Friday, December 5, 2025 - Brian Callahan & Taylor Johnson

 Theme:  "Pocket change"

And here is a YouTube clip of one of the songs from this album

Puzzling thoughts:

The reason I chose "Pocket Change" as the theme title is because, well, I found that cool album cover photo and an equally cool song from that album.  So there!  But if we use it to describe today's puzzle, it fits; we see four entries that are all created from the letters in the word "pocket", so in a sense, we have (a) pocket "change"  

In the grid image below, I highlighted the word P-O-C-K-E-T in each of the entries. I was hoping that the remaining letters in each entry would have some added meaning, so I reached out to Taylor Johnson (one of the co-constructors) to further define what this puzzle's all about: 

Taylor replied, "It's essentially a letter-bank theme! Basically, the reveal is saying that each of those entries is "made OUT OF POCKET," meaning that the only letters used to make those entries are the letters in (the word) POCKET.  Some letters are repeated in some entries, but overall, the only letters that appear are P-O-C-K-E-T. I hope this clears things up! Thanks!"

Taylor said nothing more about whose idea this was, his or Brian's.  Both of these gentlemen have scores of published crossword puzzles between them; not sure if this was their first collaboration though

Entries:

17-across. *Odist with a passion for the culinary arts?: COOKTOP POET.  Might this inspire the Chairman to embrace this entry?  Why not!  How about a Moe-l'ick for a change?

        Former chef just decides to embark

        Doing stir-fry.  He went on a lark

        Opened restaurant in town

        Near the green; what a clown!

        'Cause he calls it: "A Wok in the Park"        

24-across. *Eight-member band from Seoul, perhaps?: K-POP OCTET.  How about another Moe-l'ick?

        K-Pop octet conducted a poll

        And the question was painfully droll:

        "Just because that we lack

        Any singer who's black

        Do you think that we ain't got no Seoul?"

37-across. *Social media community obsessed with quick kisses?: PECK TOK.  Sorry, nothing in this one inspired the Chairman, poetically ... and to be honest, I thought this entry could have been left out

 

However, after I wrote today's blog, I got an email from the constructors and explained (to this old Boomer) what this meant.  Apparently, people who love reading (for example) might have a "community" on Tik Tok that refers to all the people who make videos about books; and they are then known as "Book Tok".  I suppose that those who do kissing videos might resemble this one:

 

 

48-across. *Beverage sold at a Florida theme park?: EPCOT COKE.  I dunno if Brian and Taylor checked first, to see if Disney World features Coca-Cola products, but they do.  So, I guess I can let this one slide.  And because Disney serves Coca-Cola products, this one inspired a Moe-ku:

        Disney hired Coke

        To build a new attraction

        Called:  Fanta - Sea Land

Reveal:

59-across. Like some expenses, and how the answers to the starred clues are made?: OUT OF POCKET.  (Described above)

Here's the grid, and then off to the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:
1. Casual top?: CAMI.

5. __ page: website introduction: SPLASH.  Would've preferred ___ pool for this one; fun!

11. Spanish infinitive: SER.  To be in Espanol

14. Stratford-upon-__: AVON.  Birthplace of Shakespeare

15. Cause: LEAD TO.

16. Hullabaloo: ADO.  Does anyone remember this Hullabaloo?

[theme entry]

19. "Snowden" org.: NSA. Snowden

20. Morsel: TIDBIT.

21. Flavor of some purple ice cream: UBE.  I would not want ice cream to taste like this

22. Condition that affects one's ability to focus, briefly: AD/HD.

23. Pastoral: IDYLL.

[theme entry]

26. Word on a shoppe sign: OLDE.  Here is a shoppe where you can buy olde signs

28. "Yes __!": SIRREE.

29. Soft "Hey, you": PSST.

32. Great Basin people: UTES.

35. Gets warmer, in a way: NEARS.

36. Prefix in some genre names: ALT.

[theme entry]

39. Jazz guitarist Metheny: PAT. 

 

40. Paris river: SEINE.

42. Catch: HEAR.

43. IDs on tax forms: SSNS.  Mine is 123-45-6789.  Yours? [don't reply!] 

44. Star associated with Venus: SERENA.  Her sister; former tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams.  The movie, King Richard, talks about their rise from Compton, CA to being the best sister act in sports

46. Expand: GROW.

[them entry]

51. Catch: HITCH.  

55. Infielder played by Bernsen in the "Major League" films: DORN.  An interview with Roger Dorn

56. Weep: CRY.

57. Eritrea's capital: ASMARA.

58. Egg cells: OVA.

[theme reveal]

61. Hat similar to a songkok: FEZ.  Songkok?  What the *?!# is that?  Oh, this:

62. "The way things stand ... ": AS IT IS.

63. "Je t'__": French "I love you": AIME.  

64. Get too much sun: FRY.

  

65. Change from residential to commercial, say: REZONE.  

66. Educational spots, briefly: PSAS.

Down:
1. Arizona flora: CACTI.  CSO to Lucina, Yuman, and yours truly - any other Arizonans I've missed? Here is a picture of a very rare cactus 

Crested Saguaro

2. Steer clear of: AVOID.

3. Mercurial: MOODY.

4. Image that's subject to interpretation: INK BLOT.

5. Opening: SLOT.

6. Verve: PEP.

7. Relish: LAP UP.  "Condiment" did not fit

8. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO.  Maybe one of our posters can share a recipe? 

9. Brews: STEEPS.  As in tea

10. Word with tip or take: HOT.  Hot tip; Hot take

11. Driving challenges?: SANDTRAPS.  The ones in the photo below are known as "The Church Pews" and were last seen in this past June's U.S.Open Championship held at Oakmont CC outside of Pittsburgh

12. "Thinking Out Loud" singer: ED SHEERAN.  Ed and I share the same birthday.  Here are some others who were born on this date.  And below you can listen to a seasonal song from Mr. Sheeran

13. Driving challenges?: ROAD TESTS.  If I recall, I passed on the first go around.  Had to parallel park; serpentine through cones; and do it all in a car with a manual gear box.  Apparently this is what the PA test involves nowadays

18. Register: TILL.  This:

22. Lot unit: ACRE.

24. Fore-and-aft rigged boat: KETCH.

25. [I'm a pig!]: OINK.

27. Outstanding: DUE.

29. Sent along (to): PASSED OFF.

30. Pajama party: SLEEPOVER.  Is this a song video you'd play at a sleepover? [contains a few nasty words so beware]

31. Suffering from cabin fever: STIR CRAZY.

33. Pull (out): EKE.

34. Play area: STAGE.

37. Cooped (up): PENT.

38. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR.  The best NHL player to wear the #4 sweater? 

41. Quite bright: NEON.

43. Pool wear: SWIM CAP.  What do you think of this one?

45. Point the finger at: ACCUSE.  

47. Very, very: OH SO.

49. Ana of "Love, Victor": ORTIZ.  This person: 

50. Onetime capital of Japan: KYOTO.  Maybe my co-blogger MalMan can comment about Kyoto?

52. Brand of rolled tortilla chips: TAKIS. Total unknown to me.  Don't think that I have ever tried them.  To those who have, are they any good?

53. Taco topping: CREMA.  It's the Mexican version of cream cheese

54. Abhors: HATES.

57. Cathedral area: APSE.  Crosswordese

59. Dory propeller: OAR. and 60-across. Dory propeller: FIN. Are clechos.  

59 across DORY

60 across DORY

Since I don't have deep pockets, this is all you get for today!  Have fun with your comments and/or questions.  See you in two weeks

Thursday, December 4, 2025, Emet Ozar

 Theme:  The Crying Game

Emet Ozar serves up a Thursday challenge.  Best to keep in mind that it's just a game!  The four theme entries are symmetrically placed in rows Across, with two of them spanning the grid, and the other two just one square shy of that.  All four involve a common phrase that is reinterpreted as a cry from a game player.  The theme entries are:

16-Across. Sad cry from a hot potato player?: I DIDN'T CATCH THAT.  If you drop the potato, you're out.  

25-Across. Sad cry from a Bananagrams player?: CAN I GET A WORD IN?  Players race to build crossword grids using letter tiles.  Why haven't I played this?

46-Across. Sad cry from a Battleship player?: I MISSED THE BOAT.

61-Across. Happy cry from a Scrabble player?: I'M DRAWING A BLANK.

All those cries ended on a happy note.  Let's see how we fare with the rest of this game.

Across:

1. All-Star side: EAST.  Sports are games, too, but they seem more like tribal warfare by proxy.  In many sports, the All-Star games pit East versus West.

5. Maori dance: HAKA.  Speaking of sports, the Haka is performed by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team before matches.  

All Blacks Haka dance

9. Building blocks: ABCs.

13. Pepper __: MILL.

14. Drop: OMIT.

15. Biggest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA.  Nebraska.

16. [Theme clue]

19. Custom car made from cast-off parts: RAT ROD.  A custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. 

Rat Rod

20. Knightly honorifics: SIRS.

21. Formal accessory: TIE.

22. Actor Corddry: ROB.  You may remember Rob as a correspondent on The Daily Show.  He has a number of other television and film credits, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and more Ds than seem proper in his surname.

Rob Corddry

24. Rented: LET.

25. [Theme clue]

33. Palm fruit: DATE.

34. Tool that can be made to sound like a theremin: SAW.  The theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.  Here is Leon Theremin playing the theremin:

Playing a saw requires touching it with a bow:

https://youtube.com/shorts/3-2wWp1UBiY?si=N6E0SxupPWiXKwVl

Apologies if the videos don't work!  You can look up Theremin on Wikipedia to see the Leon Theremin video.  And of course you can copy and paste the YouTube link into your web browser to see the saw in action.

35. Thin: SPARSE.

36. Ballpark figs.: ERAs.  Not estimates (like ETAs), but figures reported in baseball ballparks:  Earned Run Averages.

37. Verbal shrug: MEH.

39. Valley: DALE.

40. Grinding vessel: MORTAR.  I tried "metate" first. 

43. Orecchiette shape: EAR.  "Orecchiette" means "little ears" in Italian.  It's a pasta shape.

Orecchiette

45. Cyberchatted, for short: IMed.  Instant Messaged.  Also written IM'd.

46. [Theme clue]

49. "SNL" alum Gasteyer: ANA.  She's had continued success on film and stage.

Ana Gasteyer

50. Bother: ADO.

51. "KPop Demon Hunters" voice actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.  A successful actor on stage, film and TV.

Daniel Dae Kim

54. "99 Luftballons" band: NENA.  The German band Nena recorded "99 Luftballons" in 1983.  The song tells a fictional story about how 99 balloons are mistaken for enemy aircraft and trigger a global nuclear war.

56. Trashes: TOSSES.

61. [Theme clue]

64. Game consoles produced between 1983 and 2001: SEGAS.

65. Escalator part: STEP.

66. No-frills grocery chain: ALDI.

67. Had in mind?: KNEW.

68. Obscure: HIDE.

69. All-Star side: WEST.  The last Across clue echoes the first.  Here in the Corner, we call that a clecho -- a clue echo.

Down:

1. Doha dignitary: EMIR.  Doha is the capital of Qatar.

2. Verdi opera: AIDA.

3. Feature of many a slinky gown: SLIT.  

Just for Splynter.

4. "I lost interest" letters: TLDR.  Too Long, Didn't Read.

5. Relish-topped ballpark bites: HOT DOGS.

6. Theater chain with MacGuffins Bar and Lounge: AMC.  Never heard of this, but AMC is the only theater chain that comes to mind.

7. Some Korean cars: KIAS.

8. __ the Hun: ATTILA.

9. Check no.: AMT.  Abbreviation in the clue calls for abbreviation in the answer.  AMT is for "amount."

10. Thai currency: BAHT.

11. Hebrew symbol that translates to "living": CHAI.  Chai is not so much a symbol as it is a word, composed of two Hebrew letters.  It means "life."  Hebrew letters were also used as number symbols, and the letters in chai add up to 18, so that 18 is associated with life and luck.  

12. Fill fully: SATE.

15. "You are just too much!": OH STOP.

17. Edible seaweed: NORI.

18. Hands that handle the deck: CREWS.  The deck of a ship ...

23. Radiate pride: BEAM.

25. Tricky pool shot: CAROM.

26. Maker of the 2600 and 5200 game consoles: ATARI.

27. Tiny homes tucked in branches: NESTS.

28. Chirp: TWEET.  Sounds heard in NESTS.

29. __ wave: RADIO.

30. Broadway genre: DRAMA.

31. Dot on a map: ISLET.

32. Call for: NEED.

33. Prefix with sexual: DEMI.  A demisexual person only develops sexual attraction after forming an emotional bond with another person.  They don't get hot and bothered by slits in gowns, for sure!

38. "Good one": HA HA.

41. Vinyasa sequence: ASANAS.  An asana is a physical pose in yoga.  Vinyasa is a style of yoga that links poses in a fluid sequence.  I've seen my lovely daughters practice this flow.

42. Freshen: RENEW.

44. Bureaucratic hassle: RED TAPE.

47. Like kanelsnegle: DANISH.  Kanelsnegle are Danish cinamon rolls.  I didn't know this, but I'm happy to see these on the crossword menu.  Especially if I only have to spell Danish, and not kanelsnegle!

48. __ tube: BOOB.  Yes, kids, that's what we used to call the TV.  Cathode ray tube device for idiots.  Before we all got sucked in.

51. Floppy or hard medium: DISK.

52. Blessing ender: AMEN.

53. Lip: EDGE.  Like the lip of a cup.

55. Not pro: ANTI.

57. Vegetable side: SLAW.

58. Result of a good pitch: SALE.  A good SALEs pitch results in a SALE.  Not baseball this time!

59. Some football linemen: ENDS.

60. Sketch: SKIT.  Not drawing, but sketch comedy.

62. Like sashimi: RAW.

63. HS equivalency test: GED.  General Educational Development test.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you find yourselves DRAWING A BLANK at any point?

Did you at least GET A WORD IN the right place, here and there?

If you KNEW all the answers without the help of perpendicular entries, I'm impressed!

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, Dec 3rd, 2025 ~ John Harrington

  BRAIN CRAMP

I'm a fan of the Canucks, like Bert  - or perhaps you know of this card game

I do the DOWN clues to start, so I quickly discovered that the theme was DOWN, as well - and I know there are a few visitors to the Corner who are not fond of this type of construction, and now, combined with the always admired circles - just like yesterday~!.  Sigh.   John had one other contribution to the LA Times in the past, almost four years ago to the day with a similar theme that Boomer covered.  I have not had the pleasure of blogging one of his puzzles; I am totally impressed with the theme fills, and their clever arrangement, but some of the other clue/answers didn't thrill me.  A handful of names, 24 each of four- and five-letter words - more than the 17 3LWs - a 15x15 grid, and three unique (*) fills; 

5. The Guess Who song covered by Lenny Kravitz: AMERICAN WOMAN* - I never cared for the original, so the remake did nothing for me - sorry.  

10. Principle that anything that can go wrong will go wrong: MURPHY'S LAW - There are more now;

I have proven the Workshop law too many times to count - hardware as well as tools

19. Comedian's self-deprecating assurance: "I'M HERE ALL WEEK.~!"* - Ba-dum-tiss

29. Unseen collective character on "The Office": CAMERA CREW

I so wanted to link the "best of" this phrase, but it's NSF Work - ironically

7. Routine before a race, or what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters: 

WARM UP STRETCHES* - The circles denote the letters W A R M that s-t-r-e-t-c-h "up" the theme answers - one needs to limber up the noggin before working a crossword puzzle . . . .

Grid Flow is 35.2, roughly the average

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. __ lines: mysterious geoglyphs in Peru: NAZCA - I like watching "Ancient Aliens", and the Lines are a frequent topic on that show - the Wiki; geo name#1

And now A I has discovered 300+ more glyphs - the website

6. Couple: TWO

9. Love, in Spanish: AMOR

13. Geometry class statement: AXIOM - here's an explanation, sort of . . . 

14. Ink pouches: SACS

16. Knockoff version: DUPE - no abbr indicated for "duplicate"

17. Chop finely: MINCE - my AXLE/IRON made this  - L O C - , so I knew something was not right

18. Some Hollywood red-carpet events: PREMIERES - Solid fill

20. Go along with: ESCORT

Air Force One with a fighter "escort"

22. Formal address: MA'AM

23. Con's opposite: PRO - Corrections Officer was too long 😜

24. Celebratory gesture after a success: AIR PUNCH

'tis the season~!

26. "You __ one job!": "HAD~!"

27. TV network based in Central London: BBC - network #1, the "beeb"

30. Complain: CARP

A goldfish carp - get it~?

31. "Claws" actor Jack: KESY - No clue, filled via perps; his IMDb; name #2

33. In the style of, on French menus: À LA

34. Sailor's "Halt!": "AVAST~!"

36. Puts one's feet up: RESTS

39. Instant noodles option: RAMEN - I made my mac N cheese for Thanksgiving, but when I opened this box of Penne, it had Rotini in it

It's an "im-pasta"

41. Ultimate degree: Nth

42. Razzle-dazzle: ÉCLAT - more Frawnche, "burst out"

43. "Sullivan's Crossing" channel: THE CW - network #2 , never watched, filled via perps - name (ish)

44. Caribbean island near Venezuela: ARUBA - geo name #2

46. Blackjack card: ACE - see also 63D.

47. Crucifix: ROOD - My US History teacher in high school was Mr. Rood; he claimed his "rock band" went by the name "Merchants of Death", from the historical WWI pejorative - and he would tell us on Fridays to "make it a better weekend for someone else.", which I always appreciated.

49. Track legend Zátopek: EMIL - name #3

50. __ factor: WOW

51. AIT scanner org.: TSA - three days in a row now; Advanced Imaging Technology, Transportation Security Admin.

53. Spaghetti topper: MEATBALL

Looked so good when I wrote the blog, I went and made more "Ro-Penne" with meatballs

Or is it Pen-tini~?

56. "Monsters, __": INC.

57. With, on French menus: AVEC - more more Frawnche; without = sans

58. Dives like a hawk: SWOOPS

62. Taylor Swift hit that aptly spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100: FORTNIGHT

65. Easy-to-spot jigsaw pieces: EDGES - I had a picture of Cooper made into a jigsaw puzzle as a present for my sister-in-law last year; she and my brother are tackling it now to be done before this Christmas

Me 'n Cooper, loungin' on the couch

66. Release: FREE - messed up my "SPATS" @ 51D.

67. In __ of: LIEU - send donations to the Splynter board game fund in lieu of flowers . . . .

68. Everglades wading bird: EGRET - showed up in Monday's puzzle, too - I lived in Florida for two years, don't  rEGRET moving 😜

69. Threaded together: SEWN

70. Form 1099 fig.: SSN - IRS didn't work

71. Falls (over): KEELS

DOWN:

1. Topic of conversation for parents-to-be: NAME - #. 1. name.  Ha~!

2. Turning point?: AXIS - I put in AXLE, but in retrospect, an axle is not really a "point"

3. Multivitamin element: ZINC - Dah~!  Not IRON

4. Drinkable chocolate: COCOA - I like Ryze mushroom cocoa, but it does not make me as sleepy as advertised

6. Cook's meas.: TSP - a "tisp" is smaller than a tibble-spip, ( TBSP ) amounts I am working with when following a 'ree-sype'

8. One of a geographic quintet: OCEAN - Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic - which is now called Southern

9. Summery drink suffix: ADE - hi Lemonade~!

11. "Tosca," for one: OPERA

12. Fill in, as a bare spot in a yard: RESOD

I think I see a "bare spot" in the yard

15. Noisy kiss: SMACK

21. Chiefs star Kelce, to fans: TRAV - Since I am so NOT a Chiefs fan, I had no clue; this season, no NFL team seems to be the run-away favorite, as far as I can tell - name #4

25. Sanskrit for "life force": PRANA - ooops, not ASANA - that's a hatha yoga posture

27. Oldest Simpson kid: BART - Lisa, & Maggie haven't aged a day in almost 40 years - name #5

28. Ho-hum: "BLAH."

32. Min. fraction: SEC

35. Stick out like a sore __: THUMB

37. Food truck fare: TACO

38. Nurse a grudge, say: STEW - we already had several 'food' clues & answers

40. Green prefix: ECO

45. Slant: BIAS

48. New Jersey NHL player: DEVIL - I lived in Albany, NY, which is home to their farm team, the River Rats

51. Petty quarrels: TIFFS - my answer was Bzzzt~!

52. "Zzz" sound: SNORE - I prefer this ZZ sound

A post-Thanksgiving "TV Dinners", ZZ top

54. Protection: AEGIS - filled via perps; the OE dictionary says it's of Greek origin meaning "shield"

55. Ski resort building: LODGE - A-FRAME didn't fit

59. Fantasy heavy: OGRE

60. Banana skin: PEEL

61. Retired jets, briefly: SSTs - Super-Sonic TransportS - The Concorde, e.g. - this fill has been making a comeback, lately

63. Royal flush card: TEN - had to change my ACE here due to its showing up for Blackjack @ 46A.

64. Winery vat: TUN - filled via perps; etymology here

Splynter