Friday, November 28, 2025, Wendy L. Brandes

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malordorous Manatee here hoping that everyone shared a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with family and friends.   Now, however, it is time to shake off those trytophan-induced food comas and take a look at a Friday puzzles by Wendy Brandes.  The theme of the puzzle seems appropriate both because yours truly has recently taken several days (weeks) off and because many people have today off from work/school.  Let's start with the unifier:

62 Across.  "You need some time away from work," and how to make the starred clues match their answers: TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF.

At three places in the grid (with their clues bearing stars) we need to drop an abbreviation for a day of the week from the clue in order to make the answers fit those clues.  The days of the the are consecuitve and we can only specultate as to whether or not that elegant twist was intended.

17 Across. *Bucket list entries?: LIFE LONG FRIENDS.  Drop the FRI(day) and the result is a group of life long ambitions.

27 Across. *Result of being left off a guest list?: SOCIAL SATIRE.  Drop the SAT(urday) and the result is SOCIAL IRE.  One might be angry for missing out on a social activity.

48 Across. *Big victory for the Mets or the Yankees, e.g.?: SUNNY DELIGHT.  Drop the SUN(day) and many folks in the Big Apple will be delighted with the win.  Without the "drop" it's a drink.

The completed grid looks like this:

Below are the rest of the clues and and answers.  Note that there are ten to thirteen names/proper nouns depending on what you wish to include (e.g. NASCAR) which seems to this blogger to be in line with current trends in the crossword world.

Across:

1. "Good to go!": ALL SET.

7. Happy dances: JIGS.

11. Spice mixture: RUB.  Common in BBQ circles.  Here's a link to one of the Manatee's favorite rubs:  Amazing Ribs - Memphis Dust Rub

14. Water heater: BOILER.

15. Again: ANEW.

16. Actress de Armas: ANA.

20. East, in Spanish: ESTE.

21. Had on: WORE.

22. Oft-turned things in a spy thriller: PAGES.

23. Implored: PLED.

25. Witty: CLEVER.

31. Show appreciation: THANK.

32. Jewel: GEM.

33. City choker: SMOG.

37. Broadcast: AIR.  Used as a verb.

38. Made secret, in a way: ENCODED.

42. Had oatmeal, say: ATE.  Clued this way there are countless substitutes for oatmeal.

43. Used cars?: RODE.  Used was used as a verb in the clue (and not used as an adjective).

45. B+, e.g.: ION.  B being the symbol for the element boron and the plus sign indicating an ION.

46. "High School Musical" actor Zac: EFRON.

52. Not commissioned: ON SPEC.  As in to speculate.

54. Environmentalist Brockovich: ERIN.  Made famous by the Jula Roberts film.

55. "To repeat ... ": I SAID.  Don't you make Al repeat it . . .

56. Crowd sound: ROAR.

58. British tennis player Raducanu: EMMA.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

65. __ out a win: EKE.

66. Reusable shopping bag: TOTE.

67. Org. that might have a Mustang circling a track: NASCAR.  Not a horse racing reference.  A Ford Motor Company reference.

68. Irate: MAD.  My girlfriend  got mad at me because I wouldn’t stop singing “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees. At first, I thought she was kidding.  But then I saw her face.

69. Peepers: EYES.

70. Indignant retort: DOES SO.


Down:

1. Qualified: ABLE.

2. "Number the Stars" novelist Lowry: LOIS.

3. Big moment in a pairs figure skating routine: LIFT.

4. Hit the snooze button, perhaps: SLEEP IN

5. Dragon roll fish: EEL.  With apologies to Dean Martin, Harry Warren and Jack Brooks:

When you swim in the creek, and an eel bites your cheek.  That's a moray.   When the moon hits the sand and an eel bites your hand  That's a moray.

6. Masonry tool: TROWEL.  What do you call a tech-savvy shovel?  An internet trowel.

7. Jaromír who is the oldest NHL player to record a hat trick: JAGR.

8. Passed on a bug to: INFECTED.

9. Eur. land: GER.  GERmany is in EURope.

10. Thief on "Dora the Explorer": SWIPER.

11. Spot for burners: RANGE.  As in what we cook on.

12. Below: UNDER.

13. Low voice: BASS.

18. Go-aheads: NODS.  Approvals.

19. Rainwater diverters: EAVES.  True but a bit of a stretch.

24. Winnebago, e.g.: LAKE.  RV was too short. 

26. Flavor of green Skittles: LIME.

27. Lead: STAR.  Hmm.  The clue/answer could be either a pair of nouns or verbs.

28. Home of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: OHIO.

29. Part of a hand: CARD.  Palm would have fit.

30. Ecstasy's opposite: AGONY.

34. Actress Helgenberger: MARG.

35. Texter's "Let's look at this a different way": OTOH.  On The Other Hand

36. Fellow: GENT.

39. First number in Hawaiian ZIP codes: NINE.

40. Grounded in reality: CONCRETE.

41. Grocery section: DELI.

44. Always Morphing nail polish brand: ESSIE.  Some of us know ESSIE, Opi and Ulta well . . .but only from our puzzles. 

47. Delicacy: FINESSE.  Not something to eat.  Tact.  Looks sorta like ESSIE.

49. App release: UPDATE.

50. Out of power: DEAD.  Could have been clued Grateful ______ .

51. Entry on a to-do list: ERRAND.  Chore and task were both too short.

52. Honshu port city: OSAKA.

53. Bare: NAKED.

55. Tabloid pair: ITEM.

57. Needs to pay back: OWES.

59. Comfy shoes, for short: MOCS.  Moccasins

60. Some design degs.: MFAS.  Master of Fine ArtS

61. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.  The hairstyle is not really "natural" despite often being clued this way.

63. "The Crown" actress Claire: FOY.

64. NBA legend Ming: YAO.  A basketball reference.

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  For those who are interested, the travels went smoothly although we were surprised by this fellow upon turning a corner in Tokyo:

_______________________________________________

Thursday, November 27, 2025, MaryEllen Uthlaut

 Theme: Moving on.

A broken heart is a painful malady, but constructor MaryEllen Uthlaut suggests there's a short path to recovery.  She writes:

61-Across. Terse advice for the brokenhearted, and what appears four times in this puzzle: GET OVER IT.  

Indeed, MaryEllen has placed GET over IT four times in the grid, even in the reveal at 61-Across!  Take a look:

Very clever, MaryEllen!  Now that we've gotten over it, let's get into it!

Across:

1. Christie's "Evil __ the Sun": UNDER.  A novel by Agatha Christie in which Hercule Poirot investigates a murder at a seaside resort.

6. Annual vaccine target: FLU.

9. Secret supply: STASH.

14. Bolsters: FORTIFIES.

16. Natural dye for some brides: HENNA.  Henna designs are applied to an Indian bride's hands and feet for a pre-wedding celebration.

17. Citrus-infused brew: ORANGE TEA.

18. Foodie site with a Dining Out section: EATER.  Eater.com has lots of suggestions.

19. Walk or trot: GAIT.

20. Seuss character who advocates eating green: SAM-I-AM.

Hello.  My name is Sam-I-am.  I like to eat green eggs and ham.

21. Bobby of hockey: ORR.

23. Some Ram pickups: DODGE TRUCKS.

27. A short way from: NEAR.

29. Condiment in Indian cuisine: RAITA.  A side dish or condiment made with yogurt, spices, herbs, and vegetables, that cools the palate when eaten with spicy foods.

30. K-pop rapper: PSY.  Best known for his 2012 hit "Gangnam Style," Park Jae-sang's stage name is PSY.  Click the image below for his viral video:

31. Major export of Côte d'Ivoire: CACAO.  Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of cacao.  Cacao is the name of the tree and the raw beans.  Roasted cacao beans are ground into cocoa powder.  Chocolate!  Food of the gods!  That's the literal meaning of the tree's scientific name:  Theobroma cacao.

33. Valueless but valuable Scrabble tile: BLANK.

35. Reworks, as text: EMENDS.

37. Couch for sitting or sleeping: DAYBED.  A daybed is a sofa by day, and a bed by night.  Isn't DAYBED a confusing name?  

42. Some characters in "The Hobbit": ELVES.  In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, elves are a race of cool forest dwellers who are immortal -- with limitations.

Elves from the LOTR movies.

46. Needle: TEASE.  More English language confusion.  To needle can be to tease with goading remarks or behaviors.  And yet, there is such a thing as a "teasing needle" used to tear scientific speciments into tiny shreds, or to "tease out" a knot in threads or chains.

teasing needle

47. Siouan people: OTO.  The Oto or Otoe people are a Native Amercan Plains tribe, related to the Sioux language family.

50. Spine-tingling: EERIE.

52. Read hastily: SCAN.

53. Trick-taking spot: BRIDGE TABLE.  The object of the card game bridge is to win tricks.  A trick is four cards, one played from the hand of each player in rotation.  A trick is won by the highest card of the suit that started the round, or by the highest trump. Admittedly, I've never played bridge.  Does it show?

56. Allotted share: CUT.

57. Cleverly skillful: ADROIT.

58. Spanish appetizer: TAPA.

60. Some corporate jets: LEARS.

61. [Theme reveal -- see above]

66. "The Luncheon on the Grass" painter: MANET.  French title:  Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe.  It's a puzzling painting, and was quite controversial when the Paris Salon rejected it for exhibit in 1863.

67. Travel plan: ITINERARY.

68. Winter transports: SLEDS.

69. Capital of Georgia?: GEE.  The capital letter in the word Georgia is a Gee.

70. Discourage: DETER.


Down:

1. Sci-fi craft: UFO.

2. Neither partner: NOR.  "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" -- inscription on New York City's James A. Farley Post Office Building, 1914.

3. Show for queens: DRAG RACE.

4. Mediterranean peak: ETNA.

5. Inflexible: RIGID.

6. In very good shape: FIT.

7. "Da 5 Bloods" director Spike: LEE.

8. Letters on Erin Jackson's uniform: USA.  Erin Jackson is an American speed skater. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport, and the first Black American woman to win any Olympic medal in speed skating.  

Erin Jackson

9. Clip wool from: SHEAR.

10. Join forces: TEAM UP.

11. Buffoonery: ANTICS.

12. Hardly aboveboard: SNEAKY.

13. Injures: HARMS.

15. Wretched smell: FETOR.  A strong, offensive odor, usually emanating from a person.  Medical examples include fetor oris (bad breath), fetor hepaticus (where elements of liver failure pass into the lungs), uremic fetor (a urine-like odor on the breath of people with kidney disease), and others.  It can also be used more generally, like "the fetor of decay."  And yet I Did Not Know.

20. Place for witnesses: STAND.

21. Formerly: ONCE.

22. Paper quantity: REAM.

24. Smack-__ in the middle: DAB.

25. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" writer Scott-Heron: GIL.  Gilbert Scott-Heron (1949-2011) was an American jazz poet, singer, musician and author, known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s.  His poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," delivered over a jazz-soul beat, is considered a major influence on hip hop music.  DNK.

Gil Scott-Heron

26. Brief prediction that accounts for traffic and weather: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

28. Took to the hills: RAN.

32. Tributary stream?: ODE.  Not the kind of stream that flows into a river as a tributary, but a poetic stream of words of tribute, which constitute an ode.

34. Dennings of "Shifting Gears": KAT.  Kat Dennings is an American actress known for her starring roles as Max Black in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls (2011–2017) and as Darcy Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film and television franchise beginning with Thor (2011).

36. Freezing shower: SLEET.

38. Word of affirmation: YES.

39. Casino card game: BACCARAT.

40. Biblical twin of Jacob: ESAU.

41. Lasting impression: DENT.  

43. Evaluate: VET.  A veterinarian, or vet, examines an animal.  Over the course of time, vet became a verb meaning to scrutinze a person or thing, or to examine for flaws.

44. Pitching stat: ERA.  Earned Run Average.

45. Blood relation, for short: SIB.  Sibling (brother or sister).

47. Difficult experience: ORDEAL.

48. Capital of Albania: TIRANË.  That's the Albanian spelling.  English spelling is Tirana.

49. Fragrant: ODORED.  Fragrant means having a pleasant smell, unlike fetor.

51. Taron's "Rocketman" role: ELTON.  Taron Egerton played Elton John in the 2019 film.

53. Some essential oils: BALMS.

54. Main ideas: GISTS.

55. Like chalet roofs: EAVED.

59. French father: PÈRE.

61. Club date: GIG.

62. Summer in Paris: ÉTÉ.

63. Form an attachment: TIE.

64. Wrath: IRE.

65. Norse war god: TÝR.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful:

• to the crossword constructors who challenge us with these wonderful puzzles; 
• to C.C., who created this Corner where mysteries of the puzzles are explained by dedicated bloggers, and who gave me the opportunity to join their ranks; 
• to all who read the blog, and especially to those who comment; 
• to DH, who smiles upon this activity and who proves that if the first marriage doesn't succeed, you should GET OVER IT and move on to something better.

I hope that Thanksgiving brings comfort to all of you.  Several of you have suffered great losses in the past year.  May you find thanks for what you had, and for what you still have.  Peace to all.

NaomiZ solving the puzzle a couple of Sundays ago.

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, Nov 26th, 2025 ~ Daniel Hrynick

 U HAUL

This is my third installment blogging an LA Times crossword from Daniel - the one I reviewed almost a year ago had a similar symmetry, being mirrored on the Y-axis.  I have a mixed opinion about this one; on the one hand, it's clever, with a meta-clue reveal, but then I seem to think that either the "shape" of the puzzle's symmetry needed to somehow 'reflect' the "U" shape as well - OR - perhaps more than just three "U" entries~?  It feels as though the answers to 22- and 42A., 9- & 11-letter fills, might have been part of the theme as well.  YMMV.  I count eight names, NINE abbrs, with twenty-three 3LWs but no circles in a standard-sized grid.  The themers and reveal; 

17. *Device whose poles are close together: HORSESHOE MAGNET

24. *Polish sausage: KIELBASA

28. *Commuter's cushion: NECK PILLOW

31. Ed Sheeran hit, and a phonetic hint to the answers to the starred clues: SHAPE OF YOU - Not my "thing" - all I know about this artist is that at one time he was the biggest name in music - here in the 21st century - with a #1 album and singles ( his Wiki ), but I can't listen to most of the material coming from "musicians" lately; it all sounds digitized and just lacking depth, IMHO.  Here's the video, which happens to mention "magnet";

the "attraction" @ 0:59

And Away U Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Deep purple berry: ACAI - Deep Purple "Blackmore" berry

Closer to my "thing"

5. Worker with lots to attend to?: VALET - parking lots, har-har

10. Actor Guinness: ALEC - name #1, but "U" know he portrayed "Obi Wan"

14. Primer, e.g.: COAT - paint, not reading

15. "Who gives a hoot?" response: "I CARE."

"What do U think of her~?" - Luke's respone to Princess Leia

16. "De __": "Gracias" response: NADA - Espaniol #1, translates to "Of Nothing" = U R Welcome

20. Rio Grande city: EL PASO - name #2

21. Fusses with feathers: PREENS

22. Find a valuable deposit underground: STRIKE OIL - Great fill, but how 'bout BIKE LOCKS~?

26. Rage: MANIA

29. Actress Long: NIA - name #3, this actress

30. Compact __: DISCS - CDs

34. "You said it!": "AMEN~!" - "U" said it~?

35. Once-__: quick studies: OVERS

37. Spiced tea: CHAI

38. Snap: PIC

39. Lattice for vines: TRELLIS

41. Starter course, informally: APPetizer - not going smart phone this week

42. Chess piece on f1 or f8: KING'S BISHOP - another great fill, just not what U'd expect

45. Home __: DEPOT - HD is like my second home . . . .

47. Khaki kin: TAN

48. The Most Stuf cookies: OREOS - and there U are, in a crossword again

51. Actor/director Ken: OLIN - name #4 

52. Misplaces: LOSES

54. NYSE listing: CORPoration

55. 128 oz.: GALLon - could have saved an abbr here and gone with

a GAL in turkey socks~!

56. Wipe data from: ERASE - Are U sure~?

57. Medication-approving gp.: FDA - Food and Drug Administration

58. Exercise similar to yoga: PILATES

61. Floofy canine breed: SAMOYED - Not sure I would have understood "floofy", but I do the Down clues first, had most of the crossings, and the rest was easy to fill out on this one

I will be seeing my buddy Cooper tomorrow~!

Still no luck with a pet of my own, but I am not giving up

64. Battery terminals: ANODES

65. Spanish title: SENORA - Espaniol #2

66. Cry after a successful team effort: "WE WON~!" - there's no "U" in TEAM . . . 

67. Plain awful: LOUSY - probably how the other team feels . . . .

DOWN:

1. Tooth trouble: ACHE

2. "Sweet!": "COOL~!"

3. Lobby group for seniors: AARP - American Association of Retired Peoples - I qualified in February four years ago, at least in terms of age - but - I am a looooong way from being able to retire.

4. "What a terrible thing to do": IT'S A SIN - It's A Song - from Pet Shop Boys, classic 80s, which is more my "thing" - but even better, here's Ghost doing a metal-style cover

5. Helmet attachment: VISOR - I tried SPIKE - hey, it's attached, too...and it's called a pickelhaube

6. German cry of dismay: ACH - Ach~! I put my helmet on upside down~!

7. Southeast Asian language: LAO - spoken in, uh, Laos . . .name(ish)

8. Before, in ballads: ERE

9. Arrangement speed: TEMPO - not how fast U can deliver flowers . . . .

10. Remarkably well-behaved: ANGELIC - I do not recall being referred to as this when growing up

11. Bowling assignment: LANE

12. Garden that needs no improvement: EDEN - Perhaps the fruit should have been kept out of reach~?

13. Pets with toe beans: CATS - I tried DOGS

18. Spanish pronoun: ESTA - Espaniol #3

19. Very dry: ARID - like my humor

23. Wall Street figures: INVESTORS - I was thinking BROKERS

25. Tendency of an eager beaver, maybe: EARLINESS - I'll get up at 4am on Black Friday for these

26. Poster on a subway wall: MAP - my first thought was ADS

27. Friend who likely celebrates Bastille Day: AMI - that friend would be Frawnche

32. Topper in a Super Mario costume: CAP

33. Taste: SIP - don't overdo the spirits this weekend

35. Alternative to com: ORG - internet domains; COMpany and ORGanization

36. Member of the fam: SIS - based on its location in the grid, I figured it was SISter

39. Blast letters: TNT 

40. Cable TV abbr.: SHOwtime - abbr #10

43. Cyclotron particle: ION

44. Lumbering Tolkien creature: ORC - or ENT~? name(ish) #5

45. Apt tattoo for a lover of pooches: DOG PAW - I see so many twenty- and thirty-something girls at the gym, covered in tats - legs, arms, whole sleeves - looks "dirty" to me . . . . just my humble opinion

Subtle, and more appealing

46. "Seinfeld" role for Julia: ELAINE - yada yada yada name #6

49. Calls for takeout: ORDERS - I caved in and got General Tso's chicken last Friday

50. "Me time" outing: SPA DAY - I figure my gym trainer is gonna let me slide this weekend 😜

52. Winery discard: LEES

53. Sail the seven __: SEAS - Rhyming answers, LEES and SEAS

59. "Without further __ ... ": ADO - "Let us, tomato . . . . "

60. Decimal base: TEN

62. Voice artist Blanc: MEL - name #7 - Pork Pig's history

Well, not quite . . . . ono more clue

63. Singer Yoko: ONO - name #8

Splynter

Today's puzzle has a "Grid Flow" of 41.8 - by comparison, the Holy Grail puzzle two weeks ago was low - only 15.9 - basically, it's the crossings that give you connectivity to a section with more than a single letter . . . .

And the solution with low Flow:

Just a curiosity

HAPPY THANKSGIVING~!