Sunday November 23, 2025 Adam Simpson & Katie Hale

Theme: "THE MATH AIN'T MATHING" - Each math term is rephrased as a non-math concept.

22. Allocation of royal flags before the King's speech?: STANDARD DISTRIBUTION.

33. Consideration when switching religions?: CONVERSION FACTOR. Mardia was baptized at 16 in a river back in Liberia. She's now preparing to convert to Catholicism. My classmate Mary grew up Catholic but explored other faiths as an adult. Both of them have to do their confessions before they’re confirmed next Easter. I don't. Yay!

58. San Andreas Fault?: LONG DIVISION.

67. Lab surface for a geneticist?: MULTIPLICATION TABLE.

78. Birth announcement?: ADDITION SIGN.

99. Show tune that makes no sense?: IRRATIONAL NUMBER.

118. FOMO, for "Fear of Missing Out," e.g.?: SIMPLIFIED EXPRESSION.

I like this playful turn of phrase throughout the set. A broad range of math vocabulary. The clues are key to this type of rephrasing theme, and they all land humorously. 

Heavy themage. Total 115 squares. 

Can you read this page?  It says Adam is Canadian living in San Francisco. Video game designer.  And you'll know Katie, assistant to Patti and generous mentor to many newbies.  

Across:

1. Sermon giver: PASTOR. Sigh, my Pastor Mark sounds like Pasta Mark. 

7. Cold water entry, maybe: PLUNGE.

13. Part of a Sheets or Slides username: GMAIL.

18. "Gimme, gimme!": I NEED IT.

20. No-handed cartwheel: AERIAL. Aerial cartwheel. 

21. PD rank: SARGE.

25. "Curses": DAMN.

26. Stripes partners: STARS.

27. Ending for sub-: URB.

28. Units of pop: LITERS.

29. __ first-name basis: ON A.

30. Auto repair chain: MAACO.

31. MacGraw of "The Winds of War": ALI.

32. Like puppies: CUTE.

37. Laotian pork salad: LARB. Our local Asia store has freshly-made larb. 

41. Beer merchant selection: ALE.

42. Light touch: PAT.

43. Overnight __: OATS.

45. Big cat in the sky: LEO.

46. "If You __ Been There": Dolly Parton track: HADN'T.

49. Comedian Lydic: DESI. New DESI angle! 

51. Popcorn seasoning: SALT.

53. Boat bodies: HULLS.

55. Sushi-grade tuna: AHI.

56. Part of a bedding bundle: SHAM.

61. Brand name derived from the Danish for "play well": LEGO.

63. Gulf State leader: EMIR.

65. Small waterway: RIA.

66. St. __: English surf town: IVES.

73. Beseeched: PLED.

74. Nice negation: NON. Nice the city.

75. Rose Bowl org.: NCAA.

76. Days of __: YORE.

83. "Go no farther": HALT.

85. Chivalrous title: SIR.

86. Old news source: CRIER.

87. Facial treatment: PEEL.

88. Pokémon that evolves into Lairon: ARON. Another new cluing angle.

90. Total: UTTER.

92. Damage: MAR.

93. On a transatlantic crossing: ASEA.

95. African grazer: GNU.

96. "U almost here?": ETA.

97. CPR experts: EMTS.

107. Forearm bone: ULNA.

109. Beseech: BEG.

110. Treacherous schemes: SCAMS.

111. "__ got to hand it to you": I'VE.

112. Fictional island paradise: UTOPIA.

115. Early AOL rival: MSN.

116. "Ya fell for it!": SUCKA. Sucker.

117. "Bring on the weekend!" letters: TGIF.

122. Stink: SMELL.

123. Dark horse and sitting duck: IDIOMS.

124. Element with atomic number 33: ARSENIC.

125. Actress Rapp: RENEE.

126. Up to this point: TIL NOW.

127. Come to terms, in a way: SETTLE.

Down:

1. Italian sculptor Nicola: PISANO. Learning moment for me. Wikipedia says "Pisano is sometimes considered to be the founder of modern sculpture."

2. Diminutive Marvel hero: ANTMAN.

3. "Temperature" rapper __ Paul: SEAN.

4. Q tile score in Scrabble: TEN.

5. "If I had to guess ... ": ODDS ARE.

6. Rawhide ropes: RIATAS.

7. Rollerblading gear: PADS.

8. Luau adornment: LEI.

9. Disney villain with a garden of trapped merpeople: URSULA. Scary.

10. __ acid: NITRIC.

11. Apparel: GARB.

12. "Hostel" director Roth: ELI.

13. Aviator's outfit: G SUIT.

14. Toymaking giant: MATTEL.

15. Singer India.__: ARIE.

16. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.

17. Binoculars part: LENS.

19. "Last Call" singer Braxton: TRACI. Toni's sister.

23. Turns down?: DROOPS.

24. Say impulsively, with "out": BLURT.

25. __ Hopper: "The Muppet Movie" villain: DOC.  Another learning moment.

30. Gooey sammies: MELTS.

31. Toward the stern: AFT.

32. South American kin of a raccoon: COATI.

34. The Mystery Machine, e.g.: VAN. "Scooby Doo!".

35. __ polish: NAIL.

36. "__ you so!": TOLD.

38. "We can't come back from this!": ALL IS LOST.

39. Change ZIP codes: RELO.

40. Chief on deck: BOSN.

44. Deity of destruction: SHIVA. "The Destroyer".

46. A.I. of 1960s cinema: HAL.

47. "Beg pardon": AHEM.

48. Look for a scandal: DIG UP DIRT.

49. Like a wrung-out cloth: DAMP.

50. Expressionist painter Nolde: EMIL.

51. Tantrum: SNIT.

52. Over: AGAIN.

54. Groceries date: USE BY.

57. Supermodel Klum: HEIDI.

59. Red-haired ape: ORANG.

60. Like major organs: VITAL.

62. Jump on board?: OLLIE. Skateboard. I also like the clue for 95. Stand-up job?: GIG.

64. Step on a shampoo bottle: RINSE.

68. Neon-striped fish: TETRA.

69. Loopy shape: COIL.

70. Uno m s siete: OCHO.

71. Tikka masala side: NAAN.

72. Cedar Point expanse: ERIE.

77. Fail to hit save before closing, e.g.: ERR.

78. Fictional company with wacky products: ACME.

79. Wee drink: DRAM.

80. Verdi's realm: OPERA.

81. On one's doorstep: NEAR.

82. Second intro?: NANO.

84. "Black Swan" costumes: TUTUS.

89. Accumulates: RUNS UP.

91. Aberdeen topper: TAM.

94. Biblical mount: SINAI.

96. As a group: EN MASSE.

98. Pliant: SUPPLE.

100. Rappel, in British parlance: ABSEIL. Descend by rope. One more learning moment.

101. Achilles __: TENDON.

102. West African capital: ACCRA.

103. Los Angeles cagers: LAKERS.

104. Shell industry: BIG OIL.

105. Reveal clearly: EVINCE.

106. Call maker: REF.

108. French city that sounds small: LILLE.

112. Cold War rival, initially: USSR.

113. Proctor's call: TIME.

114. Harbinger: OMEN.

115. Skirt that falls around the shin: MIDI.

116. Austin, TX, festival: SXSW. South by Southwest.

117. Add a bit of color: TINT.

119. Go together well: FIT.

120. Angsty genre: EMO.

121. Ready to go: SET.

C.C.

Saturday, November 22, 2025, Dr. Ed Sessa

 Saturday Themeless by Ed Sessa

Seeing Dr. Sessa's byline made me feel confident that I would have a pleasant and engaging solve and that proved to be true for my 13th Sessa puzzle blog. Anything that was new or unusual had plenty of escape avenues and after a lovely 17 minute excursion I earned a "got 'er done".

Across:

1. Farmer's dozen: FRESH EGGS.

10. Brightly colored Arita ware: IMARI - IMARI porcelain is made in the town of Arita in Japan,  though it is named after the port of Imari where the wares were historically shipped.

  

15. Bubble Wrap alternative: AIR PILLOW.

16. Violet shade: LILAC.

17. Memorabilia from the Great White North: CANADIANA - We have Americana and Canada has Canadiana, a term used to describe things (e.g., books, historical documents, works of art, music and artifacts), ideas, or activities that concern or are distinctive of Canada, its peoples, and/or its culture, especially works of literature and other cultural products.

18. Guitar legend Van Halen: EDDIE.

19. Jolly pair?: ELS - Meta cluing, Jolly has two "L's"

20. "Mad Men" types: AD REPS.

22. Fuse with heat: WELD.

23. Popeye's __'Pea: SWEE - The original characters

24. Lawn machines: MOWERS.

26. Bouquets: AROMAS.

29. Some military caps: KEPIS - I always think of this guy

30. Pass on: RELAY - Sometimes it comes back to you

31. Near-perfect ballgame: ONE HITTER - In 1995 Paul Menhart of the Toronto Blue Jays pitched a ONE-HITTER but lost the game 1- 0 as the only hit was a home run by Oriole Harold Baines.

35. Day of March madness: IDES.

36. Russian refusals: NYETS.

37. Sine qua non: NEED.

38. Shelties' shelters: DOG HOUSES.

40. One-named singer dubbed the "First Lady of Crunk & B": CIARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

41. __ in: intrudes: BUTTS.

42. Software shortcuts: MACROS.

43. Figure in the knight time?: SQUIRE 😀

45. Give credit to: CITE.

46. Figure on many a flag: STAR - Of course Texas features a lone star

47. Leafy spots: ARBORS - An ARBOR at the home of J. Sterling Morton, the founder of ARBOR Day,  in Nebraska City, NE.

49. Tallahassee inst.: FSU.

52. Argentine dance: TANGO.

54. Folks who are rotten to the core: BAD APPLES.

56. Tribal leader: ELDER.

57. Rare blood type: A-NEGATIVE.

58. Oft-poached fruit: PEARS.

59. Floral additive to Turkish delight and gulab jamun: ROSE WATER.

  

 

Down:

1. Portrait subject: FACE - Legend has it that this FACE belonged to Mona (my lady) Lisa (del Giocondo)

2. Capital of Oman: RIAL - $2.60 

3. Gray sea eagles: ERNS.

4. Massage center: SPA.

5. Secreted: HID AWAY.

6. Says "coulda, woulda, shoulda," say: ELIDES 😀

7. Intimidating look: GLARE.

8. Used up: GONE.

9. Free trade zones?: SWAP MEETS 😀

10. __-de-France: ILE - Literally, the name "Island of France" for the territory of Paris. It was derived from its being bordered by the rivers Seine, Oise and Marne (tributaries of the Seine) and Beuvronne (a tributary of the Marne), which surround it like an island.

11. Stereotype associated with a region of the United States: MIDWEST NICE - We tend to be that way

12. Tree with catkins: ALDER.

13. Small wading birds: RAILS - Miraculously, I recalled RAILS which kept me out of the possible natick at IMARI/RAILS. Hmmm... I wonder how many RIALS RAILS cost? 😀

14. Frosted: ICED.

21. Former frosh: SOPHS.

23. Order that requires a superhot griddle: SMASH BURGER - It starts as a round ball and then...

25. Nintendo game console: WII - WII golf in a nursing home

26. Saharan: ARID.

27. Let result, in tennis: REDO - If a serve hits but gets over the net in VB play continues and there is no REDO.

28. Cassini of fashion: OLEG - OLEG was Jackie's official designer but this suit she wore 62 years ago today was by Chanel. This famous pink dress is stored in the National Archives and will not be on display until 2103. Her pillbox hat has been lost.

29. End of a lap: KNEES 😀

31. Spot to order Kumamotos: OYSTER BAR - At 10 o'clock below

32. Rend: TEAR.

33. Architect Saarinen: EERO - Some of his many designs 

34. Iron reqs., e.g.: RDAS.

36. Dietary product prefix: NUTRA - 

"Nutra" is a common abbreviation for nutraceuticals

, which are products derived from food sources that provide extra health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease

39. "Okay by moi": OUI.

40. Dupe: CATS PAW - A fable where a monkey tricks the CAT into using his PAW to retrieve chestnuts from the fire while he eats them as they come out.

42. Sleight of land?: MIRAGE 😀 A nice play on words land/hand 

43. Like many bad jokes: STALE.

44. Post-lecture sesh: Q AND A - A Q AND A session with 7th graders will yield many hands. With seniors, not so much.

45. Programs: CODES - We have many CODERS in our merry little cwd bunch.

46. March part: STEP.

48. Baja bath: BAÑO - Sometimes you don't really need a bath...

49. Move like a monarch: FLIT 😀

50. Golf legend Ballesteros: SEVE - Seve Ballesteros est un golfeur professionnel espagnol.

51. One logging on: USER.

53. Scrubs ctrs.: ORS.

55. School org.: PTA.