Friday, Oct 9th, 2026 ~ Jeremy Venook

AN AIM TO EFFACE

You Know My Name - Eyes Without a Face

This is my second review of a Jeremy Venook construction; the first one is here, and like that first puzzle, I have a similar "meh" feeling about today's crossword.  One could say it was a bit "LAME", and I don't mean the dress.  The 'names' theme was disappointing - perhaps due to the fact that I did not recognize two of them, and that they're, well, names, associated with a characteristic of a face; YMMV.  In addition, I found the crossings were of little help - I'm looking at you, 9D~!  Standard grid, no outliers, no circles, half as many 3LWs as Five-letter ones, two Twurds, and plenty of proper nouns, since that was the "name" of the "game" - the themers and centered reveal;

17. *Two-time Oscar winner with a stoic bearing?: EMMA STONE - Stone Face, usually the more common phrase being stone faced, or having a Poker Face - take it, Lady Gaga~!

😑

Emma Stone, stone face

23. *Nursery rhyme lad with one eye closed?: WILLIE WINKIE - My parents were born & raised in England, yet I've never heard of "Wee Willie Winkie" or the Scottish folk song; in fact, 'winkie' meant the "one-eyed willie" - if you know what I mean.  I guess this is the 'winkie face', which Google says should be "winky"

😉

Perhaps you prefer "We Willie Rock You"~?

46. *Fictional spy sporting a big yellow button?: GEORGE SMILEY - A learning moment for me, this character appeaed when I was just 3yrs old - but I have heard of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", the 1974 novel from author John Le Carré, which became a TV series ( 1979 ) with Alec Guinness as the lead intelligence officer ( after he played Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi in 1977, which I did see ); more here

😄

57. *NFL analyst with a sad demeanor?: HOWIE LONG - I know this guy - he's on the FOX network.

A horse walks in to a saloon, the bartender asks, "why the long face~?"

36. Finally meet in person, or how to make the starred clues match their answers:
PUT A FACE TO A NAME
My dad insisted when I filled out a job application to "put a face to the name",
and speak to a manager instead of just walking out

But Wait -  don't drop names - 

There's More to make a face over  😖
 

ACROSS:

1. C in shop class?: CLAMP - this thing; as a woodworker, one can never have enough clamps

Bar Top glue-up

6. Blu-ray precursor: DVD

9. South Asian crepes: DOSAs - Ugh. Crossing another name, double UGH

14. Hispaniola nation: HAITI - this Geo name has appeared in all four of Jeremy's LA Times puzzles

15. Outdoor co-op with an "Uncommon Path" blog: REI - learned by doing crosswords

16. Loosen, as laces: UNTIE - Odd that this counts as Friday-level, considering the rest of the clues

19. Recline atop: LIE ON - Twurdish #1

20. Charge: FEE

21. Horn sound: TOOT

22. Briquettes: COALS

26. Talk into a bigger purchase: UPSELL

29. Warped Tour sponsor: VANS - No clue; the Warped Tour Wiki; I knew a handful of the bands from the one in 1998; in 2012, despite having triple the performers, I knew not one of them . . . since it could have been a vehicle 'vans' answer, name #1 ( +4 if you count the themers . . . )

30. Protective trench: MOAT - I do love castles

Now that's a moat - Bodiam Castle

31. Golfing goof: SLICE - FORE~!

33. Lid: CAP - AND - 57D. Lid: HAT

40. Grads-to-be: SRs

41. Sarge's superior: LOOIE - oof.  Friday.  Lieutenant.  If it weren't for my voracious reading, I would not have gotten this one - also seen in novels as "LOO", "LOOT", "L-T", etc.

42. Hieroglyphic snakes: ASPs

43. Insider's argot: CANT - argot being the 'jargon', lingo and language of a small group, e.g. scientists

44. Check: ARREST

51. Partygoer who might stock up on glow sticks: RAVER - I grew up in the "mosh pit" era

52. Many a Yemeni: ARAB

53. Sweets: BAE - not candy, vague, and cringe, I can't stand this word - two of three Fridays now 😖

56. Carne __ burrito: ASADA

59. Romantic poet who died fighting for Greek independence: BYRON - interesting life, name #2

60. "Eddington" director Aster: ARI - I know none of  his work - IMDb, name #3

61. Caused: LED TO - Twurdish #2

62. Utter, as thou might: SAYST - canceled my SAYTH, which needed to be SayEth anyway - until I checked with our new friend A I, and found this . . . 

Archaic spelling of "archaic" . . . uhhh

63. Pewter component: TIN - about 85-99%, according to Wiki

64. Eye sores: STYES


DOWN:

1. Many a cooking show host: CHEF

2. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ - Some of this puzzle may be "lame", but not this dress . . . 🙄

Hey, 56% off~! Buy it now~!

3. Love, in French: AIME - does not rhyme with LAME, more like ay-MUH in the Frawnche

4. NYC transit org.: MTA - I grew up on Long Island, so I'm familiar with this organization; name(ish) and abbr, but here's a video from the B1M on a NYC project ahead of schedule, AND below budget

Park Ave rebuild

5. Flower part: PISTIL

6. Salivate: DROOL - Makes me think of Odie from Garfield

I'm down here with Cooper, who is not a drooler - but he does like to lick

7. Starbucks order: VENTI

8. Drop to 0%: DIE - Ah. Like phone batteries

9. Woman of La Mancha?: DULCINEA - Crossing two themers, and name #4 - Don Quixote's imaginary girlfriend; Why stop at one~?  I have a dozen imaginary girlfriends . . .  😁 the Wiki

10. Mirepoix vegetables: ONIONS - Frawnche. no clue, filled via perps

11. Swordfish cut: STEAK - solid WAG on my part, but then again, I know salmon is sold as 'steaks'

12. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI - learned by doing crosswords

13. Intuit: SENSE

18. Per-axle charge: TOLL - I just got a class-action settlement statement from a legal firm in Suffolk County, NY - the state owes me $144 for "illegal" fees on red-light camera tickets - Take THAT~!!

23. Large New Zealand cricket in the name of an Oscar-winning digital effects company: WĒTĀ - zero clue, didn't want one -  I have zero interest in "bugs" - I prefer ETymology over ENTOmology - 😝

24. Paperless Post alternative: eVITE - Ugh.  I tried eSite, thinking capitalized Post = newspaper, not the Postal, federal mail system , and a Tuesday dupe

25. Baylor University city: WACO - Geo name #5

26. Pros who work at home: UMPs - I think this clue needed an "?" - for home PLATE, that is . . .

27. Really come down: POUR - I tried HAIL, TEEM, PELT - Bzzzzt on all of them . . .

28. College Board exams: SATs

31. Many Highland Games participants: SCOTS - I had CELTS, so I was only 40% correct

32. Fragrant garland: LEI

33. Instance: CASE

34. Boxes in an arena?: AMPS - Boxes being the 3D noun, not the 'sparring' verb kind; I play guitar, and this is still too vague, even for a Friday . . .

35. Annoyance: PEST

37. Like a foul that might earn an automatic ejection: FLAGRANT - PERSONAL fit as well

Half the distance to the goal, automatic first down

38. Super-duper: A-ONE

39. Less than hardly, quaintly: NARY - I tried RARE, got me enough

43. Assertions of faith: CREDOS

44. Jai __: ALAI

45. Fights back: REBELS - the verb, not the noun

46. Snatches: GRABS - reminds me of this scene from Ocean's Eleven

Linus calls it a "smash & grab", but it's

slightly more complicated than that . . .

47. GPA booster: EASY A

48. Egg-producing organ: OVARY

49. Language of a haka chant: MAORI - same language as the bug above 🠉 - name(ish)

50. Conservationist Bindi: IRWIN - No clue, WAG on the "I" crossing the theme name - turns out to be Steve Irwin's daughter - still, it's #6

53. Hair quality: BODY - sadly, my hair quality is "thin", my body, "thick" - I'd prefer the reverse . . .

54. Upfront stake: ANTE - poker [face], not poking

55. Obstacles to teamwork: EGOs

58. Permit: LET - the verb, not the noun

Splynter

Gri(n)d Flow 21.4

Thursday October 8, 2026 Rebecca Goldstein

She's back! And this time, Rebecca Goldstein has given us a puzzle that won't tear your hair out.

37. "Why must you overcomplicate everything?," or what can be said about 16-, 24-, 49-, and 58-Across: IT'S NOT THAT HARD. Each of the following themed answers are not "hard" in one way or another.

16. Christ the Redeemer veneer material: SOAPSTONE. SOAPSTONE ranks very low on the Mohs hardness scale. Made mostly of talc, it is a very soft rock that is easy to carve.

24. Hoppy brew with a low ABV: SESSION IPA. A SESSION IPA is a lighter beer with only a 3% to 5% Alcohol By Volume. Definitely not a hard drink, so you can enjoy a longer SESSION without getting drunk.

49. Contents of a cheese pull, often: MOZZARELLA. MOZZARELLA is a semi-soft, unaged Italian cheese with a high moisture content versus a hard cheese like parmesan. 

58. Genre originally known as the West Coast sound: YACHT ROCK. YACHT ROCK features clean vocals, sophisticated studio production, and mellow melodies, as opposed to hard rock.

IT'S NOT THAT HARD is an apt title for this puzzle. Rebecca's puzzles can be challenging, but not today. I like that the themers utilized a different kind of "hard" in each. That plus a low proper name count made for smooth yachting. The grid is a bit unique as it is narrower than usual with only 14 squares across.

I did have one hang-up though. I wrote DUH at 55A and never went back to check where it crossed 47D BAHT, so I had BADT instead. Bzzzzt! But in my defense, I've never bought anything in Thailand. 

The rest isn't so hard either:

Across:

1. Hydrocortisone target: ITCH.

5. Glissade garb: TUTU. In mountaineering, a glissade is a technique used to descend a steep ice or snow field quickly. HUH? Oh, it's also a sideways glide in ballet. That makes more sense.

9. "Wanna hear a secret?": PSST. Present Some Secret Things?

13. Animated blue tang of film: DORY. DORY's friend in the Pixar movie was Hunky Nemo.

Nemo is a Clownfish and Dory is a Regal Blue Tang.

14. Heavy burden: ONUS.

15. Behind schedule: LATE.

16. [theme]

18. Gets lawyers involved: SUES. Lawyers seem to get involved way too often.

19. Sound heard around a crib: COO. If your crib is full of doves.

20. Places that are all fun and games: ARCADES. My company installed the data cabling for the Blockbuster Golf & Games entertainment complex in Sunrise, FL back in the '90s. It had multi-story all-digital ARCADE that featured a virtual reality flight simulator. 

The future 30 years ago.

22. Verbal finger wag: TSK.

24. [theme]

27. Cut with an axe: HEW.

28. Tree in the name of a Bay Area city: OAK. As in Oakland, California on the San Francisco Bay. 

29. Palindromic family member: DAD. Coulda been MOM.

30. Line of symmetry: AXIS.

32. Palindromic family member: SIS. A clecho of 29A. There are several palindromic family members including a TOT.

34. Part of a routine: STEP.

37. [theme]

41. Perceived: SEEN. This answer may be SEEN as correct.

42. Instrument in a "Baker Street" riff: SAX. Gerry Rafferty's single was a huge hit in 1978 with it's repeating earworm SAX riff. Unfortunately, none of the other songs on the album sounded like it.

43. Body image?: X-RAY. An X-RAY of a brain can reveal everything except if it is rusty.

44. Brain scan letters: EEG. An ElectroEncephaloGram records the electrical activity of the brain. I'll have to try it and see if I have any.

46. Spider's spinning: WEB. 

48. 5G predecessor: LTE. 5G is the fifth generation of cellular technology, offering significantly faster speeds, lower latency, and higher capacity than 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution). It's 1 better! 

49. [theme]

53. "You know it!": YES.

54. Surf shop?: ETAILER. Winner: Best Clue.

The famous Ron Jon Surf Shop is also online.

55. "Well, whaddaya know!": HUH. I though DUH would fit.

57. __ Whip: frozen pineapple treat: DOLE. DOLE Whip is a line of frozen soft-serve deserts with flavors that include pineapple, mango and orange. Now in stores, it was first available only at Disneyland.

58. [theme]

63. College town in Iowa: AMES. Home of Iowa State University.

64. Figs. that may be delayed by weather: ETAS. Estimated time of...oh, you know this.

65. Territory "where America's day begins": GUAM. GUAM is west of the International Date line and has it's own time zone (Chamorro Standard Time). Residents wake up 14 or 15 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, depending on Daylight Saving Time.

66. Lean to one side: LIST.

67. Glum: DOWN.

68. Blows it: ERRS. Blows it: AIRS.

Down:

1. Cards at a casino?: IDS. You must be 21 years old to gamble at most casinos, so they may check your Identification card. 

2. Also: TOO.

3. Act the class clown: CRACK WISE. I've never heard this phrase reversed like this (it's usually wisecracking) but it makes sense. 

4. Prefix with -dermic or -thermic: HYPO. Hypodermic (under the skin) and Hypothermic (low body temperature). The prefix HYPO- comes from Ancient Greek meaning under or below, and is the opposite of Hyper- (over or excessive).

5. Little one: TOT. A little palindromic family member.

6. Spanish one: UNO. When playing UNO, you shout this to indicate you only have one card left.

7. Bluefin, yellowfin, and blackfin: TUNAS. With canned TUNAS, I prefer skipjack. Skipjack is a smaller, faster-growing species, meaning it naturally accumulates far less mercury than larger species like albacore or bluefin, making it safer for frequent consumption.

8. Password preceder: USER ID. You must be 18 to use a computer, so it checks your USER ID. Wait, that's not right.

9. Texting etiquette?: PLS AND THX. Textspeak for Please and Thanks.

10. Riyadh resident: SAUDI. Riyadh is the capital and largest city of SAUDI Arabia.

11. Pricey: STEEP.

12. Thompson of "Hedda": TESSA. TESSA starred in the film based on Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler about a woman trapped in a marriage she doesn't want. 

17. Not great, not terrible: SO SO. This answer is meh.

21. Take the path of least resistance, say: COAST.

22. Pad see ew cuisine: THAI. I saw "pad" and knew it was THAI. Pad simply means "stir-fry," so it applies to many dishes.

23. Suggestive messages: SEXTS. These seem to always come back around and bite the senders.

25. Only cardinal direction not in a state name: EAST. There was an EAST Florida from 1763-1821. It split from West Florida after the Seven Years' War in Europe when Spain ceded it to Great Britain in exchange for the release of Havana.

26. Funny sketches: SKITS.

31. Most susceptible to collecting dust?: SNEEZIEST. This is another word that I'm sure exists but I've never heard uttered. Gesundheit. 

33. Prayer __: SHAWL.

35. Four or five, maybe: EARLY HOUR. It's also EARLY BIRD HOUR!

36. Ramble on: PRATE.

38. Lakers legend Shaquille: ONEAL. Before LeBron James brought his talents to South Beach, Shaq teamed up with Dwayne Wade to win Miami Heat's first national championship.

2006 NBA Champs

39. Rink leap: AXEL.

40. Lends color: DYES. If one washes a new red t-shirt with whites, it DYES them pink. If only it lends color, it would be fine, but usually its permanent.

45. Lost colour: GREYED. In England, they spell "gray" with an E (and "color" with a U). Those crazy Brits!

47. 22-Down currency: BAHT. I got this one wrong because of the aforementioned cross. DUH! I mean HUH!

49. Wearable prize: MEDAL.

50. Some indigenous Mexicans: OTOMI. Unlike the Mayans and the Aztecs, the OTOMI people still inhabit central Mexico.

Costumed OTOMI performing a traditional folk dance

51. Diamond chain: ZALES. "Every kiss begins with Kaye" is a much better slogan than "Zales starts with Zzzz."

52. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

56. Spur to action: URGE.

59. Murder-ous cry: CAW. The call from a murder of crows. I'm fascinated by the odd names ascribed to various groups of animals. Recently, China gifted us an embarrassment of pandas.

60. Sales channel: HSN. With so many online options now available, the Home Shopping Network (and sister QVC) faced financial challenges leading to Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

61. Vehicle that may be self-driving: CAR.

62. Tour de France distances, informally: KMS. Kilometers.

Be good. RB

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 85th birthday to dear Jayce (John)! Your warmth, kindness, and steady presence make our little crossword family a better place. Wishing you a wonderful day filled with good memories and plenty of love. Sheng Ri Kuai Le, John!

 

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 - Robin Stears

 

Theme:  DAMAGE CONTROL (clued as: Jeopardize Maxwell Smart's organization?)

 

 

Puzzling thoughts:

My good friend and former crossword constructor mentor, Robin Stears, came up with a silly, yet clever way of cluing a quartet of non-related entries; non-related in their meaning but strangely related in their context 

When closely examining each of the four entries you find that not just the answer contains a synonym for the word "DAMAGE" but so does the clue:

17. Ruin the Olympic Games?: SPOIL SPORTS.

27. Destroy casual chitchat?: TRASH TALKING.

46. Wreak havoc on origami supplies?: BUTCHER PAPER. 

60. Lay waste to a dairy product?: CREAM CHEESE. 

To comment any further (on my part) about each of the entries would just be a disservice - you all should be able to figure out Robin's tomfoolery 😜

However ... if I were to nitpick just a little ... the second entry uses a present participle form of the verb "TALK" as opposed to the other three entries which use a noun to support the "theme".  Could Robin have used the word TALKERS instead and maintained the symmetry?  🤷 After checking that part of the grid, the answer is, "yes".  She could change IS SO to ESSO; NAIL to RAIL; and GYRE (not one of my favorite words today) to SYNE (as in Auld Lang); and SIR to SIN.  There! Done!! 😉

(maybe I should apply to one of the publishers as an assistant editor ...??) 

Anyhow, I am happy to provide a recap because honestly, this puzzle scored very high for me.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and 1/2⭐!  Congrat's Ms. Stears for a well-done job

 

Here's the grid and then off to the rest of the puzzle!

(Note:  You can see my final entry letter filled in; the red highlight of the letter Y in GYRE ...)  

Across:
1. Built (on): BASED.  As opposed to Spread (on): BASTE

6. Many an A-lister: ACTOR. Somewhat of a clecho to (65-across. A-list): ELITE.

11. Swing's path: ARC.  Moe-ku:

        Paris sports car buff

        Drove his TR-6 under

        The ARC de Triumph [sic]

 

14. Cartoon canine who speaks with an "R" consonant mutation: ASTRO.  George and Judy Jetson's pet dog (surprise ending)

 

 

15. Level: PLANE.  

16. "Argo" org.: CIA.

[theme entry]

19. Every last bit: ALL.

20. Tammy Duckworth's title, briefly: SEN.

21. Merry-go-round music: LILT.  This "rendition" is hardly a "LILT" - and doesn't feature any horses going up and down - I am sure that some of our younger Cornerites who might be Mötley Crüe fans can shed some light on this.  Or not

22. Bas-__: RELIEF.  The word "Bas-" is pronounced "bah" (as in Bah, humbug!) but its meaning is oddly similar (to what those who would mispronounce it) to what's seen in this video!

 

24. Like many dirt roads: ONE LANE.  May I see a hand up for anyone else - like me - who tried UNPAVED first?

26. Home of Hawaii's Merrie Monarch Festival: HILO.  All you need to know about this annual event

[theme entry]

32. Tennis great Andre: AGASSI.  He and his wife (former tennis great Steffi Graf) will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks

[per Wikipedia] - Agassi's record as a tennis player includes: 

Career Milestones

Career Grand Slam: He is one of a select group of men to win all four major singles tournaments.
Career Golden Slam: He won the Career Grand Slam plus an Olympic gold medal (1996 Atlanta Olympics).
Finals Record: 8 wins and 7 losses in Grand Slam finals (53.3% win rate) 

35. Georgia airport code: ATL.  Technically, it's the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

36. "If you ask me ... ": I SAY. Pip, pip and cheerio!

37. Massage: RUB.  Moe-ku:

 

        A massage client

        Refused to leave tip when they

        Were RUBbed the wrong way  

38. Super vision?: ESP.  How did I know that this would be the answer?? Must be psychic

39. Polite title: SIR.  MA'AM was too long to fit

40. A in geometry: AREA.  At first I tried SIDE (as in the sides of a right triangle, e.g.) thinking it was referring to Area = ab/2.  But a capital "A" does mean AREA

42. French wine classification: CRU.  CRU wine refers to a legally defined vineyard, group of vineyards, or village officially recognized for producing wine of superior quality based on its unique terroir (soil, climate, and topography) - Oh, and a Moe-ku:

 

        Heavy-metal band

        Owns a Napa winery

        Called "The Motley CRU" 

         

43. Annette of "Virgin River": O'TOOLE.  A bit of information about her 

[theme entry]

49. Forever and ever: EONS.

50. Repeat for emphasis: ITERATE.

54. "Who __!": DOESN'T.  "Love pizza!!"

57. Burlesque bit: SKIT. One of my all-time favorites!

 

58. Light touch: TAP. Second clecho du jour, with (66-across. Light touch): PAT.

59. Sometimes called, for short: AKA.  I am sometimes called MOE but don't call me short!! 😀

[theme entry]

63. Virginia Woolf's "__ Dalloway": MRS.  This is a 1925 modernist novel that chronicles a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class London hostess preparing for an evening party

64. "__ mañana": HASTA. "Until tomorrow"

67. Elizabeth who plays the Scarlet Witch: OLSEN.

For my buddy, Splynter (IYKYK)

68. Trig ratios: SINES.  Geometry AND trigonometry in the same puzzle!  Robin, were you by any chance into mathematics as a high schooler?

Down:
1. Common voice for an opera villain: BASSO.  Nothing villainous about this Christmas carol rendition by one BASSO who is singing all 5 parts

 

 

2. Colorado town near Snowmass: ASPEN.  One of our regular Cornerites (MalMan) is staying in a condo, very close to ASPEN, as we speak (the view he gets to see is pictured below)

3. Curling piece: STONE.  Actually, BROOM fits, too

 

4. "__ tu": Verdi aria: ERI.  A snippet

 

5. Brunei money: DOLLARS. [per Wikipedia] "The Brunei dollar, is the currency of Brunei Darussalam since 1967. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively B$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The currency is divided into 100 cents and is issued by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank"

6. Orchard fruit: APPLES.  PEARS, PEACHES, PLUMS, APRICOTS are also orchard fruits; they unfortunately won't fit into this "bushel basket"  

7. Congeal: CLOT.  Here is a link to a recipe for CLOTted cream

8. Viscous goo: TAR.

9. Having one's day in court?: ON TRIAL.  You don't like this clue and answer?  Then sue me!

10. Deal in, as vintage clothing: RESELL.  Clothing items such as these are found at places like Goodwill and Salvation Army stores, as well as on Etsy

11. Breakfast bowl berry: ACAI.  BLUE was my first thought - that's what Ms Margaret and I have in our morning breakfast bowl

12. Annoy but good: RILE.

13. Baby camel: CALF.  A few fun facts about camels

18. Africa-to-Asia land bridge: SINAI.

23. Trickster in Norse mythology: LOKI.

25. Jr. officers: LTS.  Abbr. for Lieutenants 

26. URL starter: HTTP.

28. Invites to one's apartment, say: HAS UP.  ASK UP fits, too, and is probably the more recognized phrase

29. Childish comeback: IS SO.  This was the area of the puzzle that had me flummoxed for the longest time.  I could have bet money that this was AM SO but then again, it's been a long time since I have been a child ... 

30. Get just right: NAIL.  I did "nail" this one but it looked odd next to AM SO

31. Giant oceanic surface current: GYRE.  Total swing and a miss - I want to say that I had to Google this to finish solving the puzzle

32. Part of UAE: ARAB.

33. Hindu mentor: GURU.

34. Lie for, say: ABET.

38. Goes astray: ERRS.

41. Las Vegas WNBA team: ACES.  Fun Fact:  Former NFL QB Tom Brady is a part owner

42. Primary: CENTRAL.

43. __ nerve: OPTIC.

44. Shows signs of growth?: TEETHES.  Clever enough clue - core definition of TEETHE is: The process of baby teeth pushing through and emerging from the gums.  This occurs, generally, as a baby reaches 6 months of age

45. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby: ORR.

47. Top dog: HONCHO. Moe-ku:

 

        An alpha male dog

        Sported a slicker. It's called

        A HONCHO poncho  

48. Three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Troy: AIKMAN.

51. Saved on supper, perhaps: ATE IN.  With today's higher grocery prices, it doesn't always "feel" like we are saving anything when we dine; IN or out.  Remember these days?

52. Sample size?: TASTE.  This term (TASTE) doesn't always mean something that is consumed orally.  Our summer vacation this year was a guided tour called TASTE of Portugal; and it was just that.  We stayed in one hotel for 7 nights and took short bus hops to several touristy areas.  It gave us a good TASTE of the country - we stayed another week, though, as we wanted more than just a "sample"

53. Stage combat props: EPEES.  Huh!  First time I think I've seen THIS clue used for the fencing sword.  "Curses, foiled again!"

54. Not quite dry: DAMP. A rare sighting here in Arizona - although our Monsoon this year provided us with more rain than I recall in the seven years I've lived here

55. Sticky pod: OKRA.  My favorite way to prepare it - and always one of the side dishes I order when eating at a Cracker Barrel

56. From Perth to Sydney: EAST.  Geography lesson.  Perth sits on the far western coast of Australia on the Indian Ocean whilst Sydney is on the east coast (Pacific Ocean).  Visiting Perth is on Moe and Ms. Margaret's bucket list of places, as there is a wine region to the south of Perth that lies along the Margaret River!  Few folks know of how wonderful these wines are.  Here is a link

57. Make full: SATE. Do you feel SATEd from solving today's puzzle and reading Moe's blog?  Hope so

61. Curvy letter: ESS.

62. Yale grad: ELI. 

For those keeping "score":  I think ELI was the 18th 3-letter word used in today's puzzle; I counted just 7 abbr's; and 4 proper names - I know that this statistic has to please many of our solvers!  Please stop by and say "Hi!" Robin

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Tennessee Grimes

Hit the Road, Jack!  Last Tuesday, we were on the Road.  This week we are still on the road, but obeying the signs along our travel.

20-Across. Plan for ending a relationship: EXIT STRATEGY.

28-Across. Have a meeting of the minds?: BUMP HEADS.

38-Across. "Can it!": STOP YOUR YAPPING.

46-Across. One who's not a fast-food fan?: SLOW EATER.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Nonverbal communication, or what can be found at the starts of 20-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across: SIGN LANGUAGE.

Here's the grid with all the Signs.

This was a strange puzzle for me.  I found it both very challenging, and yet I also had more answers filled in by the perps without having read the clue.

Across:

1. Signs of healing on scrapes and cuts: SCABS.  I initially tried Scars because that word appears often in the puzzles.  Scabs aren't as drastic as scars, though.

6. Dedicated poems: ODEs.  A crossword staple.

10. "Omg same": IT ME.  Meh!

14. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.

15. Start of a Spanish cheer: VIVA.

16. Phobia: FEAR.

17. Like grapefruit juice: TANGY.

18. Sinister: EVIL.

19. Greek salad cheese: FETA.  Feta is a Greek white brined cheese made from sheep's milk or a blend of sheep and goat's milk.  The brine gives it the signature salty taste.

23. Boathouse blade: OAR.

24. World's second-tallest bird: EMU.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the difference between an Emu and an Ostrich.

25. Hooting bird of prey: OWL.

33. Major fad: MANIA.

35. Mil. mail drop: APO.  As in Army Post Office.  Your military mail guide.

36. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA.  The Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer would likely hold a Master of Business Administration degree.

37. Feathery cleaner: DUSTER.

42. Protected place for boats: HARBOR.  Anyone else try Marina?  And:  30-Down. Secured in a 42-Across: MOORED.

43. Pirate's cry: YAR.

44. Fib: LIE.

45. Swedish home furnishing stores: IKEAs.  This company is becoming a crossword staple.  Did you know that Ikea has been around since the 1940s?  The company was started by a 17-year-old who began selling small office supplies.

49. Actor Beatty: NED.  Although Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) appeared in over 160 films, he his probably best remember for his role in Deliverance.

50. "Last Week Tonight" network: HBO.

52. Company abbr.: INC.

59. Pesky insect: GNAT.

62. From the top: ANEW.

63. Push: IMPEL.

64. Numerous: MANY.

65. __ Millions lottery: MEGA.

66. Republic in the Himalayas: NEPAL.  Since August, a series of flash floods destroyed many parts of Nepal and Tibet.  Hundreds of people died or are still missing.

67. Deep black: ONYX.

68. Crafty website: ETSY.

69. Diary passage: ENTRY.

Down:

1. Location: SITE.

2. Gently persuade: COAX.

3. Years in old Rome: ANNI.  Today's Latin lesson.

4. Circus tent: BIG TOP.

5. Opens up at a checkup: SAYS AH.

6. Eggs __ easy: OVER.

7. Aria singer, maybe: DIVA.

8. Paperless party announcements: EVITES.

9. Capital of Oregon: SALEM.  Ever wonder why Salem is the capital of Oregon?  It is far more interesting than one would suspect.

10. Questionable: IFFY.

11. Golf peg: TEE.

12. Gym cushion: MAT.

13. Noteworthy period: ERA.

21. Vibration: TREMOR.

22. Clog, informally: GUM UP.

25. Betting unwisely, in poker slang: ON TILT.  This term originated with the pinball machine.  If a player shoved or shook the machine too hard out of anger, a sensor would trigger a "TILT" warning and freeze the flippers as a penalty.  It was adopted by poker players who suffered big losses.

26. Frankfurter: WIENIE.

27. More roomy: LARGER.

28. Knock down violently, as a door: BASH IN.

29. Quick on the __: UPTAKE.

31. __ Dhabi: ABU.  Abu Dhabi is famous for being the ultra-wealthy political capital of the United Arab Emirates, combining massive oil reserves with world-class cultural and architectural landmarks.

32. Hannah of "Splash": DARYL.  Splash was released in 1984!  Can you believe it was that long ago?  

34. European viper: ASP.

37. Naturalist Charles with a theory of evolution: DARWIN.  Charles Robert Darwin (Feb. 12, 1809 ~ Apr. 19, 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology.  In 1925, John Scopes (Apr. 3, 1900 ~ October. 21, 1970), a teacher from Tennessee, was convicted for teaching the theory of evolution to his biology class.

39. Org. for tenpins players: PBA.  As in the Professional Bowlers Association.

40. Mario Kart and Mario Party dinosaur: YOSHI.

41. Basketball Hall of Famer Ming: YAO.  Yao Ming (Sept. 12, 1980) is a Chinese former professional player.  He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, and then spent his entire nine-year National Basketball Association career with the Houston Rockets.

46. 14-line poem: SONNET.

47. "Purring" car part: ENGINE.

48. Shrewdness: ACUMEN.

51. So-so effort: B-GAME.

53. Mythical river of the underworld: STYX.

54. Bench supports: LEGS.

55. Not home: AWAY.

56. Date with a doc: APPT.  As in an Appointment.

57. Clockwork part: GEAR.

58. Shortstop De La Cruz who led the majors in stolen bases in 2024: ELLY.  Elly Antonio De La Cruz (b. Jan. 11, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. 

59. Bioengineering letters: GMO.  As in Genetically Modified Organism.

60. Brit's grandma: NAN.

61. "__ volunteers?": ANY.

חתולה