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

Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Norman M Aaronson

I'm so SMART and BRIGHT!

16-Across. Whatever the outcome: WIN OR LOSE.  Wise.

24-Across. "Please lower your voice": KEEP IT DOWN.  Keen.

45-Across. Fabric piece for a sewing circle: QUILT BLOCK.  Quick.

55-Across. Cameo role, e.g.: SMALL PART.  Smart.

And the Unifier:

35-Acr0ss. "It's not all bad news ...," and what the circled letters in this puzzle literally are?: ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.

Here's the Grid so you can see how the circles, which spell a synonym for intellectually "bright", are on the "sides" of each theme clue.

What other bright clues and answers can be found?

Across:

1. Stick (out): JUT.

4. Raw fish dish: SUSHI.  Yummers!

9. Enjoy recess in a schoolyard: PLAY.

13. Darth Vader's childhood nickname: ANI.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

14. "Come on in!": ENTER.

15. Tylenol alternative: ALEVE.  They are not exactly the same.  Aleve is a NonSteroidal Anti-Inflamatory Drug (NSAID) pain reliever.  It's effectiveness last longer than Tylenol, however it may have a greater risk for stomach issues.  Tylenol is better for fever reduction and pain but does not have anti-inflammatory properties. 

18. Fan frenzy: MANIA.

19. Hibernation spots: LAIRS.

20. Covering that keeps a pant leg dry: GAITER.

21. Copied: APED.

26. Edit: REVISE.

28. Purple garden flower: IRIS.

29. Idaho's capital: BOISE.  Do any of you play the daily puzzle on The Economist?  The theme of last week's puzzle was American State Capitals.  Boise, however, was not one of the answers.

30. Penny: CENT.  We learned recently that the last penny has gone to press.

32. "The Raven" poet Edgar Allan __: POE.  Edgar Allen Poe (Jan. 19, 1809 ~ Oct. 7, 1949) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

39. Pastrami bread: RYE.

40. Young blokes: LADS.

41. Mani-pedi place: SALON.

42. Stash away: STOW.

44. Fully enjoys: SAVORS.

50. Site with handmade goods: ETSY.

51. Loosens, as shoelaces: UNTIES.

52. "Such a tease!": OH, YOU!

54. Amy of "Enchanted" and "Disenchanted": ADAMS.  Amy Lou Adams (b. Aug. 20, 1974) is known for her dramatic and comedic roles.  Her first major role was in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.  Her first leading role was Giselle in the 2007 film Enchanted.

59. Rented again: RELET.

60. Snorer's affliction, maybe: APNEA.

61. Piña colada liquor: RUM.  Yummers!

62. Walked (on): TROD.

63. Fisherman's __: waterfront district in San Francisco: WHARF.

64. Brimless hat with a tassel: FEZ.

Down:

1. Mandible: JAW.

Anatomy of an ant head.

2. College, to Aussies: UNI.

3. Word before can or Man: TIN.  The aluminum paint used to make the tin man appear tin, was actually quite toxic.  Buddy Ebsen (Apr. 2, 1908 ~ July 6, 2003) was cast as the Tin Man, however, the paint made him very ill and he was replaced by Jack Haley (Aug. 10, 1898 ~ June 6, 1979)

4. "Buona __": Italian "Good evening": SERA.  Today's Italian lesson.

5. Different from: UNLIKE.  You can also Unlike someone on Facebook.

6. Retail outlet: STORE.

7. "Steppenwolf" novelist Hermann: HESSE.  The band Steppenwolf is named after this 1927 novel by Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 ~ Aug. 9, 1962).

8. Fury: IRE.

9. Tartan patterns: PLAIDS.  When I was in high school, my mother made me a MacLeod plaid skirt. 

10. Slowly, in music: LENTO.

11. Arthur Miller's "__ From the Bridge": A VIEW.

12. Be homesick (for): YEARN.

15. Rare and expensive Italian violin: AMATI.  The Amati family were violin makers in the 16th and 17th  century.  

17. Getting on in years: OLDISH.  When does one actually become "oldish"?  Isn't old age 10 years more than your actual age?

20. Circumference: GIRTH.  In addition to his six wives, Henry VIII (June 28, 1491 ~ Jan. 28, 1547) was known for his girth.

21. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.  Ann Arbor is home of the University of Michigan.

22. Pink garden flower: PEONY.

23. Party notice sent with a click: EVITE.

25. Problematic engine sounds: PINGS.

27. "Get it?": SEE.

30. Move on all fours: CRAWL.

31. __ al-Fitr: end of Ramadan: EID.

32. Cockpit figure: PILOT.

33. Scents: ODORS.

34. Itty-bitty: EENSY.

36. Splotches: BLOBS.

37. Luggage-checking org.: TSA.

38. Put money away for the future: SAVE UP.

42. Covered in goo: SLIMED.

43. Statistical tool for checking a hypothesis: T-TEST.  A t-test is a statistical tool used to determine if the means of two groups are significantly different.

44. Anna's "Breaking Bad" role: SKYLER.  Anna Kathryn Gunn (b. Aug. 11, 1968) is best known for portraying Skyler White on Breaking Bad.

45. Two pints: QUART.

46. Lower than: UNDER.

47. Writer Calvino: ITALO.  Italo Calvino (Oct. 15, 1923 ~ Sept. 19, 1985) was an Italian novelist who was born Havana, Cuba.  He has been considered one of Italy's greatest writers.  

48. Extra zip: OOMPH.

49. __ masala: spiced chickpea dish: CHANA.  Yummers!  It looks delicious.

53. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.

55. Wood-cutting tool: SAW.

56. Dog park sound: ARF.

57. Regret: RUE.

58. Celebrity gossip site: TMZ.  As in Thirty-Mile Zone.  Who knew?

חתולה