Thursday November 5, 2026 Emily Biegas

We last saw Emily Biegas on a Saturday in August. Today she has me seeing RED.

56. Many a house wine, or what can be found in each set of circled letters: RED BLEND. A RED BLEND is a domestic wine that is made from a range of grape varieties. It also reveals that each of the following themers features a RED wine inside circled letters that have been BLENDed (scrambled).

17. Destination for a team bus: AWAY GAME. GAMAY is an easy-drinking wine that’s light and refreshing.

25. Hair product that often contains cornstarch: DRY SHAMPOO. SYRAH is a robust red wine with intense fruity flavors.

34. Dried or fried fruity snacks: PLANTAIN CHIPS. CHIANTI is a dry, medium-bodied red wine made from Sangiovese grapes, Italy's most widely grown variety.

47. Extremely terse voicemail message: CALL ME BACK. MALBEC is a hearty wine that pairs well with meats.

Note: CHIANTI is made from the Sangiovese grape.

Unfortunately for Emily, I'm a teetotaler and wasn't familiar with most of these. I know they will be second nature to our oenophiles (wine connoisseurs) out there, but I only deciphered CHIANTI without help. The whole gist of this puzzle revolves around familiarity with wine, so all it's grapes are in one basket. I did an informal poll of friends during the week. MALBEC seems to be fairly common, and there was some familiarity with SYRAH, although a few confused it with Petite Sirah, which is different (See? I'm learning about wine!). But there was almost no recognition of GAMAY.

Sorry about whining today, but this one took way to long to unscramble after FIR. GRR! I had to dig into the Google to find these wine varieties, which wasn't fun. It just may be sour grapes, but this seems like an example of clever for the constructor doesn't equal pleasure for the solver. I'm sure others will find this more to their taste.

Let's pour over the rest:

Across:

1. "So mad!": GRR. 

4. Fill up: SATE.

8. Curses: DOOMS.

13. Filmmaker Ang: LEE. This Oscar-winner's name is a favorite in the Crossword Hall of Fame.

14. Mosque leader: IMAM.

15. Hosts: EMCEES.

17. [theme]

19. "Don't panic": BE CALM. 

20. Italian city with a big Fashion Week: MILAN.

21. Significant phase: ERA.

23. Pico de __: GALLO. Favorite salsa of Ernest & Julio?

But please don't drink and drive!

24. Proper partner: PRIM.

25. [theme]

27. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" writer David: SEDARIS. David SEDARIS is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor.
 

29. Faux follower: PAS. Literally a "false step," a faux PAS is a socially awkward or embarrassing act or remark - like ordering red wine with fish. The horror!

30. Furrow: RUT.

31. Ad __ committee: HOC.

32. Corral: PEN.

33. Anya's "The Queen's Gambit" role: BETH. Usually Anya is the answer, not the clue, because of the useful xword letters in her name (REFER to Ang LEE and Bobby ORR).

Anya Taylor-Joy

34. [theme]

38. Some pub pints: ALES. 

39. "20/20" network: ABC. The American Broadcasting Company.

40. "Yikes": OOF. ACH!

41. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

42. "Give __ try!": IT A. OOF.

43. Bike alternative: SCOOTER.

47. [theme]

50. Show up: COME.

51. Central Plains people: OTOES. The tribe is simply the OTOE. In plural it means two or more of their members.

52. German "Bah!": ACH.

53. Sasha Obama's sister: MALIA. They're all grown up!

Sasha (27, on left) and Malia (25).

54. Emmy-winning drama with primarily Japanese dialogue: SHOGUN. This REFERs to the newest version of James Clavell’s 1975 bestselling novel. The 1980 mini-series starring Richard Chamberlain also won Emmys. 

1980 vs. 2024

56. [theme]

58. El __ tequila: TESORO. El TESORO is "The Treasure" in Spanish. All these unknown alcoholic beverages today made this puzzle more difficult.

59. "Bugonia" actress Stone: EMMA. EMMA likes quirky characters, and so does the Academy. She's taken home two Best Actress Oscars.

Emma plays a CEO suspected of being an alien in Bugonia.

60. Mama deer: DOE. Not to be confused with Mommie Dearest!

Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in 1981.

61. Direct (to): REFER. 

62. Min. parts: SECS. Seconds are minute parts of minutes. 

63. Bruins great Bobby: ORR. The Hall-of-Famer is also in the Crosswords HOF for "Most Popular Hockey Name."

Down:

1. Stays in a heated yurt, perhaps: GLAMPS. I wanted SWEATS, but it turns out that GLAMPS is a portmanteau for "glamorous camping."

2. Alter, as neural pathways: REWIRE. I think I'll sign up for this.

3. Passport alternative for U.S. domestic travelers: REAL ID. A REAL ID is a federally compliant driver's license or state-issued identification card. A passport is still required for international travel.

4. Talk with one's hands?: SIGN. As one using ASL, American SIGN Language.

5. Reddit session with a celeb guest: AMA. Ask Me Anything.

6. Some big animal handlers: TAMERS. Here's the MGM lion being filmed for their classic movie intros. I hope TAMERS were nearby.

Open a little wider...that's it. Now give me a big roar!

7. Nail file material: EMERY.

8. Food blogger Perelman: DEB. DEB Perelman is a New York City-based writer and cook behind the beloved and unpretentious food blog, Smitten Kitchen. 

I'll bet she knows her RED BLENDS.

9. Some fatty acids: OMEGAS.

10. Thinker with a "razor": OCCAM. The first metal razors appeared around 3000 BC. I think.

11. Cook for the week ahead, say: MEAL PREP. MEAL PREP is the practice of planning, cooking, and portioning meals ahead of time. I was thinking MEAL PLAN at first.

12. People accused of losing artistic integrity: SELLOUTS. Artists allegedly become SELLOUTS when they change their style or sound to appeal to a mainstream commercial audience. But the economic reality of  making a living or shifting personal creativity often drives these changes.

16. Slick: SMOOTH.

18. Some motorcycles and keyboards: YAMAHAS. I'm impressed that YAMAHA can produce such a diverse line of products, including guitars, and they are all generally excellent.

22. Setting of the annual Food & Wine Classic: ASPEN. More wine! I almost wrote EPCOT, where their annual International Food & Wine Festival is a fun time, even for non-drinkers.

25. Use voice-to-text technology: DICTATE.

26. "Round Midnight" Oscar winner Herbie: HANCOCK. A child prodigy, Herbie has written numerous jazz standards, played with every jazz great, and has won every major award. He is a monster on keyboards. Looking him up today, I learned he graduated with degrees in music and electrical engineering. Amazing. No wonder he was an early adopter of synthesizers.

Herbie's 1973 jazz fusion record Head Hunters was instrumental in shaping my musical tastes.

28. Baseball analyst Darling: RON. Hawaiian-born RON Darling is a former Major League Baseball pitcher (Golden Glove in 1989) and a longtime Emmy Award-winning broadcaster.

32. Quick snapshot: PIC. "Quick" because the answer is an abbreviation of "picture."

33. Like some lenses: BIFOCAL.

34. Vegan-friendly fabric: PLEATHER. Another portmanteau, this time Plastic meets Leather. PLEATHER is synthetic material made from PVC, but if you're against cruelty to animals, why would you buy something that fools people into thinking you're wearing the real thing?

35. Blow off steam: LET LOOSE.

36. Addis __, Ethiopia: ABABA. Addis ABABA is the capital and largest city in Ethiopia. 

37. "Oh, boo-__!": HOO.

38. Without markup: AT COST. I occasionally sell something to a customer AT COST. As a rule, that's not a successful business strategy, but sometimes it's worth the goodwill it creates.

42. "No doubt in my mind": I'M SURE. 

43. Plot: SCHEME.

44. Lake Erie port: TOLEDO. 

45. Key related to G major: E MINOR. Both keys share the same key signature with one sharp (F#). They just start on different places on the keyboard.

46. Bookworm: READER.

48. __ lamb: LEG OF. In the words of the immortal Splynter, this is a twurd. 

49. Griffith Park's 4,210+: ACRES. Griffith Park, home to the Griffith Observatory, is famous for being one of the largest municipal parks and urban wilderness areas in North America, as well as a major cultural and film landmark in Los Angeles.

The iconic Hollywood Sign is inside the park

53. Wharton degs.: MBAS. A Master of Business Administration degree was once the springboard to an executive career, but it's automatic return on investment has declined due to high costs and shifting job markets, especially in the tech sector.

55. Neither partner: NOR.

57. Rap trio Run-__: DMC. Considered one of the most influential acts in the history of hip-hop, Run-DMC was created from the stage names of its founding members: Run (Joseph Simmons) and DMC (Darryl McDaniels). Their third member was Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) who didn't get in on the title for some reason.

The angry one is Jay - because they didn't include his name?

Fun way to get your own rap name: Combine "Lil" + the last thing you ate. I'm Lil Banana. What's yours?

Be good. RB

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 - Ricky J. Sirois

 

 Theme: "Scary-go-round"

 

First off, my apologies for this recap being as brief as it is.  I have been traveling across the country to meet with family and friends and had just a fleeting moment to throw this together before today ...

Puzzling thoughts:

Ricky J Sirois is no stranger to the followers of the LA Times Crossword Corner as he has had several puzzles published here as well as @ NY Times, and perhaps others.  Not much out there on him via Google, but if you'd like to know how much $ he made as an assistant director of Library Sciences, please click on the hyperlink above

Today's puzzle is somewhat timely as the autumn provides many explorers and adventurers the opportunity to engage in exploring a corn maze, for example.  And a corn maze may be considered a form of a:

52-across. Mysterious patterns in fields, or what 15-, 22-, 31-, and 44-Across are?: CROP CIRCLES

All of today's entries combine a kind of crop and a type of circle 

15-across. Pungent breakfast choices: ONION BAGELS.  This one works, as [according to Wikipedia] "Onions are a widely cultivated vegetable crop, produced in the second largest quantity after tomatoes. In 2021, the top global producers of onions were China, India, United States, and Turkey ..." and Bagels (while generally thought of as being round, like a circle) are geometrically known as a torus 

22-across. Aids in makeup removal: COTTON BALLS.  Cotton is often referred to as an "and crop" because a single harvest yields multiple commercial products—primarily textile fiber, alongside cottonseed oil for food and feed for livestock; top global producers include China, India, the United States, and Brazil [cottontoday dot com].  Balls are generally circular although YMMV

31-across. Alternatives to cinnamon buns: COFFEE ROLLS. Coffee is one of the world's largest produced crop - my AI computer identified these attributes:

Key Facts About Coffee as a Crop

Botanical Source: Coffee grows on woody, evergreen shrubs and small trees belonging to the genus Coffea and the family Rubiaceae.
The Fruit: The plant produces red or purple stone-fruit berries called coffee cherries.
The "Bean": What people call a coffee bean is actually the seed found inside the coffee cherry.
Global Scale: According to NOAA Climate.gov, coffee is one of the most valuable tropical export crops in the world, cultivated on over 27 million acres across more than 70 to 80 countries
.
Specialty Crop Designation: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) explicitly classifies coffee as a specialty crop

Rolls are also generally round in shape unless it precedes the word "-Royce"

44-across. Car parts that may be repurposed as swings: RUBBER TIRES.  As a crop "natural Rubber is an elastic polymer harvested mainly as milky latex sap by tapping the inner bark of the Hevea brasiliensis tree, which thrives in tropical climates across Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America" [Wikipedia].  But given the global demand for the use of rubber-based items, synthetic rubber is more widely produced.  Tires are generally known to be round, except of course, when one goes flat

 

Here is the grid: 

 

Thanks Ricky for the puzzle - and to honor you for your effort may I offer the following "Moe-ku":

        Onions, cotton, joined

        Rubber, coffee, socially;

        Formed a crop circle 

 

On to the rest of the clues and words!          

Across:
1. Shot in the dark: STAB.  A much gentler clue for this word, perhaps?

5. News story intro, in journalism jargon: LEDE.  I imagine that many people misspell this word; according to [Webster's] the full definition is: "the introductory section of a news story that is intended to entice the reader to read the full story" - it goes on to say that it is an alteration of "lead story" and was first used in 1947

9. Secondary social media acct.: ALT.  According to AI, the number one reason for using an ALTernative account for social media is for "posting candid thoughts, joining niche communities, or venting without connecting the activity to a real-life identity"; maybe why we have so many "anonymous" users here

12. Drive: URGE.  As a golfer, I was thinking of something else but TEE-OFF was too long to fit into 4 squares

13. Judy of "Scrubs": REYES.  First time for me:  I will count the proper names in today's puzzle - this is #1

14. Caviar: ROE.  

[entry]

17. Time for many countdowns, briefly: NYE.  Had Ricky chosen "TV Scientist Bill" instead, this would have been proper name number two - instead, he went for an abbr. for New Year's Eve

18. Making out while out and about, for short: PDA.  Public Display of Affection

19. Like some columns: IONIC.  It was either this or DORIC

20. Great Lakes diving bird: LOON.  My first sighting of a LOON was at one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes

21. Carol contraction: 'TIS.  

[entry]

25. Mouths off to: SASSES.  

27. February 29: LEAP DAY.  I personally know just one person who was born on LEAP DAY but I have never asked him if he chooses to celebrate on February 28 or March 1 on the off leap years

28. Ablaze: LIT.  

29. Grammy winner Estefan: GLORIA.  Proper name #2

[entry]

35. Songs of praise: PAEANS.  Moe-ku:

        Group of laborers

        Performed in their church choir;

        Peons sang PAEANS 

36. Calendar divs.: MOS.  

38. Poor rating: ONE STAR.  This doesn't fit my rating for today's puzzle; I think it deserves at least ⭐⭐⭐and 1/2 ⭐s

41. Subtle difference: NUANCE. Moe-ku:

        Dad's brothers went through

        A gender change; "old uncles"

        Are now called NUANCE 

[entry]

47. Tax-efficient fund, for short: IRA.  Once again, Ricky chose the abbr. rather than use another proper name

48. Pinkberry rival: TCBY.  This tells you how "out of touch" Moe is; I know of The Country's Best Yogurt but had no idea about Pinkberry

49. Home of the College World Series: OMAHA. Sort of a CSO to Husker Gary

50. Court divider: NET.  Neither the word "LIBERAL" or "CONSERVATIVE" fit here ...

51. Ivy League nickname: ELI.  Proper name #3, and a Moe-ku:

        Harvard grads never

        Play Three Dog Night. Who wants to

        Know, ELI's Coming??

[reveal]

55. Intro to Xer, Yer, and Zer: GEN.

56. With passion: HOTLY.  See 46-down for a similar clue/entry

57. Signify: MEAN.

58. Multinational insurance co.: AIG.  American International Group

59. In need of a massage, say: ACHY.

60. Trees whose wood is used for lutes and bows: YEWS.

Down:
1. Old timer?: SUNDIAL. Key to this clue is the lack of a hyphen between old and timer.  And for the record, if you ever wondered how these are "adjusted" for daylight savings time ...

 

Speaking of clocks ... my alter ego had a puzzle published this past Friday.  Click on the link and chose October 30 for the date to solve ... the title is: It's That Time Again"

Newsday Crossword Puzzle October 30

2. Period during which mammals first appeared: TRIASSIC.  Rumor has it that these mammals all had three rear-ends

3. In the past: AGO.  

4. "No fighting!": BE NICE. 

5. Bona fide: LEGIT.

6. Disparate features of someone with heterochromia: EYE COLORS.  

7. Rehoboth Beach's st.: DEL.  Located in the map below.  As I kid I used to go to either Rehobeth Beach, Bethany Beach, or Ocean City, MD for my shore trips

8. End of most plural words: ESS.

9. "The Neighborhood" actress Tichina: ARNOLD.  Proper name #4

10. Common name for a Jesuit school: LOYOLA. [Loyola Marymount Univ. website] "The name Loyola most commonly refers to private, Catholic, Jesuit universities in the United States named after Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits)".  Loyola University Chicago has the largest enrollment of the four primary Loyola colleges

11. Itty-bitty: TEENSY.      

13. Leave a scathing review, perhaps: RANT.  No rants from me today; maybe one of our posters will, though

15. Makes a selection: OPTS.

16. Responses to bad calls: BOOS.  We aren't that far removed from either the World Series or Halloween to have heard a fair number of these.  And another Moe-ku:

        One thing I can’t stand:

        A ghost, three sheets to the wind,

        Who can’t handle BOOs

20. Home of Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in the Canary Islands: LA PALMA.  This seems like the kind of clue that would require more than casual knowledge to solve without perps (closest to a RANT)

23. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Proper name #5

24. Take off: BAIL.  

26. Visits: STOPS BY.

29. Clockwork bit: GEAR TOOTH.

30. NFL Hall of Famer Dawson: LEN. Proper name #6

32. Lot: FATE.  Not THIS Lot

33. Cause of some tremors: FEAR.

34. Kin by marriage: SON-IN-LAW.  I visited my s-i-l on this trip; along with daughter and grandson

37. Multitude in a multiplex: SCREENS.

38. "Wednesday" actress Jenna: ORTEGA. Proper name #7

39. Microbiology research centers?: NUCLEI. 

40. On the decline: EBBING. 

41. Classic soda brand: NEHI. Radar O'Reilly's favorite drink was a Grape NEHI

42. G.I.'s org.: U.S. ARMY.  Radar was a corporal in the U.S. ARMY

43. Puts away: EATS.

45. Get at: IMPLY. 

46. R-rated, say: RACY. See 56-across for a similar clue/entry

52. The Hornets, on a sports ticker: CHA.  As in, CHArlotte

53. Retinol Correxion maker: ROC.

54. Middling grade: CEE.  Or, a 2.0 on the GPA scale

A closing limerick (aka, Moe-'lick) for a final grin:

        Sea cow sought a place that is turnkey

        Where he hoped to spend eternity.

        Help from skilled volunteers

        Built his home; so now here's

        A habitat for Hugh Manatee

See ya in December 

Tuesday November 3, 2026 Kevin Shustack

Peat and Repeat and Repeat and Repeat and Repeat.

20-Across. Marshy source of organic fuel: PEAT BOG.  In Europe, archeologist have often found mummified bodies in peat bogs.

22-Across. Attempt to hit: SWIPE AT.

31-Across. Budget-friendly fare: CHEAPE ATS.

41-Across. Slip by unnoticed: ESCAPE ATTENTION.

And the unifier:

52-Across. Rare championship sequences, or what can be found in this puzzle's circles: FOUR PEATS.  One of the four Peats is not like the other Peats.  

Here's the Grid:

This was a very name-heavy puzzle.  It didn't bother me, but I know many people don't like seeing so many names in a puzzle.  The names here covered several generations, so there is probably at least one name for everyone to recognize.

Across:

1. Open-handed hit: SLAP.

5. Saudi neighbor: OMANI.

10. Reasons to cry "April Fools!": GAGS.  //  And 18-Across. "April Fools!": GOT YA!

14. Bull, in Spanish: TORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

15. Former One Direction member Niall: HORAN.  Niall James Horan (b. Sept. 13, 1993) is an Irish singer and musician.  His band, One Direction, was apparently one of the best-selling boy bands.  [Name # 1.]

16. Actor Morales: ESAI.  We haven't seen Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) in a while.  He used to appear in the puzzles with alarming frequency.  Maybe he has aged out of the current demographics.  [Name # 2.]

17. Upper limbs: ARMS.

When Octopus arms become Upper Limbs.

19. Epistles: Abbr.: LTRS.  Today's Greek lesson.  Epistles is a Greek word meaning Letters.  Typically, when this word is used, it refers to a number of letters in the New Testament.  

24. Touched down on a runway: LANDED.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.

25. Come out: EMERGE.

26. "Middlemarch" novelist George: ELIOT.  The given name of George Eliot (Nov. 22, 1819 ~ Dec. 22,  1880) was Mary Ann Evans.  She was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. In addition to Middlemarch, she wrote several other novels, including The Mill on the Floss and Silas Marner.  She was well known and led a rather scandalous life.  [Name # 3.]

27. Unfortunate: SAD.

30. Word before beauty or peace: INNER.  As in Inner Beauty or Inner Peace.

34. __ tai: cocktail: MAI.  Yummers!

37. Squeeze water from: WRING.

38. Show hosts, for short: MCs.  As in the Master of Ceremonies.

46. Eighth Greek letter: THETA.  It's all Greek to me.

47. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  Bill Nye (né William Sanford Nye; b. Nov. 27, 1955) is a science "communicator." He is best known for being the host of the science education television show Bill Nye the Science Guy.   His life has not been without controversy.  [Name # 4.]

48. "Live at the Acropolis" musician: YANNI.  Yanni (né Yiannis Chryssomallis; b. Sept. 14, 1954), is a Greek composer, hence the "Acropolis" in the clue.  [Name # 5.]

49. Appear that way: SEEM SO.

51. Pass along, as an unwanted present: REGIFT.

56. Acid counterpart: BASE.  Today's Chemistry lesson.

59. Auction warning: GOING.

60. Somewhat open: AJAR.  When is a door not a door ...

64. Run in place: IDLE.

65. Opposite of double: HALVE.  Today's Math lesson.

66. Zero, in tennis: LOVE.  We've discussed the rational for Love meaning Zero in tennis in the past.

67. Planner pages: DAYS.

68. Long shots, in hoops lingo: TREYS.  A reference to the game of basketball.

69. Black-__ Susan: EYED.  How the flower got its name.

Down:

1. Paper clip alternative: STAPLE.

2. "Because you're worth it" cosmetics brand: L'OREAL.  This tagline made its debut in the 1970s, although the company claims's it a mission and not a tagline.  

3. Italian fashion house: ARMANI.  The luxury fashion house was named after Giorgio Armani (July 11, 1934 ~ Sept. 4, 2025).  [Name # 6.]

4. Scholar pursuing an advanced deg.: POST-DOC.  As in Post Doctorate degree.

5. "Good Lord!": OH, G'D.

6. Big name in synthesizers: MOOG.  The Moog Synthesizer was named after Robert Arthur Moog (May 23, 1934 ~ August. 21, 2005), who was an American electronics engineer and electronic music pioneer.  In 1964, he founder the Moog synthesizer.  [Name # 7.]

7. Museum display: ART.  I recently visited the Detroit Institute of the Arts.  It was an amazing museum.

8. Votes against: NAYS.  Today is Election Day.  Please exercise your rights and vote.

9. At a loss for words, perhaps: IN AWE.

10. Felt-tip alternatives: GEL PENS.

11. Toward the back of a boat: ASTERN.

Anatomy of a boat.

12. Parking structure: GARAGE.

13. Sorority member: SISTER.

21. Word in many temple names: BETH.  The word Beth is a transliteration of the Hebrew word בית, which, in Hebrew is pronounced more like Beit, or Bayet.  The word means House.  I used to attend a synagogue called Beth Shalom, which means House of Peace.

23. "You found the one and only": I'M IT.

27. Kitchen wrap brand: SARAN.

28. Unfortunate: A PITY.

29. Al __: pasta specification: DENTE.  Today's Italian lesson.  The phrase al dente means to the tooth.

32. Female sheep: EWE.

33. Mature: AGE.

34. Queens baseball players: METS.

35. Queens tennis stadium namesake: ASHE.  Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player.  He won three Grand Slam singles titles in singles and two in doubles,  [Name # 8.]

36. Slushy drink: ICEE.  They can come on lots of different flavors.

38. Pocket-size: MINI.

39. NCAA div.: CONF.  LSU, which frequently appears in the puzzles, is in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and competes in NCAA Division I.

40. Irritable state: SNIT.

42. Some convenience store inconveniences: ATM FEES.

43. El __, Texas: PASO.

44. Russian denial: NYET.  Today's Russian lesson.  And NO, I won't tell you what it means.

45. Neighborhood event with good deals: TAG SALE.

50. "This __ to be good": OUGHT.

51. Rants and raves: RAGES.

53. Lion's sound: ROAR.

54. Mound that grows until laundry day: PILE.

55. "Inside Out 2" emotion voiced by Ayo Edebiri: ENVY.  [Name # 9.]  //  And 61-Down. "Inside Out 2" emotion voiced by Amy Poehler: JOY.  [Name # 10.]  Both Aye Edebiri (née Funmilayo Edebiri; b. Oct. 3, 1995) and Amy Poehler (née Amy Meredith Poehler; b. Sept. 15, 1971) are American comedians and actresses.

56. Auction action: BID.

57. Tooth care org.: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

58. __ as a fox: SLY.

62. "__ Maria": AVE.

63. Like Clifford of kid lit: RED.

חתולה