Seeing Dr. Sessa's byline made me feel confident that I would have a pleasant and engaging solve and that proved to be true for my 13th Sessa puzzle blog. Anything that was new or unusual had plenty of escape avenues and after a lovely 17 minute excursion I earned a "got 'er done".
Across:
1. Farmer's dozen: FRESH EGGS.
10. Brightly colored Arita ware: IMARI -IMARI porcelain is made in the town of Arita in Japan, though it is named after the port of Imari where the wares were historically shipped.
15. Bubble Wrap alternative: AIR PILLOW.
16. Violet shade: LILAC.
17. Memorabilia from the Great White North: CANADIANA - We have Americana and Canada has Canadiana, a term used to describe things (e.g., books, historical documents, works of art, music and artifacts), ideas, or activities that concern or are distinctive of Canada, its peoples, and/or its culture, especially works of literature and other cultural products.
18. Guitar legend Van Halen: EDDIE.
19. Jolly pair?: ELS - Meta cluing, Jolly has two "L's"
20. "Mad Men" types: AD REPS.
22. Fuse with heat: WELD.
23. Popeye's __'Pea: SWEE - The original characters
24. Lawn machines: MOWERS.
26. Bouquets: AROMAS.
29. Some military caps: KEPIS - I always think of this guy
30. Pass on: RELAY - Sometimes it comes back to you
31. Near-perfect ballgame: ONE HITTER - In 1995 Paul Menhart of the Toronto Blue Jays pitched a ONE-HITTER but lost the game 1- 0 as the only hit was a home run by Oriole Harold Baines.
35. Day of March madness: IDES.
36. Russian refusals: NYETS.
37. Sine qua non: NEED.
38. Shelties' shelters: DOG HOUSES.
40. One-named singer dubbed the "First Lady of Crunk & B": CIARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
41. __ in: intrudes: BUTTS.
42. Software shortcuts: MACROS.
43. Figure in the knight time?: SQUIRE 😀
45. Give credit to: CITE.
46. Figure on many a flag: STAR - Of course Texas features a lone star
47. Leafy spots: ARBORS - An ARBOR at the home of J. Sterling Morton, the founder of ARBOR Day, in Nebraska City, NE.
49. Tallahassee inst.: FSU.
52. Argentine dance: TANGO.
54. Folks who are rotten to the core: BAD APPLES.
56. Tribal leader: ELDER.
57. Rare blood type: A-NEGATIVE.
58. Oft-poached fruit: PEARS.
59. Floral additive to Turkish delight and gulab jamun: ROSE WATER.
Down:
1. Portrait subject: FACE - Legend has it that this FACE belonged to Mona (my lady) Lisa (del Giocondo)
2. Capital of Oman: RIAL - $2.60
3. Gray sea eagles: ERNS.
4. Massage center: SPA.
5. Secreted: HID AWAY.
6. Says "coulda, woulda, shoulda," say: ELIDES 😀
7. Intimidating look: GLARE.
8. Used up: GONE.
9. Free trade zones?: SWAP MEETS 😀
10. __-de-France: ILE - Literally, the name "Island of France" for the territory of Paris. It was derived from its being bordered by the rivers Seine, Oise and Marne (tributaries of the Seine) and Beuvronne (a tributary of the Marne), which surround it like an island.
11. Stereotype associated with a region of the United States: MIDWEST NICE - We tend to be that way
12. Tree with catkins: ALDER.
13. Small wading birds: RAILS - Miraculously, I recalled RAILS which kept me out of the possible natick at IMARI/RAILS. Hmmm... I wonder how many RIALS RAILS cost? 😀
14. Frosted: ICED.
21. Former frosh: SOPHS.
23. Order that requires a superhot griddle: SMASH BURGER - It starts as a round ball and then...
25. Nintendo game console: WII - WII golf in a nursing home
26. Saharan: ARID.
27. Let result, in tennis: REDO - If a serve hits but gets over the net in VB play continues and there is no REDO.
28. Cassini of fashion: OLEG - OLEG was Jackie's official designer but this suit she wore 62 years ago today was by Chanel. This famous pink dress is stored in the National Archives and will not be on display until 2013. Her pillbox hat has been lost.
29. End of a lap: KNEES 😀
31. Spot to order Kumamotos: OYSTER BAR - At 10 o'clock below
32. Rend: TEAR.
33. Architect Saarinen: EERO - Some of his many designs
Emet's crossword debut occurred @ Universal in June 2021 as part of their Pride Month celebration. IIRC, Universal featured puzzles that month that were created by LGBTQ+ constructors. The puzzle was titled: "I want the world to know". In a Google search I found this @ autostraddle dot com: "Emet (Ozar) is a queer and genderqueer program manager, crossword constructor, and married parent to four children."
Emet has been published a dozen or more times during this decade, including a NYT Sunday (debut) in 2022, and was last seen @ LAT in June, 2025
Today's offering seemed odd until I parsed each of the entries based on the clues. My conclusion is explained in each of them below, and to make it easier to understand I separated the repeated words/phrases in each entry:
19-across. Beer endorsed by a British pop star?: DUA LIPA DUAL IPA.
Dua Lipa is a 30-year-old British Singer-Songwriter. Click the link for a more complete biography
A Dual IPA (or Double IPA) is a category of India Pale Ale that features an increased level of malt and hops which both elevate the flavors and alcohol content by volume (the image below is one of my favorites in this category)
24-across. Relaxed prankster?: A TEASE AT EASE. A "tease" might refer to a prankster. When I started dating in HS, the term "a tease" had a much different meaning, but I digress ...
"At ease" is a term used mainly in the armed forces to "command" the troops to relax after standing at attention. At the end of the clip below, Sgt. Hulka's men had a different interpretation of the term.
"It's time to party, Italian style!"
44-across. Post-punk sudden death period became extremely exciting?: GOTH OTGOT HOT.
Goth is a late 1970's early 1980's rock music sub-culture that appeared post punk rock. OT (short for OverTime) refers to extra periods in various sports events that are needed to break a tie score at the end of the allotted time for the game (regulation). "Sudden death" was a referral as to how the overtime period ended, as it once involved the first team to score to be declared the winner. Now (for football, anyway) that has all changed
"GOT HOT" might refer to how The Big Bang Theory's Howard Wolowitz was feeling, right up until the following scene from "The_Gothowicz_Deviation"
51-across. Jerk risked growing hangry?: TOOL ATE TOO LATE. The term "tool" is an unflattering name for a person who acts like a jerk, is foolish, or is unlikable. The word "hangry" is an adjective/portmanteau that defines someone who is irritable due to being hungry or who hasn't eaten anything in quite a while
I seem to recall an erstwhile commercial for a canned food product that had a similar reference. In this case it was a tool WITH a tool ... just watch:
Was this puzzle too clever, perhaps? I dunno. I really wanted to be awed by this theme and set of entries, but I wasn't. I realize how difficult it was to create, let alone find, a quartet of repeating phrases/words that have different meanings when parsed but it somehow fell flat for me
FWIW, I thought the first two entries were more than OK and quite clever; the third was a real stretch though; and the fourth was a bit sophomoric. Yeah Moe, sophomoric, eh? That's kind of like you (the pot) calling the kettle black! 😂
There are a few forced entries here and there which I will address as I get to them. If I had to rate this puzzle with stars (1 ⭐ being a real clunker and 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ being the most fun I've ever had, solving a puzzle) this one gets ⭐⭐ and 3/4 ⭐
The Grid
Across: 1. Fiddle with: ALTER.
6. Forensic facility: LAB.
9. Largest isle of the Inner Hebrides: SKYE. And home to the dog breed Skye Terrier
[akc dot org says] "The heavenly breed with the heart of a lion,' the long, low, and level Skye Terrier is among the AKC's most distinctive-looking breeds. This elegant but sturdy aristocrat was bred as an exterminator on Scotland's remote Isle of Skye. Long, low, and level, this unique earthdog is among the AKC's most distinctive-looking breeds. Skyes stand 9 or 10 inches high and feature a long, flat-lying coat and peekaboo hairdo. They're known for big, feathery ears that stand up like bat wings, but Skyes can also have 'drop ears,' which lie flat against the large, long head. Beneath the profuse coat are short, muscular legs and a deep chest. When seen in profile, these elegant but substantial terriers are twice as long as they are high
13. Manufacturer "where every mattress is sheep approved": SERTA. Cute commericial!
15. Cosmic span: AEON. I checked and this is the debut for the clue "cosmic span" to define aeon
16. Opening day squad: A-TEAM. "TWENTY-SIX MAN ROSTER" was too long to fit; "opening day" to me connotes the reference to Major League Baseball - not sure I recall hearing the term a-team usedfor that sport
17. Hidden surprise for an observant gamer: EASTER EGG. Emet's NYT Sunday puzzle on April 17, 2022 contained a plethora of EGGs. Click on the link to see it
[theme entry]
21. Germane: APT. Moe-ku: (and also a Fun Fact!)
Google Translate says:
"Zur Sache gehörig" is
Germane, in German
22. Currently: NOW.
23. Hosp. scan: MRI.
[theme entry]
30. Smoked jalapeño: CHIPOTLE.
Also, the name of an eponymous restaurant
33. Longed for: YENNED. What's the difference between yenned and YEARNED?
34. Malek of "Oppenheimer": RAMI. Rami Malek and Issa Rae are two 21st Century actors who've become popularized (to some extent) with their inclusion in so many crossword puzzle answers/clues
35. Cozy spot for a cat: LAP. Fun fact: Moe is/was never a big fan of cats. When he and Ms. Margaret moved in together, she had a cat (Sadie) that was going to be a part of our household. I tolerated Sadie; she obviously wanted me to like her as is evidenced in the photo below:
37. Against: ANTI.
38. State on the Chukchi Sea: ALASKA. Another "debut clue". Honestly: How many of you here today can admit that you knew of or had heard of the Chukchi Sea before? Not I
By golly, there it is!
41. Precedent setter, legally: TEST CASE. Those in IT probably got this one without having to google it
56. Emmy-winning role for Catherine O'Hara: MOIRA ROSE. Ms. Margaret and I binge-watched the entire series of "Schitt's Creek" episodes back in the early COVID days. Ms. O'Hara also played the mother role in the "Home Alone" movies. But her Moira Rose character was my favorite (watch video)
57. Some "Bridgerton" characters: EARLS.
58. Odometer unit: MILE. KILOMETER was too big to fit
59. Mardi __: GRAS. I'm sure this goes without saying, but the translation of Mardi Gras is "Fat Tuesday" (Mardi = Tuesday; GRAS = Fat)
60. Bite lightly: NIP AT.
61. To boot: ALSO.
62. Curvy shape: ESS.
63. Frock: DRESS. I seem to remember the term "simple frock" being used to describe a dress, back in the day ... the one below looks anything but "simple", though
Down: 1. Carne __: ASADA. Several foreign words in today's puzzle; this one, ASADA, means "roasted" in Spanish - Carne = Meat
2. Subside: LET UP.
3. "__ yourself!": TREAT. "Suit" was too short to fit. "Treat yourself" sounds like an invitation for a spa day
4. Bibliography abbr.: ET AL. Moe-ku (this one is a bit tricky, but you'll get it!):
Flying saucer crew
Was under the command of
Pilot ET AL
5. Collide with: RAM INTO. A literal take is in the video below:
6. Kryptonite blocker: LEAD. I guess I had forgotten this from when I read Superman comics. You'd think that given his other-worldly abilities, he could have fashioned his costume out of lead threads to ward off any krypton-induced assaults
7. Accept without evidence: ASSUME. And as the saying goes, when you do (assume), you make an ASS out of U and ME
8. Part of a radioactive decay stream: BETA RAY. Or when parsed differently, a Moe-ku:
Romano's debut
Was delayed. Network had to
Test a BETA RAY
9. Wrapped garment: SARI. Moe-ku with the second and third lines inverted:
Apple assistant
Wore ugly frock. "That's
A sorry SARI, Siri"
10. Care for: KEEP.
11. Practice with poses: YOGA. How is it that when I try to do this it looks more like a downward facing log??
12. Lang. course: ENG. I think I tried ESL at first, not realizing that the "L" for language would not be accepted as it's already in the clue
24. Very silly: APISH. The word's second definition; its first definition means "resembling an ape"
25. Cold War defense gp.: SEATO. Short for SouthEast Asia Treaty Organization. It was founded in the fall of 1954; came into a treaty position in 1955 and was disbanded in 1977. The member countries included the US, UK, and France in addition to New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand. One of its tenets was to prevent the spread of Communism to the region
49. Book that's been mapped out?: ATLAS. Clever clue
50. Makes preparations during pregnancy: NESTS. This preparation (in the comic below) looks like something that Moe would do!
51. Work very hard: TOIL.
52. Essential __: OILS. Here's a picture of a few of them
53. Cookie since 1912: OREO. And in 1913, the word OREO made its first crossword puzzle debut
54. Those, in Spanish: ESAS.
55. Hideaway: LAIR.
56. UFC sport: MMA. Short for Mixed Martial Arts
Comment below if you like ... BTW, SO to my daughter who celebrates a birthday today. I know how old she is and I still can't believe it! Happy Birthday, sweetie!
Seeing Dr. Sessa's byline made me feel confident that I would have a pleasant and engaging solve and that proved to be true for my 13th Sessa puzzle blog. Anything that was new or unusual had plenty of escape avenues and after a lovely 17 minute excursion I earned a "got 'er done".
