Thursday, August 28, 2025, Sala Wanetick, Emily Biegas

 Theme:  Holy (rock and) rollers.

Hank Hill's thoughts on Christian Rock

I count seven puzzles in these pages co-constructed by Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas.  Is today's puzzle divinely inspired?  The theme entries are:

20-Across. *Depeche Mode song with the lyric "Reach out and touch faith": PERSONAL JESUS.  Released in 1989, this song was inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley.  It is surely no accident that Elvis and Priscilla show up in the clue at 3-Down!  The song is about how a lover becomes one's source of hope and tender loving care -- a god-like role that people fulfill for one another.

25-Across. *Bon Jovi song with the lyric "Take my hand and we'll make it, I swear": LIVIN' ON A PRAYER.  Recorded in 1986 and regarded as Bon Jovi's signature song, this song is about a working class couple struggling to make ends meet.  I'll bet many of you can hum a few bars.

44-Across. *Hozier song with the lyric "I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies": TAKE ME TO CHURCH.  Irish singer-songwriter Hozier's debut single in 2013.  Kind of an anti-religious song, in which a lover offers the only true redemption.

52-Across. Bible camp genre, or what the answers to the starred clues could be mistaken for?: CHRISTIAN ROCK.

The only one of these songs that I knew was LIVIN' ON A PRAYER.  Now that I've looked at the lyrics of all three, I realize that our constructors selected songs that are anything *but* traditionally devotional.  They have suggested as much with the reveal at 52-Across.

Let's see what other revelations appear in the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1. Included digitally: CC'ED.  "Carbon copied" on an email.  Some of us are old enough to have used carbon paper between sheets of regular paper on a typewriter to create copies.

5. Ryder Cup org.: PGA.  The Ryder Cup is played in odd-numbered years between teams from the United States and Europe.  On our side of the pond, it is organized by the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

8. Not quite: ALMOST.

14. Prefix with port: HELI.  A heliport is a landing place for helicopters that provides a range of services like maintenance and fueling.  A helipad is just a designated place where a helicopter can land safely.

15. "Toy Story" dinosaur: REX.  If you could picture this fellow in memory, you could guess his name.

Rex is the green fellow.

16. Snicker sound: TEEHEE.  Finally!  Someone has spelled this correctly in a puzzle!

17. Totalitarian control: IRON RULE.

19. Heartless fellow in Oz?: TIN MAN.

20. [Theme clue]

22. Down: SAD.

23. Power drill insert: BIT.

24. Bird with large green eggs: EMU.

25. [Theme clue]

32. Subj. with a lot of reading: ENG.  A subject that involves a lot of reading is English.

33. "Home on the Range" animal: ANTELOPE.  "Home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play ...."

34. Arab leader: EMIR.

37. "The Marvelous __ Maisel": MRS.  Great show, appeared on Amazon Prime Video over five seasons from 2017 to 2023.

38. Phil or Lil of "Rugrats," e.g.: TWIN.

Phil and Lil

39. Vinegar that may be drizzled over caprese salad: BALSAMIC.  'Tis the season to enjoy ripe tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

42. Undeclared: Abbr.: TBA.  To Be Announced.

44. [Theme clue]

48. Afore: ERE.

49. Gender-specific pronoun: HER.

50. In medias __: RES.  Latin for "in the middle of things."  In fiction, it is the technique of dropping the reader into the midst of the action without preamble.

52. [Theme clue]

56. Narrow waterway: STRAIT.

58. Erodes bit by bit: EATS INTO.

59. Persuade forcefully: COERCE.

60. Toronto-to-Quebec dir.: ENE.

61. Filmmaker Buñuel: LUIS.

62. [Skull emoji]: I'M DEAD.

63. Team ldr.: MGR.  Team leader could be a manager.

64. Mark for good: ETCH.


Down:

1. Nail polish nicks: CHIPS.

2. Lucky Charms, e.g.: CEREAL.

3. Jacob who played Elvis in "Priscilla": ELORDI.  Jacob Elordi is an Australian actor who portrayed Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical drama Priscilla in 2023.  Did Not Know.

Jacob Elordi

4. Loud noises: DINS.

5. Trimming: PRUNING.

6. Tartufo ingredient: GELATO.  Tartufo is Italian for truffle, a fabulous edible fungus, but is also the name of an Italian frozen dessert that looks sort of like the fungus.  The dessert is a gelato ball with a filling, coated in cocoa powder, a hard chocolate shell, or ground nuts.

Tartufo

7. Olympic jump: AXEL.

8. Shot: ATTEMPT.

From Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

9. Duty-free time: LEISURE.

10. Word with beer or wine: MENU.

11. Units of resistance: OHMS.

12. __ urchin: SEA.

13. Perfect score in some rating systems: TEN.

18. Bird with small blue eggs: ROBIN.

21. Mom __: JEANS.  Denim pants with a high waist, relaxed hip and thigh areas, and tapered legs were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Later, they were ridiculed by younger folks as a style only their moms continued to wear.  And then these whippersnappers imitated them in the mid-2010s to the present.  Now they are actually marketed as "mom jeans."

Mom jeans

26. Sonnets, odes, et al.: VERSE.

27. Drug bust figure: NARCO.  "Narco" refers to someone who traffics illegal drugs, deriving from the word "narcotic."

28. Vow locale: ALTAR.

29. Cry of pain: YOW.

30. Prefix with center: EPI.

31. "__ Faire": 2024 HBO docuseries: REN.  Ren Faire is a three-part HBO documentary series that explores a succession crisis at the Texas Renaissance Festival.  I didn't know this, but I've been to a Renaissance Faire once or twice.  I know some folks who still love to dress up for these things.

Ren Faire costumes are all about the bodice.

34. SNAP system: EBT.  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets.  Electronic Benefit Transfer allows state welfare departments to issue benefits via a magnetically encoded payment card.

35. Barnyard bleat: MAA.  A bleat is the sound of a lamb, kid, or calf calling for its mother.  Lambs (baby sheep) are usually represented as saying "baa," kids (baby goats) as saying "maa," and calves (baby cattle) as saying "moo."  

36. Kind: ILK.

37. Tick relatives: MITES.

40. Ferrera of "Barbie": AMERICA.  America Ferrera played a Mattel employee in the 2023 Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie.  She delivered a monologue that resonated with many people.  

An excerpt from the monologue:

"It is literally impossible to be a woman. ... Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.  You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. ... You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. ... You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault."

41. Warranted: MERITED.

42. Broadway building: THEATER.

43. Ruins by overcooking: BURNS.

45. __ Mai: city in northern Thailand: CHIANG.  Chiang Mai is a major city in northern Thailand, known for its ancient temples, bustling markets, and vibrant cafe scene, all nestled within a backdrop of mountains and natural beauty.

Chiang Mai

46. Hybrid pastry since 2013: CRONUT.  A Cronut is a trademarked, croissant-doughnut hybrid pastry invented by French pastry chef Dominique Ansel in 2013, featuring a delicate, flaky interior with a caramelized, crispy exterior.

Cronut

47. Frenzied: HECTIC.

51. Ambiguous recipe amount: SKOSH.

52. Street __: CRED.

53. Aesop racer: HARE.

54. Swarm (with): TEEM.

55. Peeve: RILE.  I'm familiar with the noun, as in "pet peeve" or annoyance, but the first meaning seems to be a verb, to annoy, which matches up with rile, which means to make angry or to upset.

56. Ecol. or geol.: SCI.  Ecology and geology are sciences.

57. Colicchio of "Top Chef": TOM.  Tom Colicchio co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as co-owner and executive chef. He is the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft (NYC and Los Angeles), Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak (MGM Grand Las Vegas) and Small Batch (Long Island) restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards and has been the head judge on every season of Bravo reality TV show Top Chef, as well as Best New Restaurant which he executive produces.  Sorry to say I DNK any of that, Tom!

Tom Colicchio

Here's the grid:

OK, solvers, I have to ask:

Did the puzzle TEEM with unknowns for you, so that it RILEd you up?

Or was it a pleasant LEISURE activity that MERITED praise for the constructors?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, Aug 27th, 2025 ~ Aaron Ullman

 I SAID MINI SPLIT~!

I thought you said SKIRT

We last saw a puzzle from Mr. Ullman here at the LA Times in May 2024.  Today, Aaron gives us four phrases that have MINI, "split" across the fill, three of which are unique.  Yes, we do have circles, but a mere 9 3LWs, thirty 4LWs, some lengthy Down crossings, and just a handful of names.  The themers and the reveal;

17. Traditional social group: FAMILY UNIT

23. Historic hockey game at Lake Placid: MIRACLE ON ICE - the only non-unique themer

The Wiki

36. Dress blues, e.g.: MILITARY UNIFORM

48. Setting for amateur hour: OPEN MIC NIGHT

58. Zoned climate control options, and what this puzzle's circled letters form: MINI-SPLITS - pictured; I have just two window units in my home, and that was all I needed this summer, really - I plan on ultimately installing central air-conditioning, simply because there's a huge attic, enough to install the handler/ evaporator of a "macro" split A/C system and its dispersal lines

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Tropical flora: PALMS - I do the Downs first; filled in "GASP" for 1D., so this was "Galms" - Bzzzt~!

6. Site with handcrafted inventory: ETSY

10. Lhasa __: APSO - dog breed, seen on Sunday, too

14. Word after solar or lens: FLARE - Solar Flare, Lens Flare

15. Copy, informally: DUPE - short for DUPlicate

16. Vague reply to an ETA request: SOON - "Are we there yet~?"

19. "__ it ironic?": ISN'T - NOT ironic parts of this Alanis Morrisette song make it "ironic"

20. About 5 mL: TSP - TeaSPoon; there are three TSPs in a TaBleSPoon

21. Prima __: at first sight: FACIE - I learned this legalese term from the TV show Law & Order

22. 1:1, for one: RATIO - 1-2-1-4-1 - clever clue, get it~?

25. "Love is __, love is kind ... ": PATIENT - my first thought was song lyrics; turns out to be a Bible quote, I Corinthians 13:4-8, tho I did find this

28. CEO's aide: ASSistanT 

29. Couple: ITEM - Typically used in "rags" and tabloids - also known as the "Hot Sheets"

Here's a clip of the props used in Men in Black, including the "Hot Sheets"

30. What Diaper Genie filters trap: ODORS - I, sadly, have not had the pleasure/pain of rearing a child from birth, so while I knew the answer, I have not acutally gotten a whiff of what a Diaper Genie "does"

33. Long of "The Best Man Holiday": NIA - name #1 - her IMDb

40. Took a lunch break: ATE - very specific today

41. Genesis: ONSET

42. Overlying: ATOP - I agreed with some comments this past Saturday that "ATOP" is hardly synonymous with "ONTO", and was not thrilled with the clue/answer at all....

"

43. Deer dad: HART - I also agreed with Rusty last Friday about "STAGS" vis-à-vis "BAMBI"

45. Decreases: LESSENS

52. Drop out unexpectedly: FLAKE - Yeah, but Meh.

53. Starr on the skins: RINGO - Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles; his son Zak plays, too. Name #2

54. Distracted driving awareness TV spot, e.g.: PSA - Public Service Announcement

57. Plunge: FALL

60. Towel finisher: ETTE - as in 'moist' towelette

61. Dark skies, perhaps: OMEN

62. Alternative to a fidget spinner: POP-IT - A "reusable" bubble-wrap-mimicking toy

63. Encouraging cries: "RAHS~!!!"

64. Maritime hazard: BERG - The speculation about the world's most famous iceberg

65. Calendario starter: ENERO - Espaniol lesson #1; calendar / January

DOWN:

1. Incredulous sound: "PFFT~!" - "yeah, OK, as if~!"

2. "Pity, really": ALAS . . . .

3. Prop in "Aladdin": LAMP - uh, well, yeah, I suppose it would be called a "prop"

4. 3D diagnostic tool: MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

5. Pic taken at arm's length: SELFIE

6. Those responsible for class actions?: EDUCATORS - first of two nine-letter Down fills

7. Viking garment: TUNIC - I wore a tunic for my "Medieval" wedding

Me and my brother, defending the castle from the dreaded serpent

8. Sales pitch: SPIEL - I thought this was Yiddish/Hebrew, but according to the Web, it's from Old German "spielen"

9. To this point: YET

10. "Crazy Rich __": Jon M. Chu rom-com: ASIANS - name(ish) - the IMDb

11. Tacky method of communication?: POST-IT NOTE - Loved this; first of two 10-letter Down fills

12. Video game character who attacks by rolling into a ball: SONIC - ah, yes, now I remember

13. How many ballerinas perform: ON TOE - I am a bit meh about this, only because one of the themers is "ON" as well

18. Michaels purchase, perhaps: YARN - the art store; paint, canvas, paper - I did not think of knitting

22. "Scandal" actress Portia de __: ROSSI - I knew her, but still a name #3 - her Wiki

23. "Bosch" actress Rogers: MIMI - it's too bad this fill showed up in the puzzle, as well, leading from a theme "M" no less; it detracts from the purity of the construction, IMO - and name #4 - Bosch is one of my favorite book series; the Amazon adaptation, not so much, but still good

24. Take home, as pay: EARN

25. Soft, strong cotton: PIMA - filled via perps; not familiar with this

26. Still going: AT IT - watch how you parse this one . . . .

27. Option for long-distance medical consultations: TELE-HEALTH - 10-letter Down fill No.2

31. Easter purchase for 46-Down: DYE - AND - 46. Easter basket items: EGGS

32. Summarizing: OUTLINING - nine-letter downfill No.2

34. Element that makes blood red: IRON

35. Fires (up): AMPS

37. "The Christmas Song" composer Mel: TORME - name #5, but a familiar one

38. Body prefix: ANTI - Ah. I was looking for "endo-", not an actual prefix for 'body'

39. Like Formula One cars: FAST

44. Places for spats: ANKLES

47. "Ye Olde" boutique: SHOPPE - I did happen to like last Saturday's "sign language" clue for this 

48. Many a promotional email: OFFER

49. Silver, in Spanish: PLATA - Espaniol #2; somehow, I had ARGIO....NOT - argyro is Greek for silver

50. Focus of forensics shows: CRIME

51. Brock Purdy, for one: NINER - QB for the NFL's San Fransisco Forty-Niners; just signed a 5yr, $265mil contract - name #6

54. Half-__: skate park element: PIPE - I would not dare to work with this type of PIPE 

55. Use a spoon to homogenize: STIR - that's eight syllables for a four-letter fill....

56. Concerning: AS TO

58. Group of meerkats: MOB - animal groups; we had "parliament" for owls last Thursday

59. Chaney of old films: LON - name #7, but a crossword staple

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy Birthday to Lemonade, our faithful Friday Sherpa for many years. Hope all's well in your world, Jason!  

 

Tuesday August 26, 2025 Susan Gelfand

What?! RustyBrain is now pinch-hitting for Hahtoolah? When will the madness end?!

If Susan Gelfand's first born puzzle had gone to class, it would be graduating from high school right about now. This one flowed nicely and was Tuesday appropriate. She obviously aced her lessons!

I had to dig deep in my record collection for this one. If it had been "Five Easy Pieces," well, then we'd be sitting with Jack Nicholson in a diner trying to order toast.

17. "Easy!": PIECE OF CAKE. Finally, an answer that's a real phase, not something convoluted.

28. "Easy!": LIKE CHILD'S PLAY. And another one!

46. "Easy!": A WALK IN THE PARK. Three in a row!

60. "Easy!": NOTHING TO IT. And this makes it a home run.

Nice job, Susan, you've restored my faith in constructors. Not much else to say about these except they're all common phrases that work well with the theme. I like these kind of puzzles where a singular clue leads to multiple answers. And unlike some other crosswords I've reviewed lately, each one is something you'd actually say. Easy does it!

Across:

1. Brother of Chico, Harpo, and Groucho: ZEPPO. It was either ZEPPO or Gummo. In the early Marx Brothers movies, ZEPPO played the straight man while Chico played the piano.

6. 1965 Alabama march site: SELMA.

11. Draft animal: ASS. I worked at the Williamsburg Busch Gardens, and occasionally had to bring bales of hay to the Budweiser Clydesdales. Up close, they were huge "draft" animals with shoes the size of dinner plates.

14. Earth Day month: APRIL. "There is no PLANet B."

15. Starting 11 in soccer, e.g.: A TEAM. Although Premier League matches traditionally start at 3pm, not 11.

16. Org. for Sharks and Ducks: NHL. Organization is abbrev. so the National Hockey League is also.

17. [theme]

19. "__ willikers!": GEE. "Looks like someone's been a bat boy."

20. Obama daughter: SASHA.

21. Shirt with a button-down collar: OXFORD. An OXFORD is a casual shirt that is typically made from heavier fabric than a dress shirt. Oddly, they're rarely worn with Oxfords. 

23. Scoreboard figs.: PTS. Scoreboard figures: POINTS. Scoreboard figs: SPONSOR.

25. Gold, in Mexico: ORO. So I don't confuse this with OSO (Spanish for bear) I think that ORO looks like ORE, which gold is.

27. Makes a wrong choice: ERRS. Dang, I wrote OSO instead of ORO. 

28. [theme]

34. Jungian inner self: ANIMA. I should know this, but I needed an assist from perps.

35. Set up for solitaire: DEALT. My mom said I was a card and needed to be DEALT with.

36. Quick learner: NATURAL. 

39. Pan-frying hazard: SPATTER.

43. Doesn't make the podium: LOSES.

45. Around about: CIRCA. "Roundabout" CIRCA 1972. Hit single from YES off their Fragile album. 

46. [theme]

50. Sulky mood: SNIT.

51. London lavatory: LOO.

52. Right on __: CUE. The opposite of wrong on queue.

53. Build some muscle: TONE UP.

56. Seize by force: WREST. WREST and wrestle are related and derive from the same root meaning "to twist."

59. Museum collection: ART. Because donations wouldn't fit in the slot.

60. [theme]

65. Happy hour haunt: BAR.

66. Cedar Rapids resident: IOWAN.

67. Movie legend Greta: GARBO. Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's silent and early golden eras.

68. Rainbow's backdrop: SKY. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - his band after Deep Purple.

69. Flip-flop: THONG. I was relaxing on Haulover Beach in Miami when a woman near me slipped out of her thong! I was surprised to say the least, until she kicked the other one off as well. That's when I noticed a lot of people were going around bare foot.

70. Inception: ONSET.

Down:

1. Thaw in the microwave: ZAP.

2. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen": EPI.

3. Promotional packet released to the media: PRESS KIT. Here's a home version.

4. Printing measure: PICA. Back before word processors with their plethora of fonts, typewriters basically had two: PICA (wide) and Elite (narrow). Nowadays, printers measure how much toner is left so they can sell you more.

5. Cheers at the Bienal de Flamenco: OLES. The Flamenco Biennial (in English) is a major international flamenco festival that takes place in Seville, Spain, every two years.

6. Serengeti adventure: SAFARI.

7. "The list goes on," briefly: ETC.

8. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.

9. Fastest known shark: MAKO. The "something new" I always learn from crosswords.

10. Discover or MC alternative: AMEX. A MasterCard alternative is American Express. For your convenience, I accept all of them. Send your money to me @ Crossword Corner, especially if you have an unlimited Black Card. Thanks in advance.

11. Soft sweater wool: ANGORA.

12. Fortified wine from Andalusia: SHERRY.

13. Winter coasters: SLEDS. Winter coasters: SNOWFLAKES.

18. "I got it! I got it!": OH OH. I know this one!
-

22. Soft pen type: FELT TIP.

23. Details shared before a night out: PLAN. 

24. Rock legend Turner: TINA.She's timeless.

26. "I was today years __ when ... ": OLD. The “I was today years OLD” meme began on Twitter in 2015, when users posted the phrase to express surprise or humor upon learning something new or realizing it for the first time.

29. Try to equal: EMULATE. 

30. "O Holy Night," for one: CAROL. As played by Carole:

31. __ Plaines, Illinois: DES.

32. Sticky stuff on a tree: SAP. It takes about 40 gallons of maple SAP to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. I guess that's what it all boils down to.

33. Finish second in a horse race: PLACE. Win, PLACE and Show = 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

37. Inquire: ASK.

38. Hula dancer's garland: LEI.

40. Farm vehicles: TRACTORS. I have cousins who are third-generation dairy farmers in Upstate New York. They collect vintage TRACTORS. Or maybe they don't junk the old ones...

41. Light beige: ECRU.

42. Leaf gatherer: RAKE.

44. Skit show with musical guests, briefly: SNL. The show was originally known simply as NBC's Saturday Night because ABC was broadcasting a program titled Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. The opening announcer still says "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

46. Outerwear suitable for cold, frosty, and snowy conditions: ANORAK.

47. Cold, frosty, and snowy: WINTRY. I like when two clues share common words, almost like today's theme!

48. AAA service: TOWING.

49. Car instrument: HORN. I never played the HORN, but I did play the radio.

50. Uninformed guesses: STABS.

54. Group of troops: UNIT.

55. Eeyore's pal: POOH. Whenever I see "Eeyore", my mind sees eyesore.

57. Frozen waffle brand: EGGO. EGGO experienced a resurgence in sales after the Netflix series Stranger Things became a hit. The lead character, a girl named Eleven with psychic abilities, is obsessed with them.

58. Baseball Hall of Famer Musial: STAN. "STAN the Man" is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history.

61. Number needed to tango: TWO.

62. "To All the Boys" series creator Jenny: HAN. One of many bestsellers that I haven't read, but I'm sure it's good. Her novels have been adapted into movies and TV series.  

63. "May __ excused?": I BE.

64. Youngster: TOT. Young spuds are tater TOTs.

May I be excused now?