Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - Avery Katz and Aaron Gee

 

Theme: Beginner's steps

Clue:  First Lesson in "How to Create a Crossword Puzzle"?

Answer:  GET YOUR POINT ACROSS

 

Puzzling thoughts:

 

Chairman Moe here - fulfilling my monthly commitment to my fellow Crossword "Corner-ites" with a recap of today's collaborative puzzle from Avery (Gee) Katz and Aaron Gee

 

A Google search for Avery provided this snippet from The New York Times: “Avery Gee Katz, of Santa Clara, Calif., is a user experience designer at a software company. She comes from a puzzle-loving family — the first crossword she ever made was a Father’s Day present for her dad ..." 

 

A Google search for Aaron resulted in a related comment from The New York Times indicating that he is Avery's brother.  They collaborated on a puzzle there in November of 2024.  My guess is that this is their first appearance @ LAT - if so, congrat's on your debut.  Please stop by to say hello and comment if you like

 

Today's puzzle - while seemingly straight-forward - uses a bit of wordplay to provide an alternate clue for a common phrase/expression.  For example:

18 across. First lesson in "How To DJ"?: START FROM SCRATCH.  Right off the bat, Avery and Aaron use an idiomatic phrase meaning "to begin" and tie it to how one might become a disc jockey (DJ)

For those of us who recall DJ's such as Casey Kasem or Wolfman Jack, who "spun" records on a turntable for radio air play, many of today's DJ's use the record on a turntable to create a background sound effect.  They do this by "scratching" the record surface - see video below

 

 

26 across. First lesson in "Plumbing: A Beginner's Guide"?: TAKE THE PLUNGE.  The idiomatic phrase "take the plunge" is associated with being "all in", and making a bold decision to do something with an uncertain outcome.  The playful clue description might be a lesson for all would-be plumbers in how to unclog a toilet, perhaps?

 

47 across. First lesson in "Sport Climbing and You"?: LEARN THE ROPES.  Once again Avery and Aaron become "Ms. and Mr. Obvious" by suggesting that learning how to use ropes when climbing up the face of a mountain is a necessary, first lesson.  Or in this case, how to engage in Sport Skateboarding!

 

 

61 across. First lesson in "A Handbook of Competitive Eating"?: STEP UP TO THE PLATE. The idiomatic phrase refers - literally - to a baseball player taking his stance in the batter's box and facing the pitcher.  It suggests that by doing so, you've committed to the task at hand.  The "plate" in this case is home plate.  Avery and Aaron find another "plate" to provide the wordplay: a pie plate, perhaps

In this episode of "The Big Bang Theory", Penny and Amy take on Leonard and Sheldon in a series of competitive contests, including this one:

 

The grid size today is 15x16 to accommodate the two spanners (18 and 61 across).  I'm guessing that Avery and Aaron didn't consider my clue/answer in their choices as the answer contained 18 letters! 😉

 

Let's move on to the rest of the answers/fill as we admire, first, the solved grid:

 

 

 

Across:
1. Mess up: BOTCH.  I almost messed up the puzzle from the get go when I tried the word ERROR

6. Beer foam: HEAD.  Another mess up when I tried SUDS

10. Golden Arches sandwich: MC RIB.  This was filled in correctly as the McRib, oddly enough, was my erstwhile favorite McDonald's sandwich.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to a McDonald's in the past year and have fingers left over

15. Sneeze sound: ACHOO.  "Gesundheit!"

16. Upfront stake: ANTE.  I hope no one was thinking that the stake in question was associated with camping

17. Family, in Hawaiian: OHANA.  Totally solved with perps as I knew not of this word.  Perhaps if I had seen the Disney movie "Lilo and Stitch" I'd have known of it [according to Reddit]

[Hawaii-Guide dot com] "Ohana is a Hawaiian word that means family, community, and deep connection. It goes beyond blood relatives to include chosen friends and neighbors, meaning that nobody gets left behind or forgotten"

[theme entry]

21. Summer shirts: TANK TOPS.  Question: is it objectifying to show a picture of a woman sporting a tank top?  How about a guy?  How about both, together?  Let's go with the latter and see if anyone comments ...

 

 

And here, you thought I was going to be objectifying! 🤣

22. "Let me say it again ... ": I REPEAT.  Moe-ku:

 

        The Who's Townshend helped

        Me fertilize the garden. 

        Pete, and I, re-peat 

23. Antlered grazer: ELK.

24. Trauma ctrs.: E.R.S.  I last visited one of these when I was on holiday in Portugal.  The tour I was on insisted that I get seen by a doctor as I had symptoms of a head cold.  Went there on a Saturday around 5:30 pm.  Got seen at 9:00.  Yup, it was a head cold.  No "trauma" other than the 3-1/2 hour wait to be seen

25. Vocalized: ORAL.  And its semi-clecho: (35 across. Uttered): SAID.

[theme entry]

32. Rights org.: ACLU.  Somewhat of an oxymoron; the American Civil Liberties Union is indeed a "rights" organization, but its adherents are generally "left"-leaning

36. Mexican state on the Gulf of California: SONORA.  CSO to all of our Crossword Cornerites with Mexican heritage.  Sonora borders my state (Arizona) though I have yet to visit it.  One of its many attractions is a place called Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point); a highly popular beach resort town just south of the Arizona border, famous for its beaches, water sports, and nightlife.  It's located on the Sea of Cortez

 

37. Leap happily: BOUND.  As in, "leaps and bounds"

39. Some jeans: LEES.  A brand name, of course.  Another clue for lees is "dead yeast cells used in the fermentation of wine".  Lees are what gives some white wines a bit of a creamy texture/mouth feel, and they add complexity to the finished "product"

41. Lute in Hindi cinema: SITAR.  Moe-ku: (there's a lot to unravel in this one!)

 

        Actor Harrison,

        Not George, played the SITAR

        In some "Indy" films 

 

42. Hosts: EMCEES.  A look back in time when Dean Martin hosted a roast

 

44. 2022 Super Bowl winners: RAMS.  One of their stars was a former DT for my alma mater - and will undoubtedly be a Hall of Fame inductee - though there is a rumor that he might end his retirement and come back to play this year or next

 

Another Aaron

 

46. Forecast no.: TEMP.  As I typed this recap, our forecast # for today, in the Greater Phoenix area, was 109.  Yesterday (July 24) the temp set a record for the date: 117!!

[theme entry]

50. Like Death Valley: ARID.  Also, like Sonora; also, like Phoenix.  Our rainfall (year-to-date) is less than 3"; total

51. Coconut __: OIL.  Couldn't figure out where this one was going.  I do a fair amount of cooking but do not use coconut oil - but then I realized that coconut oil is used primarily in skin moisturizers; as is this: (64 across. Ingredient in a cooling lotion:) ALOE.

52. Poke bowl protein: AHI.  Given the usage of a few Hawaiian-related clues and answers in today's puzzle, I wonder if the Gee siblings are from the 50th state?

55. Home exercise bike brand: PELOTON.  This answer was my first guess

59. Natural disaster, legally: ACT OF GOD.  I can't recall ever seeing this phrase used in a crossword puzzle before.  The clue is quite accurate as many insurance carriers will not cover items that were destroyed or damaged from a natural disaster.  [from Wikipedia] "Yes, "act of God" is a recognized legal term used in contract law, tort law, and insurance. It describes an overwhelming, unpreventable natural event—such as an earthquake, hurricane, or flood—caused exclusively by natural forces without human intervention"

[theme entry]

63. More frigid: ICIER.  The synonym for this used to be "frigider" until a certain appliance mfr said that it sounded too much like its brand name ...

65. Locations for Christmas lights: EAVES.  If you look closely, Clark Griswold actually put some of his 25,000 Christmas lights under the eaves

 

66. Welcome relief on a hot day: SHADE. Well, I can say that I am one (here in AZ) who looks for a spot of shade in a parking lot, but that barely helps when it's 117 degrees out

67. Scottish lids: TAMS.  "Lids", as in the slang term for hats

68. High-protein grain: SPELT.  Moe-ku:

 

          Kellogg's proofreader

          Skipped right past the word "ote". They

          Thought, that's how it's spelt   

Down:
1. Slather with butter, perhaps: BASTE.  Watch most any French cooking video and you'll see how frequently they baste - but that doesn't mean you HAVE to be French to baste

 

2. In base eight: OCTAL.  A tutorial for those who are unfamiliar with base eight:

Not sure that I still totally understand it, but as a retiree I doubt I will ever have to consider its use

3. "You'll __ me someday": THANK.  For the tutorial above, perhaps?? 😜

4. Winery keepsake: CORK.  As your resident sommelier, I can attest to keeping corks.  One of these days I will endeavor to use them for trivets, perhaps.  When we were in Portugal we saw the source of cork - it's harvested from the bark of a certain oak tree that grows in the Alentejo region of Portugal. As this image shows, a portion of the bark has been stripped from the tree.  This is where the cork comes from. The number (6) indicates the year in which it was harvested (2026).  The tree will regrow its bark and be ready for another harvest in 2035 (9 years)

5. Throat-soothing brew: HOT TEA.  Another clip from "TBBT".  For Sheldon, offering a hot beverage was not optional to someone who was feeling down-in-the-dumps.  We can only imagine that it was also throat-soothing

 

6. Ice dweller off the coast of Greenland: HARP SEAL.  As opposed to a monsoon dweller off the coast of India known as the Sitar Seal ... 😀

Happy Harp Seal

7. Actress Mireille: ENOS.  Complete unknown, as clued.  Oh, how we have evolved in crossword clues!  Back in the day this would have been clued as "Baseball slugger Slaughter"

8. Self-serve bank device: ATM.  At least today's description of it was not what was clued back on July 24 when it (the ATM) was consigned to a 7-11 store

9. "You are my fire / The one __": "I Want It That Way" opening lyrics: DESIRE.  A "Backstreet Boys" classic

10. Cherries atop Black Forest cake: MORELLOS.  I prefer my Morello cherries in a Manhattan Cocktail. [from AI] "A Manhattan pairs rye whiskey or bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters, garnished with rich, tart Morello or Amarena cocktail cherries"

11. Crack, as lips: CHAP. [Merriam-Webster] Defined 5 ways: (1) noun: a crack in or a sore roughening of the skin caused by exposure to wind or cold; (2) intransitive verb: to open in cracks, slits, or chinks; (3) noun:  the fleshy covering of a jaw; (4) noun: {mostly British} fellow; (5) abbreviation: chapter

But my definition involves something different which is captured in this Moe-ku:

 

        Cowboy dismounted.

        Walked in brush to pee. Later,

        He found a chaps tick 

      

12. Assign stars to: RATE.  Over the course of my blogging I have used many different RATE-ing scales to "grade" the puzzles.  My "Moes" [sic] Hardness Scale" is perhaps my favorite, but the current 5 star system of grading has become the standard.  Today's puzzle gets a solid, ⭐⭐⭐⭐s.  Unlike this celestial body (Moe-l'ick):

 

        At Lover's Lane there were parked many cars,
        With nighttime view of the planets, like Mars.
                When her date, Roosevelt,
                Showed her Orion's Belt,
        She uttered, "meh, I'll just rate it 3 Stars." 

13. Cuzco civilization: INCA.

14. Thai currency whose symbol was once used to represent Bitcoin: BAHT.  Read this article

19. Tined flatware: FORKS.  And this clecho-like clue/answer: (55 down. Trident-shaped letters:) PSIS. The image of the letter Psi kinda looks like a fork

20. Dice game: CRAPS.  I am on a "The Big Bang Theory" kick today ... CRAPS mentioned @ 0:58

25. "Heavens!": OH DEAR.  

26. Guitar peg, e.g.: TUNER.

27. Like the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras: TIERED.

This is actually in Vietnam

28. Bushels and pecks: UNITS. Or, for those here old enough to remember, some song lyrics:

 

29. Scribbled reminder: NOTE.  I am still pretty much "old school" when it comes to note taking.  I have lots of note paper close at hand.  Only time I use my "Notes" app on my phone is when I am not close by my pen and paper

30. Family nickname: GRAM.  My grandson calls me "GRAMPS"

31. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP.  Another CSO to we Arizonans.  Tombstone is ESE of Tucson and provides the tourists with several period places to see what life was like in the 1800's.  The top things to do there include:

O.K. Corral: Watch daily live reenactments of the famous 1881 gunfight involving Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton gang.

Bird Cage Theatre: Tour the preserved 1880s saloon and gambling hall featuring original fixtures and over 100 bullet holes.

Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park: View Victorian-era exhibits, courtrooms, and the authentic outdoor gallows from 1882.

Boothill Graveyard: Walk through the historic pioneer cemetery where early outlaws and townspeople are buried

 

32. Biblical brother: ABEL. Younger brother of Cain and the first person murdered, according to The Bible

33. "Follow me": COME. "Psst!  Follow me!!"

34. Pixar film about a young sea monster: LUCA. Here is the trailer:

 

38. Unfold, as a protein: DENATURE. [Merriam-Webster] "To denature means to change or ruin the natural qualities or shape of something. In science, it most often means changing proteins, DNA, or alcohol using heat, acids, or chemicals."  I seem to remember the term "denatured alcohol" which loosely translated means, "don't drink it"!

40. Makes out: SMOOCHES.  Symbolized by the letter "X" or the emoji "😘"

43. Sharpen on a leather belt: STROP.  My first memory of going to the barbershop with my dad was watching a man getting a shave - the barber made the razor sharp by using a leather strop

 

45. Ill will: SPITE.  As opposed to "ill swill": SPRITE 

48. Suggest: HINT AT.  I tend to be pretty straight-forward - no beating around the bush for this guy.  Although some of my blog comments may belie that 

49. Gets married by Elvis, perhaps: ELOPES.  Know anyone who's been married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas?

52. Tequila plant: AGAVE.  [from AI] "Blue agave (Agave tequilana) is special because it is the only plant legally permitted to produce authentic tequila. Its massive, starchy core (the piña) is rich in complex carbohydrates and fructose, making it uniquely suited for fermentation and the creation of a deeply complex, terroir-driven spirit".  Moe enjoys drinking tequila "neat"; Miss Margaret enjoys hers in a Margarita (go figure!!)

53. Guest spot?: HOTEL.  Not the guest spot on a TV talk show 

54. Namely: ID EST.  Commonly seen as its abbreviation: i.e., - as in, "Wyatt Earp is best known as a lawman from the wild west, i.e., one of the ones who fought at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone".  It's commonly confused with its cousin, e.g., which means "for example" and comes from the Latin "exempli gratia"

56. __ A Sketch: ETCH.  

57. Skywalker raised on Alderaan: LEIA.  Process of elimination?  Had to be either LEIA or Luke

58. Pointed column: OP ED.  Speaking of getting your point across ... 

59. Chemistry class model: ATOM.  Is a molecule close enough? My final "The Big Bang Theory" video, promise!

60. Try to fly: FLAP.  Cute clue.  Cute cartoon:

62. Lisbon greeting: OLA.  First off, in Portugal they call it Lisboa; and most use the greeting "Bom Dia" especially in the hours between dawn and early afternoon.  I found that if you said "Obrigado" a lot it was well-received by the Portuguese people

OK, that wraps up another blog from the Chairman.  I'll see y'all in early September.  Between now and then I am having surgery on both hands (Carpal Tunnel) so hopefully I will be able to type up my blog before September 2

[a postscript] - on Monday Aug 2 there was an entry in the puzzle: "B SIDE".  In the comments that day, both Husker Gary and Jinx in Norfolk referenced 45 RPM records.  I recalled that in addition to 45 RPM "singles", a few magazines experimented with enclosing a cardboard record (about the size of a 45) in their publications.  One that apparently made me laugh (I was a young teenager at the time) was in Mad Magazine.  The "record's" title was "It's a Gas!" The video below confirms that you can find most anything on YouTube!