Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Jonathon Hales

 Theme:  "Quiet, please!"

 

 

Puzzling thoughts:

Greetings from Chairman Moe; or, as I learned last month when Miss Margaret and I toured the Iberian Peninsula for 3+ weeks, the local expression for greetings are: "Bom Dia" (Portuguese) and "Egun On" (Basque)

 

My crossword solving skills took a hiatus, too, as I did not travel with my laptop, and solving on a cellphone is not very practical.  Solving crossword puzzles was not even on my priority/to do list while on holidays.  Too many amazing things to see and explore.  If you've never visited Portugal or the Basque Country in Spain, do. Thanks, CED, for swapping Wednesdays with me this month as I returned back to the U.S. on 1 July and would not have been able to do my "assigned" day

On to the puzzle du jour:  When I googled the constructor's name, Jonathon Hales, I came up empty; other than a few people with that name (and exact spelling) on Facebook.  I found zero relatable "hits" to any so-named crossword puzzle constructor so my guess is that this is both his LAT and personal debut.  If this is so, congratulations!  If not (and he happens to stop by) please provide us with some more details about yourself and about today's puzzle

Jonathon's work is a combination of word play and factual phrases that one could relate to a (52-across. Community facility for researchers and book lovers) LOCAL LIBRARY.  For example:

17. Suggestion for a 52-Across patron who didn't finish a book by closing time?: CHECK IT OUT.  The word play ("check it out") could refer to examining or analyzing something; the library connection (literal meaning) is taking the book to the desk, showing your library card, and taking it home for a period of time

 

 

 

24. Reminder on a collection that can't leave a 52-Across?: READ ONLY FILE.  The literal and figurative meaning of this is a bit more vague than the other entries, IMO.  But, if you recall the "Reference" section of a library, items such as encyclopedias were "read only in the library"; not to be checked out.  A read only file [as defined by Microsoft Support] is: any computer file that you can open, view, print, or copy, but cannot modify, delete, overwrite, or edit. The operating system blocks any "write" operations to protect the document's content and maintain its original state

 

 

36. Sign near a door slot of a 52-Across?: RETURN TO THE FOLD. Another connection of literal and figurative as the word "return" is what you literally do with a book you've checked out of the library, and return to the fold is an expression that means to rejoin, return, or be welcomed back into a group, community, or organization after a period of absence. I suppose that a book that's been checked out of the library could be "missed" by the other books.  I chose another meaning of the word "fold" with the cartoon below:

 

 

 

 

64. Advice for patrons who borrow materials from a 52-Across?: DON'T BE LATE.  The cartoon below is a bit "dark" but it summarizes the theme! 😏

 

 

 

Perhaps my blogging "skills" took a hiatus, too.  Please add your thoughts to the comment section if you saw anything different than I 

Here is the completed grid.  This "felt" a bit more difficult than a typical Wednesday puzzle but I finished it without help and with very few write-overs ...

 

 

 

Across:

1. Seaweed on tobiko maki: NORI.  Moe-ku:

 

        Question on seaweed

        Sushi wrap: Do you eat it?

        If it's no, NOR I 

5. Trophy winner: CHAMP. 

10. Quaker grains: OATS.  

14. Sing the praises of: LAUD.  As in the lyrics of this hymn:

 

15. Striped Girl Scout Cookie: SAMOA.  Not sure that I agree that a singular cookie would be called a Samoa 

16. Tortilla sandwich: WRAP.  Moe-ku:

        Movie director's

        Comment after having lunch:

        "I think that's a WRAP!" 

[theme entry]

19. The Dalai __: LAMA.

20. Geena's "Thelma & Louise" co-star: SUSAN.  Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon 

That's Susan on the left / Geena on the right

21. Native Canadian: CREE. [from Wikipedia] "The Cree are one of the largest Indigenous groups in North America, with a total population exceeding 350,000. Their traditional territories stretch from Alberta to Quebec in Canada, with a few communities in Montana, USA. They are divided into distinct groups like the Plains, Woodland, and Swampy Cree, each adapting unique traditions to their specific regional environments"

23. Not great: BAD.  I typed in MEH before correcting it

[theme entry]

28. Former South African president Nelson: MANDELA.  

31. Slices and __: DICES.  Ron Popeil's invention of the 1960's: "It slices and dices and makes julienne french fried potatoes ..."

And its commercial was filmed in the Canadian Province that's the answer to (49 across. Home of Canadian curler Marc Kennedy:) ALBERTA. (and a mini-CSO to CanadianEh!)

32. Melber of MS NOW: ARI. [according to Wikipedia] "Ari Naftali Melber is an American attorney and Emmy Award-winning journalist who is the Chief Legal Correspondent for MS NOW and host of The Beat with Ari Melber. Melber won a 2016 Emmy Award for Supreme Court reporting and was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2020 and 2025 in the "Outstanding Live Interview" category"

33. Frequently, in poetry: OFT.

35. March 14 dessert: PIE.  Based on the fact that the mathematical number for "pi" is 3.14 (when rounded to two decimals) and is also a way of expressing March 14 (3/14)

[theme entry]

43. Look at: SEE.  

44. "Gangnam Style" rapper: PSY.  

45. Forever and a day: EON. 

46. Group of lions: PRIDE.  Moe-ku:

        A group of lions

        Who were homosexual

        Held a PRIDE Parade 

        (of course they did!!) 

 

 

[theme reveal]

56. The "A" of IPA: ALE.  As in India Pale ALE

57. __ fountain: SODA.  If the word "fountain" were capitalized, my answer would've been PETE

58. Greek fable writer: AESOP.  My favorite "fables" growing up were featured on the cartoon show "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle":

 

62. Healthy piece: SLAB.  As opposed to an "unhealthy piece" where I would have inserted the word FLAB

67. Prefix with phone: MEGA.  Anyone else besides me have TELE in this spot?

68. Twinkle: GLEAM.  A different spelling of this word was used as a brand name for toothpaste (that apparently made your teeth "twinkle").  P & G discontinued this brand about 12 years ago as part of a purging of under-performing SKUs

 

 

69. Raison d'__: ETRE. Raison d'être is a French phrase that translates to "reason for existence". It refers to the fundamental purpose, justification, or driving motive behind why a person, organization, or concept exists

70. Greek war god: ARES. Did anyone confuse Ares with MARS?  The Roman war god? Not I

71. County in southeast England: ESSEX.

72. Furniture wood: TEAK.  Moe-ku:

 

        Piece of furniture

        Shaped like Polynesian raft

        Is called: Kon-TEAK-i  

Down:
1. MLB playoff round: NLCS.  Short for: National League Championship Series - won last year by the LA Dodgers.  I'm old enough to remember when there was one "champion" of the NL and one of the AL and they contended for the World Series.  Baseball has expanded greatly since then (double the number of teams) and there are more playoff rounds before the World Series begins.  Now, there is a "Wild Card" round; a "Divisional" round; and a "League Championship" round.  Used to be that the World Series was decided in early October - with all the extra "rounds" it can spill into November

2. Diamond Head's island: OAHU.  A reference to the dormant volcano crater located on Hawaii's most populated island

 

 

3. Wants to take back: RUES.

4. Security checkpoint request: I.D. CARD.  During our Iberian Peninsula trip we had to show our U.S. Passport several times but never an I.D. "card"

5. CBS forensic franchise: CSI.  Short for: Crime Scene Investigation

6. See 34-Down: HAT. (34 down. With 6-Down, part of an Abraham Lincoln costume:) TOP.  This dude wore a top hat of sorts:

 

7. Corporation previously called Standard Oil of Indiana: AMOCO.  [per Wikipedia]: The majority of today’s largest energy corporations trace their roots back to the 1911 breakup:

ExxonMobil: Descends from the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Esso) and the Standard Oil Company of New York (Socony).

Chevron: Formed from the Standard Oil Company of California (SoCal), which later acquired Standard Oil of Kentucky.

BP (British Petroleum): Acquired the Standard Oil Company of Ohio (Sohio) and the Standard Oil Company of Indiana (Amoco).

Marathon Petroleum / Marathon Oil: Descends directly from The Ohio Oil Company, an early Standard Oil production subsidiary.

8. Grieve: MOURN.

9. Dev of "Lion": PATEL.  A clecho of sorts as the word "lion" appeared for the answer: PRIDE

10. "Horned" bird: OWL.  We had a Great Horned Owl "family" build a nest in one of our community's Saguaro cacti a few years ago

11. Language of the Quran: ARABIC.

12. Snack steamed in a corn husk: TAMALE.

13. Small shovels: SPADES.  

18. Patella locale: KNEE.

22. Grammy winner Gorme: EYDIE.  Married to fellow singer/comedian Steve Lawrence

 

 

25. Like Kevin McCallister at Christmas: ALONE.  From the movie series "Home Alone"

26. Inane: DAFT. [according to Cambridge Dictionary] "Daft" is an informal adjective meaning foolish, silly, or obviously absurd. Commonly used in British and Scottish English, the term describes actions, ideas, or behavior that lack good sense and judgment

27. Feudal estate: FIEF. Moe-ku:

 

        Notable giant

        Became a vassal. His new 

        Phrase? "FIEF-fi-fo-fum"  

28. Feb. follower: MAR.  Might've preferred this answer to not be an abbreviation 

29. "Odds __ ... ": ARE.  'N' ENDS didn't fit; nor ON

30. Tiny issue: NIT.  See my response to 28 down

35. Kingdom divisions: PHYLA.  [according to Wikipedia] "Phyla" is the plural form of the word phylum. In biology, a phylum is a major taxonomic rank used to classify organisms. It sits below kingdom and above class. Organisms in the same phylum share a fundamental structural framework or a common evolutionary body plan

37. Food safety org.: USDA.  Short for United States Department of Agriculture

38. Film spools: REELS. 

39. Peter the Great, for one: TSAR.  CZAR also fits, but why tsar?  [according to American Heritage Dictionary]  "Tsar" and "czar" are simply two different English spellings of the same Russian title for a monarch or supreme ruler, with both words etymologically derived from the Roman title "Caesar"

40. Not 'neath: OER.

41. Spot with many spots: LOT.  As in a parking lot

42. Genetic material: DNA. So, is RNA a genetic material?  Would it have worked as an answer here? Yes, RNA is genetic material. While DNA is the primary genetic material for humans and most other cellular life, RNA serves as the sole genetic material for many viruses (such as HIV and Influenza). Additionally, all living cells use RNA to translate genetic information (code) from DNA into functional proteins [according to National Human Genome Research Inst]

46. Blood bank supply: PLASMA.  Moe-ku:

 

        What's the screen format

        Of Count Dracula's TV?

        Why, PLASMA, of course!  

47. __ skates: ROLLER.  ICE was too short here, but see the next entry:

48. Worldwide cold spell: ICE AGE.    

50. Scottish hillside: BRAE.  I had CRAG first, but after correcting I learned this about the difference between crag and brae: "Crag and brae both describe natural geographical elevations, but they differ in their appearance, composition, and regional usage. A crag is a steep, rugged, or projecting rock. A brae is a term from Scottish English and Northern English referring specifically to a sloping hillside, typically leading down to a river" [according to Merriam-Webster]

51. Shoelace hole: EYELET.  Whilst I still have shoes that involve tying laces, I really enjoy my Skechers "step-in" shoes.  The pair I wear most often even come with eyelets even though those are unnecessary

53. Mountain hangout: LODGE. Après-ski hangout

54. Role models: IDOLS.  A direct rejection of the second of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4) "It strictly prohibits creating physical, graven images or idols of anything in heaven, earth, or sea to worship them"

55. Curses: BANES.  My friend the Thesaurussaurus agrees

59. Fill until full: SATE.  This happened far too often when we were on our Iberian Peninsula trip - but I suppose that gaining just 3 pounds over the course of 23 days isn't too bad.  I swore I wasn't going to eat bread again for quite a while and my first "meal" after getting home was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich 

60. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRA.  We probably heard this word a time or two when we were in Spain 

61. Steal a glance: PEEK.  Moe-ku:

        The paparazzi

        Were rated 5 stars.  It was

        Their PEEK performance 

63. Humanities degs.: B.A.s. Another of many abbreviations used today - Bachelor of Arts

65. __ kwon do: TAE. Fun Fact:  "Taekwondo" can be translated as tae ("strike with foot"), kwon ("strike with hand"), and do ("the art or way"). Taekwondo (or Tae Kwon Do) Moe-ku:

        New martial arts course

        Features a "touchless" routine

        Known as TAE Kwon Don't  

66. Extreme sport with bunny hops: BMX. Not sure if this is AI generated or not but if I hadn't googled it I don't know that I could imagine it ...

As I conclude this blog, I am still wondering if there was another meaning to the collective entries, but I won't lose sleep over it.  Please feel free to comment below if you think otherwise or agree.  Obrigado y Eskarikosko (thank you in Portuguese and Basque)

See you again next month - Chairman Moe