtoolah for the fun and informative review. The recording of Take Five brought back so many great memories. Love Dave Brubeck.

Anonymous said...

The NOUN "trick" and the VERB trick in the same puzzle? I would've expected an answer somewhere else that actually ties "fly" and "fish" in a more... specific way.

jamie said...

Jinkx Monsoon portraying Judy Garland on snatch game in RPDR All Stars 7 was a top 5 funniest thing I've ever seen on television. Not sure Arch Manning could be said to "play" college football after this weekend's performance hahaha

CrossEyedDave said...

I'm sorry, but I have to take a moment to re-enjoy small rivers that flow into the Nile, and the Origami help line. Classic! Thank you!

Also, listening to take five while reading was delightful...

The theme?
No problem deciphering the letters, but the whole meaning had me stumped for a while trying to figure out where the "5" came in. I felt so silly when it finally occurred to me, that it reminded me of this...

All in all, it was a smooth puzzle...

Learning moment: take 5 is also an oil change chain?

CrossEyedDave said...

Hmm,

This also reminded me of Captain Kirk, on El Capitan...

was that supposed to be some kind of pun?

Charlie Echo said...

FIR, but overall? Meh. Saved by Ha2las recap!

NaomiZ said...

Nice puzzle today, Matthew and Mark. The theme helped me with the solve, which I always appreciate. Like others here, I went from oH to AH, and relied on perps for NICK KROLL. Particularly enjoyed the fly/fish pair, and although not familiar with this type of LONDON FOG, I think I'd like it. Good Tuesday fun, enhanced by Hahtoolah. Merci!

Inanehiker said...

Another fast and fun puzzle
Living in California during college years - many trips by friends to Yosemite which has El CAPitan and Half Dome among it's sites
At first I was headed for hoch for high in the Alps but had to switch to the French HAUTE - which I think of more with HAUTE couture

I'm in the New England Clam Chowder camp - one of my favorites
Thanks Hatoolah and Matthew & Mark

Thanks for all your good wishes - Mom has been on hospice since June - she is slowly dwindling but no ETA in heaven yet! Only my brother is here so we try to have one of us in town

Anonymous said...

NOT very enjoyable -- agreed.

Lucina said...

Hola! Easy fill today, thank you, Matthew and Mark. I've never heard of SNATCH GAME, but perps were sure of it. Same with NICK KROLL.
I once had a LONDON FOG coat in size 8 so it was a very long time ago.
Only two wite-outs, changing O to A in AH, I SEE and PORTS to ISLES.
Very NICE, thank you Hahtoolah! Have a lovely day, everyone!

unclefred said...

Seems everyone zipped right through this CW; everyone but me, I guess. "Shrek's home" I thought was looking for a specific place, not just "swamp", so that slowed me down there while I worked on perps. Not familiar with "ManningCast" so Eli also needed perps, as did EOS. I have never watched RuPaul, so had no idea there. Overall, I did not have much fun with this CW. I was surprised to FIR in 16, as it seemed to take much longer. Thanx anyway, MS&MV. Hahtoolah, your write-up was the best part of this CW, thanx. I agree Brubeck had a really great quartet. I saw them live in Milwaukee way back somewhere in the early 60's. Brubeck, Desmond, Wright and Morello.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Then there's Terre HAUTE, Indiana, named from the French words for "highland." The city has an elevated view of the Wabash River valley.

AnonymousPVX said...

The best chowder is Rhode Island Clam Chowder…no milk, no tomato, just clam, broth, potato and the occasional corn or carrot.
I grew up in southern New England and have had them all.

Prof M said...

Good eye for seeing the eau, mer-ci!

Misty said...

Interesting Tuesday puzzle with both tough and easy clues, so it was fun to solve. Many thanks, Matthew and Mark, and, Hahtoolah, your pictures today were a special delight. Thanks for those too.

Well, this puzzle felt like it had a lot of games going, although I'm not sure I got what all of them are. Clearly that PINCH RUN won't be played on a table, so we should probably look into that SNATCH GAME instead. Looks like we also got some suggestions, like SWIPE LEFT, which I didn't understand, but I will TAKE FIVE in just a few minutes to give me some afternoon rest. But first I wish I could figure out where I might have a chance to try that LONDON FOG, though I I should probably just settle for some plain TEA. That might work pretty good with some CLAMS, so maybe I have a good lunch ahead.

Have a lovely afternoon, everybody.

Anonymous T said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous T said...

Hi All!

Thanks Matthew & Mark for the FIVE TAKEs. Thanks Hahtoolah for yours (TAKE) - LOL "juveNILEs" & "please fold."

WOs: N/A
ESPs: SNATCH GAME
Fav: NOUN & VERB as clued

Jamie - If Youngest was still at UT, I'd be giving her s*** about ELI's kin. BTW, ever see Matt Mitchell's SEC Roll Call?

C, Eh! Yesterday I received an email saying RUSH will be on the R50 tour next year. Being a Citi card holder, I can order tix this Friday!

New England-style in a San Francisco sourdough bread bowl is my fav chowder.

Speaking of San Francisco, one cold July I had to buy a jacket at the LONDON FOG outlet :-)

Enjoyed reading y'all!
Cheers, -T

Anonymous said...

Thankful for perps today. FIR, but unfortunately several unknowns for me made the juice not worth the squeeze.

Jayce said...

Inanehiker, I know how terrifying, sad, and heartbreaking it is to watch a person you love deteriorate in hospice (or ICU.) I deeply sympathize with you.
As for the puzzle, I liked it.
DW and I have been to Yosemite numerous times and have always been awed by it.
My vote is for "white" clam chowder.
Good reading you all.

CanadianEh! said...

I thought you would be at the front of the ticket line!

Lucina said...

I'm not sure if I've ever had CLAM chowder but then, I don't much care for seafood.