Monday December 1, 2025 Katherine Simonson

  

Welcome to December, everyone! sumdaze here with a truly SPECIAL episode of   <dramatic pause>   The Crossword Corner.

Theme:  

If you are wondering, "What's the deal with today's puzzle?", skip ahead with me to the reveal:  

58 Across. Snarky response to a boast, and what can be said about the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: ISN'T THAT SPECIAL.  

In other words, the ends of the themed clues fit the pattern SPECIAL _____.

Dana Carvey being snarky as The Church Lady on SNL 

Now let's see how this gimmick works on the themed answers: 

17 Across. *Belongings: PERSONAL EFFECTS.  

SPECIAL EFFECTS are illusions created for movies and television by props, camerawork, computer graphics, etc.  

an example of campy SFX in a movie

23 Across. *Grow, as a savings account: EARN INTEREST.  

A SPECIAL INTEREST group is a group of people or an organization seeking or receiving special advantages, typically through political lobbying.  

39 Across. *Gas station convenience store chain: CIRCLE K.  

SPECIAL K cereal has been around since 1955. It was the first cereal fortified with seven vitamins and iron.  

CIRCLE K and SPECIAL K

50 Across. *Philosophical concept concerning the moral code of the universe: NATURAL ORDER.  NATURAL ORDER is the orderly system comprising the physical universe and functioning according to natural (as distinguished from human or supernatural) laws.

A SPECIAL ORDER is a request for a customized item, like the one in this Burger King jingle from the 1970s:  

Hold the pickle. Hold the lettuce. SPECIAL ORDERs don't upset us.  🎵🎵

I really liked Katherine's theme set! Let's see what other SPECIAL sauce she put into today's grid:

Across:

1. South American capital city with a namesake legume: LIMA.  I did not know that they are the same LIMA. Get all the facts here.

5. Tells a white lie: FIBS.  

9. Resist authority: REBEL.

14. Many a North African: ARAB.

15. Foot or furlong: UNIT.  Both are UNITs of measure.

16. Fill with joy: ELATE.  OTOH, to fill with air is to "infLATE".

20. Capitol Hill VIP: SEN.  Very Important Person and SENator  

21. "Well, gosh!": GEE.  

22. Small talk: CHAT.  

28. Small caves: GROTTOS.  

Italy's Blue Grotto is along the Capri Coast.

29. South Korean capital: SEOUL.  12 Interesting Facts about Seoul (with pictures!)

32. Fires up, as an engine: REVS.  Listen for the engine REVS in the Shangri-Las' 1964 song, Leader of the Pack.   

33. Stair climber's aid: RAIL.  

36. Bert's "Sesame Street" roommate: ERNIE.  In this 2 min. video, Bert and Ernie remind us that we are all SPECIAL.  

38. Summer on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  This is the French word for summer.  

It looks so Nice!

41. Compadre: PAL.

42. Body midsection: TORSO.

44. Headquarters: SEAT.  Think "County SEAT".

45. Minute __ orange juice: MAID.

46. "__ mio": classic Italian love song: O SOLE.  I have linked the Pavarotti version in previous blogs. Today I am opting for this 1967 jaunty instrumental version. (Details can be found in the video.)  

48. General unease: MALAISE.  Def.:  (noun) a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being.

53. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA.

56. Forensic sci. specialty: CSI.  science and Crime Scene Investigation

57. Snatch: NAB.

64. Assumed name: ALIAS.

65. Equipment: GEAR.

66. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.  I'll be there later this week.

67. "__ luck!": LOTSA.  This is informal speech for "lots of". It might not always be said with sincere intentions.

68. Best Comeback Athlete, e.g.: ESPY.  ESPN presents annual ESPY awards to athletes.

69. Whole bunch: SLEW.  There have been a SLEW of ESPY winners.  website

Down:

1. Once around the track: LAP.

2. Outrage: IRE.

3. Exploratory vehicles on the red planet: MARS ROVERS.  There have been six successful robotically operated MARS ROVERS. This 2 min. video presents a possible next generation MARS ROVER -- a tumbleweed rover. I'm a fan of biomimetic ideas! 

4. Removes (oneself): ABSENTS.  Def.:  (verb) to keep (oneself) away.

5. "Sounds like a good time!": FUN.  This was a FUN answer!

Here is the 2011 song, We Are Young by the band named FUN.  

6. Once __ lifetime: IN A.  

7. Hogwash: BILGE.  I only knew this word in connection to boats (BILGE pump).  

This is a screenshot from the Merriam-Webster website.

8. Cattle ranch animal: STEER.  

9. NBA official: REF.  

10. Qualified voter: ELECTOR.  Merriam-Webster gives us three definitions. The first relates to this clue and the third was niche so I thought I would include it for your entertainment.

Def. #1:  a person qualified to vote in an election.

Def. #3:   any of the German princes entitled to take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor.

11. "Brandenburg Concertos" composer: BACH.  Speaking of German noblemen...Johannes Sebastian Bach [1685-1750] presented the Brandenburg Concertos to one. It is a collection of six pieces given to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721. The original title translates to Six Concertos for several instruments. They are now known as the Brandenburg Concertos. You can listen to Concerto No. 3 by clicking the video below.  

12. Jazz vocalist James: ETTA.

13. "__ we forget": LEST.  

18. "I'm taking care of that": ON IT.

19. Add-on charges: FEES.  

23. White marsh bird: EGRET.  EGRETs are wading birds, closely related to herons. These clever birds have comb-like serrations on the edges of their middle claws which help them to preen feathers they cannot reach with their beaks.  this and more

24. Unimaginative retort: ARE, TOO.

25. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  

You can buy it in sheets, ready to roll.

26. Bygone Russian rulers: TSARS.

27. "__ and ye shall find": SEEK.  

30. Debt collector's target: UNPAID BILL.

31. Be a go-between: LIAISE.  Liaise rhymes with "ablaze". It is a back formation of "liaison". With all of those vowels, you probably already know it comes to us from French. 

34. Winter road hazard: ICE.

35. Alpaca kin: LLAMA.  I had lunch with this mama alpaca and her 2-day old cria when I was on my cycling vacation. Nancy, the owner of the farm, gave us a lovely tour. 

37. Respected leader: ELDER.

39. Pepsi or Coke: COLA.  sOdA  🠆  COLA

40. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

43. Hyundai sedans: SONATAS.  Hyundai has been making these mid-sized cars since 1985.  Wiki says it was named after the musical term. BTW, their SEAT is in SEOUL.

45. Salsa percussion pair: MARACAS.  

Is this Joe Manganiello?

47. Inscribe with acid: ETCH.

49. Unique: LONE.  

51. Factor in battery life: USAGE.

52. Ceremonial acts: RITES.

53. Money in Iran: RIAL.  We also had its anagram RAIL today. Furthermore, "Iran" and "RIAL" are 75% anagrams.

54. Norway home of the Munch Museum: OSLO.  The Munch Museum opened in 2021. It contains a staggering amount of Munch-related pieces. The building itself is also very interesting. Watch this 4:19 min. video to see what I mean.  

Note #1:  Try to spot the swimmer at 3:49 in the very bottom, left corner.

(I looked it up. In its warmest month, that water is 61°F.)

Note #2:  The sculpture in the water at 3:53 is She Lies.

55. Peevish state: SNIT.  Def.:  (noun) a state of agitation.

I would advise against accusing someone of being in a SNIT. If they were not already, they will likely be in a SNIT after your accusation.

59. Agcy. that x-rays bags: TSA.  agency and Transportation Security Administration

60. Sticky tree juice: SAP.

61. Snoop: PRY.

62. Stopped fasting: ATE.  In a way, we stop fasting every morning. The word breakfast comes to us from a Middle English phrase that means "to break one's fast; end abstinence from food".

63. Blue: LOW.  as in "sad"

The grid:  

Katherine's grid has 61 themed letters. Wow!

That's all for today. Have a great week, everyone!