Sunday, December 28, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

"What's The Matter"

Welcome to another C.C. Sunday puzzle.

Hi All! It's Anonymous -T sitting in for C.C. 'cuz it'd be silly for her to review her own puzzle.

Anyway, today we are given an in-the-language "<word> matter" clue and we need to ink a thing that fits. You'll see:

22. Weighty matter?: HEAVY CREAM. Heavy is a synonym for weighty and Heavy Cream is a thing.

24. Pressing matter?: FRUIT JUICE. In 2008, DW & I were leaf peeping in VT at a 27a -- they served us fresh pressed apple cider at breakfast.

47. Dark matter?: BLACK LICORICE. One of my favorite candies.

I get a dozen at a time

67. Small matter?: FINE PRINT. Fine is a synonym for small. But, in contracts, it's no small matter.  Youngest will tell you all about it in few more semesters :-)

87. Private matter?: BASIC TRAINING. Ha! A military Private.

111. Sensitive matter?: TOUCH PANEL. Some Touch Panels are sensitive while others, like the printer at my office, havta be whacked with a knuckle to get it's attention.

115. Grave matter?: BURIAL SITE. Yep.

35. Gray matter?: HUMAN ANATOMY. This was my favorite of the themers. I kept thinking of Poirot's "little gray cells" but "brain" didn't fit. Gray's Anatomy is the reference book of human anatomy. Oh, it's also a TV show with Dr.s hooking up -- I've never seen an episode but it was in the zeitgeist.

40. Laughing matter?: NITROUS OXIDE. N₂O -- aka "laughing gas."

I'm not sure why the title doesn't have a question mark but otherwise, it's a matter of fun. Onward [Apologies to Splynter] to the fill's review!

Across:

1. Caravan's refueling spot: OASIS.

6. Inner ears?: COBS. That's corny :-)

10. Coil in a garden: HOSE.

14. Hinge and Her: APPS. Both are dating apps.

18. Cackling carnivore: HYENA.

19. Reebok rival: AVIA. Sneakers, tennies, running shoes.

20. Peak performances: BESTS. SpeedySolver can tell us his bests.

21. Heartfelt sign-off: LOVE. Love, <your name here> - AI generated love note, maybe :-)

22. [See: Theme]

24. [See: Theme]

26. Capri, for one: ISLE.

West of Naples.

27. Cozy Vermont stopovers: INNS.

Here is where DW & I stayed during leaf peeping.

28. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH.

Chris Farley's Motivational Speaker

29. Space to maneuver: ROOM.

30. Part of a flight: STAIR.

32. Author with morals: AESOP.

Aesop & Son

34. Beach protection: SUN HAT.

38. Big name in orange soda: FANTA. Not Crush?

R.E.M. - Orange Crush live

41. Coin toss choice: TAILS.

43. Letters before xis: NUS.

45. Encourage a comedian: LAUGH. This fill is why HYENA wasn't clued as a laughing carnivore @18a. When setting a grid, it's easy to miss a dupe like this - that's how you know C.C.'s a pro.

46. "Is that true about me?": AM I.

47. [See: Theme]

51. Nintendo Switch avatar: MII. I guess a MII for your WII :-)

52. Dull learning method: ROTE.

54. Popped the question: ASKED. But the answer is always 42*

55. Dry run: DRILL. Think fire DRILL.

56. Autograph hounds: FANS.

57. Wall paintings: MURALS.

Click here for more Houston murals

59. Dances to an upbeat song: BOPS.

61. Playful mockery: TEASING.

63. Saws logs: SNORES.

64. Copenhagen native: DANE.

65. First woman, in Greek myth: PANDORA. She had a box with all the evils, but, when she opened it, all save hope escaped. Just like Eve, she's blamed for all the evils in the world.

66. Skipjack, for one: TUNA.

Click for a Sportsman's Guide to Tuna

67. [See: Theme]

69. Lens care brand: RENU.

71. Chain known for its Beauty Insider perks: SEPHORA. A makeup store I got dragged to once.

73. Sits in the sun: TANS.

74. Ones who never butter up?: VEGANS.

76. Craft few people practice now: LOST ART.

77. Wave radio maker: BOSE. I kept thinking CC Wave Radio but that's the Skywave.

78. Thrillingly hot: EROTIC.

79. Call alternative: TEXT.

80. Only country with a nonrectangular flag: NEPAL.

Click for the Mathematical Properties of the Flag

82. Control jointly: CO-OWN.

85. Crepe served with sambar: DOSA. Wanna hear a funny? I didn't know this fill but, after completing the puzzle, we went to an Indian restaurant and Eldest ordered it w/o hesitation. DOSAs are delicious.

Dosa

86. "Vive le __!": ROI. Long live the [French] King!

87. [See: Theme]

90. Utility closet tool: MOP.

91. Not on a major label: INDIE. Think music.

93. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

94. "Interstellar" actress Burstyn: ELLEN. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Her Wikipedia page.

95. Liam of One Direction: PAYNE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ibid.

97. __ together: PIECED.

99. Symptoms: SIGNS. Is my failing eyesight a sign of aging? That's what I'm chalking it up to.

101. Moth-repellent wood: CEDAR. I put cedar chips in my sweater storage bags. Living in Houston, I need sweaters about 3 weeks a year so,... [I have sweaters from brick-n-mortars that closed in the '90's].

103. Recycle bin, e.g.: ICON. Cute. An ICON on your "desktop."

105. Pet doc: VET.

106. Result of a good pitch: SALE. Nice clue. I was thinking C.C. would go with baseball's strike or foul and only perps saved me from filling foul.

107. Stack-selling chain: IHOP. International House of Pancakes.

111. [See: Theme]

115. [See: Theme]

117. Lift with a bent elbow: CURL.

118. Unholy things: EVILS. The crossing of apse @104d stalled this fill far too long.

119. Word said with a sigh: ALAS. I could have prefaced above's response w/ this fill :-)

120. Karate rank indicators: BELTS.

121. Distance between markers: MILE. Highways. In some states, especially on long bridges [looking at you I-10 over LA swamps], I've seen 1/10 mile markers.

122. Refuse to admit: DENY.

123. Mixed-breed dog: MUTT.

124. Spot to boop a doggo: SNOOT.

Down:

1. "Well, hello there": OH, HI.

2. House calls?: AYES. Think Congress.

3. Mammal that barks and claps: SEAL.

4. Play the market: INVEST.

5. Blurt out: SAY.

6. Pork in a burrito: CARNITAS.

Yummers!

7. Roasting pan holder: OVEN RACK. Not an insulated pot holder.

8. Partiality: BIAS.

9. "Unholy" singer Smith: SAM.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's ok to dupe a clue [see: 118a]

10. Respectful reference in court: HER HONOR. It's remarkable that, coming from a language w/o (I think) gendered pronouns, C.C. "gets it." In college, I worked at a wastewater testing lab w/ a guy from China (a PhD candidate in ChemE) who kept using "its" for him/her. I was befuddled until he explained Chinese doesn't use gendered pronouns (and it's silly that English does, he said).

11. Sch. whose mascot is a buckeye nut: OSU.

Brutus Buckeye

12. Cake mix instruction: STIR. Youngest has been building from scratch since she was 9 yrs old. And her cakes get quite elaborate.

Youngest's Mardi Gras Cupcakes

13. These, in Tijuana: ESTOS. English to Spanish.

14. Smith College graduate: ALUMNA. Smith is an all girls college; ALUMNA is gendered alumni.

15. Introductory food for keiki: POI. Keiki is Hawaiian for offspring. Poi is a taro dish. You do the math :-)

16. Pipe plastic, for short: PVC. Polyvinyl chloride - hard plastic.

17. "What did I say!?": SEE. Oh, I usually ask that question not 'cuz I was right but when someone gets peeved at me :-)

20. Degs. for graphic designers: BFAS. We got a Fine Arts major that didn't go to grad school :-)

23. Org. in many spy thrillers: CIA. Central Intelligence Agency.

25. Unit of energy: JOULE. I know the EEs got this. To everyone else, it's 0.0009478 BTUs.

28. "Being the Ricardos" role: DESI. I 🩷 Lucy.

31. Key above Caps Lock: TAB.

32. "Chores finished!": ALL DONE.

33. Early Boston settlers: PURITANS.

35. [See: Theme]

36. Gerontologist's focus: AGING.

37. "Totally agree!," on social media: THIS. In the Discord channels I frequent, it's an pointy-up finger emoji [☝].

38. Rural businesses: FARMS.

39. Word on receipts: AMOUNT.

40. [See: Theme]

42. Practice depicted in the Japanese film "Flower and Sword": IKEBANA. It's the art of arranging flowers.

44. Mum: SILENT.

48. Young lady: LASS.

49. DJ's stack in the 1990s: CDS. 90's Disk Jockeys with Compact Disks instead of vinyl  -- unless they were a Rap DJ that needed to scratch a sample :-)

50. Decked out: CLAD.

53. Sincere: EARNEST.

56. Hot-headed deity?: FIRE GOD.

58. Jumped: LEAPT.

60. __-Bismol: PEPTO. Susan Stamberg's Mother-in-law's cranberry relish recipe results in the hue of Pepto.

62. More tender: SORER. Not a fillet but your own muscles after exercise.

64. Desserts with crushed Oreos: DIRT PIES.

Recipe

65. Natural disinfectant: PINE OIL.

67. __ green: FOREST.

68. Troublemakers: RASCALS.

70. People might sing in it: UNISON. All together now.

72. Flower, in Japanese: HANA. HANAs in 42d Ikebana :-)

74. Kind of circle diagram: VENN.

Don McMillan

75. Garlic __: pungent stalk: SCAPE.

76. "Madam Secretary" star: LEONI.

77. Diner fave: BLT.

79. Voyage: TRIP.

81. With true effort: ACTIVELY.

83. Diamond size: ONE CARAT.

84. Menu with reds and whites: WINE LIST. I'll let Chairman Moe bring one out.

87. Tree with a "copper" variety: BEECH.

Everything you want to know

88. Payment for a flat: RENT.

89. Stat on a transcript: GPA. Grade Point Average.

92. Frozen spike: ICICLE.

96. Up and about: ARISEN.

98. Sussed (out): DOPED.

100. Some toothpastes: GELS.

102. "Narcos" org.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration.

104. Cathedral part: NAVE. Apse was right out.

106. Enterprise navigator: SULU. Star Trek.

Sulu

108. County seat of Hawaii County: HILO.

109. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO.

110. Irksome insect: PEST.

111. Old film channel: TCM. Turner Classic Movies.

112. "Okay by moi": OUI.

113. Address with slashes: URL. An internet address.

Composition of a URL as per RFC 1738

114. "Delta of Venus" author: NIN. NIN means metal's Nine Inch Nails to Splynter & me :-)

115. "Pow!": BAM.

116. Abbr. on barbells: LBS.

You can get fake barbells on Amazon :-)

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: Pilgrims was started but too many boxes @33d; LPs -> CDs; APSE -> NAVE; BurCH->BEECH; Trek->TRIP.
ESPs: DOSA, SAM as clued, LEONI, ELLEN, DOPED, IKEBANA, NIN and probably others.
Fav: I'm going w/ FANTA 'cuz of this Gabriel Iglesias bit. //Don't watch too long unless you start from the beginning.

Cheers, -T
*HHGTTG [Scientific American]

Saturday, December 27, 2025, August Miller

 Saturday Themeless by August Miller

This is my fifth Saturday themeless blog this year for August Miller. He is a former physics Ph.D. candidate turned farmer who lives in Berkshire County, MA.

Here is part of a very nice interview with August: Once upon a time I was going to be a physics PhD. I studied physics in undergrad and tried graduate school (twice), but ultimately that environment just didn’t work for me. And now I come home at night smelling of cows and hay, and it feels so much better.

I was able to make good headway through August's puzzle and enjoyed the trip. Unlike Stella's 12/13/25 puzzle, the long fills were familiar and helpful. My last fill was a stab in the dark at "K" at TAI_A/S_A.

Across:

1. Squirrel away: STOW and 1. Squirrel away: STASH - It was fun to have the same clue in the far NW corner.

5. Barely usable pencils: NUBS.

9. "Kapow!": WHAM.

13. Snaps: TAKES A PIC - What we all can do now on a whim. Now when I was a kid...

15. Banchero who was the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year: PAOLO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  I will have taken more time on this comment than I will watching any NBA games this season.

16. Manipulator of one of the four elements, in a classic animated series: AIR BENDER - This guy is in orange below. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17. Natural styles: AFROS.

18. __ punk: "Tragic Kingdom" genre: SKA and 2. Waititi of "Our Flag Means Death": TAIKA - I knew SKA was some form of music that was foreign to me and I took a flyer on a "K" where it crossed equally unknown TAIKA. Tada!

19. "All My Children" actress Kathleen: NOONE - She was there from 1977 - 1989

 

To the far left

20. "Failing that ... ": IF NOT.

21. Must: HAS TO.

23. Like some waiters: EARLY 😀 - You really want an iPhone 16 so bad you're willing to wait in line.

25. Hesitant sounds: ERS.

27. Mikey Day's show, for short: SNL - If you really care, you'll pick him out, if you don't care, just move on. 😗

28. Guests' guesses: ETAS - You can tell peeps when to arrive but...

31. Some boxing losses: SPLIT DECISIONS - Gane won this match because two judges gave him more points and one did not.

35. "And??": CARE TO ELABORATE.

36. "Who Shot Mr. Burns?," for one: TWO PART EPISODE - Remind you of anything? 😀

37. Glom __: ONTO.

38. Some humanities degs.: MAS.

39. Confession confession: SIN.

40. "The best in pests" company: ORKIN.

42. Attracted to more than one gender, informally: MSPEC - Multisexual Spectrum

46. Peak reward: VISTA - The VISTA from the peak of Everest

48. Stay at a 57-Across, perhaps: GLAMP - Today's portmanteau: GLAMcamPing at Indian Lake, NY which is a 57. Sustainable place to unwind: ECO RESORT.

52. "Hadestown" Tony nominee Noblezada: EVA - I'm guessing August has never heard of the Little EVA song Locomotion.

53. Big name in chips: INTEL - Would you like an Apple with your chips? 

54. Hot bodies?: LAVA LAKES - This one is near the South Pole

56. Close call: SCARE.

58. Good listeners?: EARS - My 79-yr-old models need electronic assistance 

59. __-eyed: DEWY.

60. Code breakers: KEYS.

Down:

3. Mallow family plants with edible seed pods: OKRAS.

                

Okra

 

4. Intricate trap: WEB.

5. Tech startup?: NANO.

6. Top knot, e.g.: UPDO.

7. "Très __!": BIEN and a 14. Miss living in Mexico, say: SENORITA could say Muy BIEN.

8. Safari snap: SCREEN CAP - I made a SCREEN CAPture of the image below on my Safari Browser using this key combination

9. Array at a hotel breakfast bar: WAFFLE IRONS 😀

10. Lizard with defensive spines: HORNY TOAD - A variation of the name HORNED TOAD

11. __ gobi: ALOO - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - Aloo gobi, literally "potato cauliflower" in Hindi. 

12. More than some: MOST.

15. Duo: PAIR.

22. Forms of rapid transit: TELEPORTERS - Hallmark makes an ornament of one used on Star Trek.

24. Crime stories?: ALIBIS.

26. Kylie's daughter: STORMI - An addition to the Kardashian clan

27. Tennis great Monica: SELES.

29. Up the __: ANTE.

30. Compass pt.: SSE.

31. Like cut lumber: SAWN.

32. One just starting to shine: PROTOSTAR.

33. Forced a comb through, say: DETANGLED.

34. "Easy-peasy!": SO SIMPLE.

35. Exec who might oversee R&D: CTO - Chief Technology Officer

41. Superfood whose "special power is tasting bad," per Jim Gaffigan: KALE 😀

43. Tea type: PEKOE.

44. Not just some: EVERY.

45. Gives a role: CASTS - This character from Breakfast At Tiffany's may be the worst CASTING decision in movie history. The Boston Globe called the Mr. Yunioshi "an irascible bucktoothed nerd and an offensive ethnic caricature"

46. Bench clamp: VISE.

47. Worshipper of the goddess Pachamama: INCA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

49. Peignoir trim: LACE.

50. Declare: AVOW.

51. Writer Shelley: MARY.

55. "Why do you __?": ASK.