Happy Monday everyone! sumdaze here with the penultimate 2025 Monday puzzle.
Theme:
 |
| Go to the back of the line. (Note that the girl in blue is "in front", even though she is to the right in the photo.) |
We will begin with the three themed clues and answers:
20 Across. Basic lunch choice: CHEESE SANDWICH.
 |
| definitely basic |
26 Across. Art activity that comes with a key: COLOR BY NUMBER. I am more familiar with paint BY NUMBERs but apparently this is a thing. Below is an example from a book that does not tell you what the finished image will be. It is a mystery until you fill it in. (The top part is the legend or key, if you will.)
46 Across. 1986 film teen with a poor attendance record: FERRIS BUELLER. This clue references the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, starring Mathew Broderick. Here is a 1:14 min. clip documenting Ferris' poor attendance.
That is Ben Stein playing the teacher.
The unifier:
55 Across. Driving a car, or an apt description of the ends of 20-, 26-, and 46-Across: BEHIND THE WHEEL. This is an idiomatic phrase that refers to the act of driving a vehicle.
Also, the ends of the themed clues can be placed BEHIND ("after") THE (word) WHEEL to create new phrases. We now have: WHEEL CHEESE, WHEEL COLOR, and WHEEL FERRIS.
[record scratch] Wait, that cannot be right. I am pretty sure the intention was:
 |
| CHEESE WHEEL, COLOR WHEEL, and FERRIS WHEEL |
WHEEL
Then I added the word fifth like this
FIFTH WHEEL
One could say that I added the word FIFTH behind the word WHEEL. In today's puzzle, BEHIND does not mean "after". It means "in front of" ... on the printed page, that is. You might think of it as " to get in line behind" as seen in my theme illustration above.
Still not convinced? Just roll with it!
One more note... Props for FERRIS as being a word with no connection between the themed answer and the reveal.
Are you ready to bet your fortune on the remaining clues?
1. Apple Pay alternative: CASH. I was thinking of on-line purchases so CASH was the last thing on my mind.
5. Egg on: GOAD.
9. Spills the beans: BLABS.
14. Blue Buffalo competitor: ALPO. Both are brands of pet food.
15. Opposed to: ANTI. Also, ANT I was the first ruler of the colony. 😜
5. Egg on: GOAD.
9. Spills the beans: BLABS.
15. Opposed to: ANTI. Also, ANT I was the first ruler of the colony. 😜
16. Lounges: LOLLS. Def.: (intransitive verb) to act or move in a lax, lazy, or indolent manner; lounge.
Quoting from Merriam-Webster: LOLL has origins similar to another soothing verb, lull, which means "to cause to rest or sleep."
17. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES. Please enjoy this seasonal manifestation of on your TOES.
17. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES. Please enjoy this seasonal manifestation of on your TOES.
Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy from The Nutcracker
18. Yoga studio supply: MATS.
19. Large body of water: OCEAN. and 34-Down. Dot in the 19-Across: ISLE.
 |
| The British island group of Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited island on Earth. The nearest landfall is South Africa (1,750 miles / 2,816 km. east). In case you are wondering, there is no airstrip on the island. |
23. Owned: HAD.
25. Ages and ages: EON.
33. Name of 12 popes: PIUS. Pope Pius XXII passed in 1958.
35. Narc's org.: DEA. Narcotic and Drug Enforcement Administration are both abbreviated.
36. Diet that shuns processed foods: PALEO. Also known as the "caveman" diet, this eating plan centers on whole foods such as lean meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It avoids grains, legumes, dairy, sugars, and processed foods.
37. Standard connector for electronic devices: USB C. Anything I have purchased recently has this style of connector. I am glad they are moving away from the little, trapezoidal-shaped ones. I was always plugging those in up-side down. Oof!
41. Site with a Write a Review button: YELP.
42. Pet collar targets: FLEAS. and 67-Across. Exterminator's target: PEST.
 |
| Get it? "Collar" also means to arrest someone. LOL! |
44. Tea, in French: THÉ.
45. Military outpost: BASE. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but the Navy, Air Force, and Marines generally have BASEs and the Army has forts.
50. The Marlins, on scoreboards: MIA.
 |
| I like the use of negative space in their logo. |
52. "I accept!": YES.
60. Cry to someone learning to ride a bike: PEDAL. PEDAL is used as an imperative sentence here. Note the influence from the Latin word for foot as in pedestrian, expedition, and podiatrist.
61. Wetlands plant: REED. and 65-Across. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy: REID.
62. Brontë's "Jane __": EYRE. This novel was published in 1847. It follows the life of the title character, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Edward Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall.
63. Middle Schuyler sister in "Hamilton": ELIZA. Eliza is the central female character from this 2015 musical.
64. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA.
66. Change: ALTER.
68. Poems of praise: ODES.
Down:
1. Little Leaguer's warm-up activity: CATCH. Little League Baseball players begin practice by pairing up and playing an easy game of CATCH. They know if they throw a ball with full effort without first warming up, they could pull a muscle.
2. "__ 'Oe": "Lilo & Stitch" song: ALOHA. Translation: Farewell to Thee
2. "__ 'Oe": "Lilo & Stitch" song: ALOHA. Translation: Farewell to Thee
While you might not be familiar with the song, it is fair to say that solvers would know this movie is set in Hawaii -- making ALOHA a reasonable guess.
3. Competitive puzzler with quick fingers: SPEEDCUBER. They solve combination puzzles such as a Rubik's Cube. Two of the categories are fastest time and fewest moves. History of Speed Cubing
4. Garden spigot attachment: HOSE. 
5. Esports player's computer setting: GAME MODE. Esports is short for "electronic sports". They are organized, multi-player video game competitions. This 2:50 min. video gives us a taste of how huge these competitions can be.6. Spending like mad: ON A SPREE. 
7. Roti flour: ATTA. I only know this one from XWDs.
8. Mickey Mouse operation?: DISNEY. Cute.
9. Like beach balls and bouncy castles: BLOWN UP.
10. Sets of points, in math: LOCI. LOCI is the plural of locus. In math, locus is defined as the set of all points whose location is determined by stated conditions.
3. Competitive puzzler with quick fingers: SPEEDCUBER. They solve combination puzzles such as a Rubik's Cube. Two of the categories are fastest time and fewest moves. History of Speed Cubing
8. Mickey Mouse operation?: DISNEY. Cute.
9. Like beach balls and bouncy castles: BLOWN UP.
 |
| pink bouncy castle with slide |
10. Sets of points, in math: LOCI. LOCI is the plural of locus. In math, locus is defined as the set of all points whose location is determined by stated conditions.
For example, the green area of this diagram shows all of the points that are closer to Line AB than to Line AC. We can see this because a bisecting line shows us the half-way points. If you cross that half-way line, you will be closer to Line AC and will not longer satisfy the stated condition.
12. Boring: BLAH.
13. ID fig. often hidden by x's: SSN.
 |
| Remember when these were printed on checks and medical bills? |
21. Spanish seasoning: SAL.
22. Put on, as clothing: DON.
 |
| salt |
Deck the Halls
🎵 "Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la." 🎵
27. "I Love Trash" singer on "Sesame Street": OSCAR.
 |
| Who else could it be? |
 |
| link to the article that goes with this map (and a larger version of the map) |
29. Noncommittal reply: MAYBE. MAYBE 15-A. ANTI; MAYBE 52-A. YES
30. Feeling the effects of studying all night, say: BLEARY-EYED.
31. Snakelike swimmers: EELS.
32. Tug-of-war need: ROPE. Please do not play this game with EELS.
33. __ pastry: PUFF. Just in time for holiday baking, Martha discusses the difference between PUFF pastry and Phyllo Dough
39. Man cave counterparts: SHE SHEDS. A SHE SHED is a small building that has been converted into a space where a woman can be alone to do a hobby. Some are used for practicing yoga, painting, doing crafts, or reading books. They are similar to man caves in that one can go there to unwind in private.
40. Scolded loudly: YELLED AT.
 |
| Can you guess who this USMC Sergeant is yelling at? |
48. Unfair reputation: BAD RAP. an undeserved, negative reputation
49. Close to the floor: LOW.
53. Like a haunted house: EERIE.
54. Snow day toys: SLEDS.
55. End-of-class signal: BELL.
Carol of the Bells performed by LIBERA (2019)
56. Menu heading often next to File: EDIT.
57. Foggy state: HAZE.
58. Prefix with health: TELE-.
59. Gallant one: HERO. Do we have any other Big Hero 6 fans on The Corner? (2:32 min.)
60. Split __ soup: PEA. Some people make this with their leftover holiday ham.
The grid:
 |
| Rena gave us several fun answers for the Down fill. |
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
36 comments:
I don’t quite know what I
want to say about this puzzle yet, so I’m not going to post any comments until I do.
Ahhhh…”freedom”
(What a relief!)
Good morning!
Needed the reveal to see today's theme. CASH and ALPO both seem retro. Is ALPO still around? Interesting (but not fun) that 62a-65a are all proper names. Thanx Rena and Renee [sumdaze]. (SIMILAR reminds me of a quote from the late Tom Lehrer -- "Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.)
FIR, but erased fla for MIA. Guess they changed their name after my divorce from MLB.
I suspect that Charlie Echo will flesh this out a little, but a "military outpost" isn't a BASE. I think of a BASE as where the unit's muckety-mucks are, and an outpost of being some remote place that needs eyes (and guns) on location. Kinda like the 4077 M*A*S*H, but with combatants.
I just learned that PEA Soup Anderson's in Buellton, California closed last year after more than 99 years in business. I used to eat there every time I drove up north. They say that their newer restaurant near I-5 is still open, but I'm sure it doesn't have the same atmosphere.
FLN: Darren in LA, I think that "American rugby" would be a better name than "football."
Thanks to Rena for the perp-friendly Monday special. It seemed difficult at first, but after a few footholds I found it to be pretty easy. A gallows humor fan would have appreciated "like beach balls and Space Shuttle Challenger" for BLOWN UP. And thanks to sumdaze for another fine tour.
Took 5:19 today to enter my pin.
Did we need to clue "the" as a French word?
On a Monday?
Relatedly, I didn't know the Spanish seasoning (sal) or Zulu language (Bantu).
Check out the [December 8, 2009](https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=12/8/2009) New York Times puzzle. You're going to hate it. (The link shows the solved grid)
...oh, you can't use links like that on Blogger. Noted.
This breezed along with a little crunch here and there.
I thought of the theme a little simpler than SD - the first words are all WHEELs(CHEESE, COLOR, FERRIS) so all the ends of the theme answers are BEHIND THE WHEEL
We just got new phones that use USB-C charging - so all our other chargers are now e-junk
Thanks Renee for the fun blog and Rena for the puzzle
I don't think of GAME MODE as a computer setting, but rather a setting in the game itself. For example, in Mario Kart games you can pick between Grand Prix "mode" (race against computer-controlled characters) or Time Trial mode (on your own, get through a track as fast as you can).
FIR. I had no problems with the solve. In fact I sped through it in record time. And then I sat puzzling over the reveal and how it applied to the "ends" of the long answers (?). It seems to me the reveal is worded inaccurately. Please enlighten me if I am missing something. Shouldn't the reveal be about the starts of the long answers? The word wheel seems to follow the starts of the long answers.
Despite this apparent confusion, this was an enjoyable puzzle.
A little crunchy for a Monday, but still fast and easy. Only speed cuber was new to me. I have no quibble with the reveal which was easily apparent. My immediate take on it was like Inane Hiker's.
I read in the morning paper that 30% of his year's gift buying is expected to be cash. I bought 90% of my gifts online, so that was all credit.
I loved the boy choir.
AI says, "A military base is a secure, owned facility for housing troops, equipment, and vehicles, serving as a hub for training, operations, and logistics, essentially a self-sufficient mini-city with housing." "Yes, the U.S. Army has numerous bases, known as installations, both within the United States (CONUS) and overseas (OCONUS), serving as vital hubs for training, operations, and housing."
Good Morning:
No idea of the theme until the reveal which, IMO, is confusing and goes against the typical cluing for this type of gimmick. OTOH, I was also confused by Speed Cuber because I was fixated on speed solvers of crossword puzzles, so maybe the fault is in my stars, not the author’s. There were a few potholes to slow me down, such as, USBC, Bantu, Loci, etc., but the fair and obvious perps worked their magic, so no complaints. Overall, a quick and pleasant solve, confusion and all.
Thanks, Rena, and thanks, sumdaze, for several learning moments and several chuckles, e.g., the Beans cartoon, the Mochi chase, the Flea and Tick Collar. Also enjoyed The Nutcracker excerpt. (Coincidentally, I saw lots of ballot in a series, Bunheads, that I started watching last night.)
Have a great day.
FIR but got lucky with The and Bantu. Confusing reveal.
Musings
-Replacing the leftovers of the gimmick answers is a nifty way to use the reveal!
-There are many places where using CASH is no longer allowed
-Nolan Ryan’s high and inside fastball kept hitters on their TOES
-This Ukranian song about a swallow bringing good luck was written 20 years before the lyrics became The Carol Of The Bells.
-Always a fun review, Sumdaze.
A cute Monday with fun phrases for the theme. SPEED CUBER was my only unknown and frankly sounds like an unnecesssry word. I did enjoy the Renee Rena combo, thank you both
Oops. I messed up the NW. I had piTCH for CATCH and had no idea what Blue Buffalo was. The rest filled fairly easily in spite of the many proper names that I didn’t know like MIA, ELIZA, REID, and OSCAR, well actually I knew the latter but at first I had USB p, when I substituted the C, I recognized OSCAR. Then had to switch Bum for BAD.
Once I made my corrections, I had to figure out the theme which took a while but I finally noticed the WHEELS. I’ve always loved the movie FERRIS BUELLER. I watched it again a few months ago.
Thank you sumdaze. Great review and links.
When the first toehold is the clue "Roti flour," you've got a crunchy Monday. FIR and enjoyed it, except for the backwards reveal. Thanks, Rena and Sumdaze!
Good morning! I have been curious as to what others would think of the reveal. I kept asking myself if I was overthinking it. (For instance, I always have trouble figuring out which knob goes with which burner on my stovetop. DH knows if I say to "turn left" at the next intersection that I probably mean to "turn right".) I like Inanehiker@8:06 's explanation.
Started off a little crunchy, but finish ok by following the signs...
Decent puzzle, but definitely not a Monday.
Not a Monday.
So, I thought I’d
finally weigh in. The general consensus, which I agree with, is that this puzzle was a little “crunchy” for a Monday.
But anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of Alpo as a "competitor" of Blue Buffalo.
Hi All!
My first swing at the puzzle didn't go very well. Once my BLEARY EYES awoke a second time, I finished w/o issue. The theme popped out at FERRIS.
Thanks Rena for the morning diversion - all meetings today are cancelled so I needed something to do :-)
Another fun review, sumdaze. Gomer Pyle is getting YELLED AT @40d and I remember when our grades were posted next to our SSNs on the professor's door. The FLEA collar comic is funny.
WOs: fOCI, USBs
ESPs: THE as clued, ELIZA
Fav: FERRIS BUELLER - that was me Sr. year of HS. DW (to be) would call as my aunt and get me out of class so we could spend afternoons together :-)
The ends of the themers are BEHIND the wheel as the clue for 55a states.
GAME MODE - y'all remember the "Turbo" Button so you could play older games designed for the slower 8086 chips?
Inanehiker - don't throw away those old cables just yet. I had to charge my Ring doorbell a couple of months back and noticed all my cables were suddenly USB-C(?). I spent an hour+ hunting for a mini-USB cable.
Cheers! -T
100% agree.
I'm bet you meant "ballet" not "ballot". Probably auto-f...up hard at work.
Thanks for the advice - Inanehiker!
Dang. Did the CW pen-on-paper, but forgot to note my start time. I did FIR, best guess 10 minutes ish. Only 11 names, and only DNK 2, so for once I won't complain about the names. I do have a complaint about the theme, though. The ends of 20, 26 and 46 across are: SANDWICH, NUMBER, and BUEHLER. What they have to do with driving a car, or being behind the wheel, remains a mystery to me. Other than that, a nice Wednesday-on-a-Monday CW. Thanx, RC. Thanx too to Sumdaze for the fine write up, including turning into a pretzel to try to rationalize the theme.
There's still an Andersen's in Santa Nella on Interstate 5 -- which is far more of a restaurant ghetto than Buellton (as fans of "Sideways" know).
I'll have to rewatch Sideways. It's been a couple of decades since I saw it, and all I remember is wine tasting and Sandra Oh. Oh, be still by heart.
Yeah, but can't "end" be either "rear end" or head end?"
Are you quoting from a person named Al or are you quoting Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)?
McCord AFB and Fort Lewis outside Tacoma, WA have been merged and renamed Joint Base Lewis McCord.
1) I'd be careful with AI without a second source. I've gotten more bogus answers than correct ones. (I don't need it for obvious answers, and nuanced answers are often nonsense.)
2) Having said that, I agree with what it spit out about "base." Much different than "outpost," which definitely isn't a self-sufficient mini-city, at least in my so-called mind.
LOL, unclefred@11:53. That is exacting how my brain felt - like a pretzel. In the END, I think the theme was simpler than what I thought. Grateful to all the XWD experts on The Corner for tying up those Loose ENDs.
I remember the "turbo" buttons, although none of my machines had one. I find it interesting that even with today's processors, some hobbyists still overclock their CPUs.
What I remember about the 286/386 years is that in Excel or Project, the user would make a change or addition to the data and then watch while the machine caught up with its recalculations. These days Project can recalculate a 20,000 task project so fast the user can't discern any lag. But Project and Excel still allow the user to turn off automatic recalculating, although I doubt there are many applications for that feature.
I agree about outpost, Jinx. A friend of mine used to say when we were sent on outpost (daytime) or listening post (night) "you realize that we're out here so the rest of the platoon will know they're coming after the kill us, don't you?"
Post a Comment