Tuesday November 25, 2025 Theresa Brady and Gene Leganza

You Can Ring My Bell.

18-Across. Debt security sold to raise funds for World War I: LIBERTY BOND.  //  Liberty Bell.

23-Across. Unexpected and undeserved fortune: DUMB LUCK.  //  Dumb Bell.

51-Across. Singer dubbed the "Mother of the Blues": MA RAINEY.  /  Ma Bell.  Ma Bell was the name for the Bell System, a telecommunications monopoly led by AT&T.  It provided telephone service in North America for about 100 years.  It was the "mother" [Ma] company that provided all telephone services Alexander Graham Bell (Mar. 3, 1847 ~ Aug. 2, 1922) is credited with inventing the telephone, hence, the Bell.  The monopoly was ultimately broken up by a federal court antitrust case in 1984.

56-Across. Weekly promotion in some Tex-Mex restaurants: TACO TUESDAY.  //  Taco Bell.

And the Unifier:

36-Across. Start of the stock exchange trading day, or a feature of 18-, 23-, 51-, and 56-Across: OPENING BELL.  Each theme answer Opens with a Bell.

Across:

1. Twosome: DUO.

4. Long-tailed parrot: MACAW.  They are beautiful birds.

9. Pitch, as a tent: PUT UP.

14. Mork's planet: ORK.  Mork and Mindy was a sit-com from the late 1970s-early 1980s.  Mork, an alien from the planet Ork on a mission to Earth to study human behavior.  He met up with Mindyr, travels to 1970s Boulder, Colo., where he meets up with Mindy, a young journalism graduate.  Mork was portrayed by Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 ~ Aug. 11, 2014) and Mindy was played by Pam Dawber (b. Oct. 18, 1951).

15. "Yay for me!": I RULE!

16. "When the moon hits your eye" condition: AMORE.  Today's Latin lesson.

17. Soda can opener: TAB.  Also the name of a discontinued soda.  Tab was introduced in 1963 and was the Coca-Cola's first diet drink.  It was discontinued in 2020.

20. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA.  The given name of this Irish singer and composer is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961).  No wonder she goes by Enya.

22. Glacier-forming periods: ICE AGES.

If you go to hockey games, you will understand this cartoon.

26. Airport surface: TARMAC.  The history of the word Tarmac.

29. Essential login info: USER ID.

30. Ray gun sound: ZAP.

31. iPad program: APP.

32. Perfect place: UTOPIA.  Also the title of a 1516 book of fiction and political satire by Sir Thomas More (Feb. 17, 1478 ~ July 6, 1535).  The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs.  It was before my time.

35. Earnest entreaty: PLEA.

39. Abundant supply: GLUT.

41. Little house, in Spanish: CASITA.  Today's Spanish Lesson

42. "I'd rather __": NOT.

43. Tiny ammo: BBs.

45. Apply a cipher to: ENCODE.

49. Unit of coffee: CUPFUL.

53. Greek goddess of the hunt: ARTEMIS.  Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo.  Because she is the huntress, she is often depicted with a bow and arrow, accompanied by hunting dogs.  As a virgin goddess, she protects young unmarried women and is also associated with childbirth, forests, wild animals, and archery. 

55. Bunco trio: DICE.  I am not familiar with this game, but apparently it is played with 3 die.

60. Fla. NBA team: ORL.  As in the Orlando Magic.

61. Any ABBA member: SWEDE.

62. Made off with: STOLE.

63. Previously named: NÉE.  This French word is becoming a crossword staple.

64. Mexican bucks: PESOS.  As of this writing, 1 Mexican Peso is worth 0.054 Dollars.  Or another way, $1 is worth 18.47 Pesos.

65. From Nepal, e.g.: ASIAN.

66. The best is __ to come: YET.

Down:

1. End of a school email address: DOT EDU.

2. Planet between Saturn and Neptune: URANUS.  William Herschel (né Frederick William Herschel; Nov. 15, 1738 ~ Aug. 25, 1822) discovered the planet in 1781, which he wanted to call Georgium Sidus, which means George's Star in honor of George III, King of England (June 4, 1738 ~ Jan. 29, 1820).   Other astronomer, however, had other ideas and they won out.  So how did Uranus get its name, which becomes name official in 1850.

3. "I'm fine with that": OK BY ME.

4. The Brewers, in box scores: MIL.  As in the Milwaukee Brewers.

5. Former NPR host Shapiro: ARI.  Ari Michael Shapiro (b. Sept. 20, 1978) is a radio journalist.  He had been one of the hosts of All Things Considered.  He left NPR in September of this year.

6. Three-dimensional: CUBIC.

7. Smart __: ALECK.

8. "Now __ talking!": WE'RE.

9. Wage inequality: PAY GAP.  Yup, it's real.

10. Natural pigment darker than ocher: UMBER.

11. Like shoes that cause blisters, perhaps: TOO SMALL.

12. Ornate flowerpot: URN.

13. Thin sock worn to try on shoes: PED.

19. The "TT" of TTFN: TATA.  Textspeak for TaTa For Now.

21. Sudden: ABRUPT.

24. Low-calorie, in ads: LITE.

25. Japanese soup noodle: UDON.  These tasty noodles appear often in the puzzles.

27. Mimic: APE.

28. Tax prep pro: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.

30. Zigs and __: ZAGS.

33. "__ or it didn't happen!": PICS.  That used to be true, but now ...

34. Cookbook writer Garten: INA.  Ina Rosenberg Garten (b. Feb. 2, 1948) is known as the Barefoot Contessa.

35. Serene: PLACID.

36. Runs faster than: OUTPACES.

37. Order in a German pub: BIER.  Today's German lesson.

38. Active Sicilian volcano: ETNA.  This Sicilian volcano makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzle.

39. Chain known for health products: GNC.  Formerly known as General Nutrition Centers.

40. Bud's bud in comedy: LOU.  Abbott and Costello were an American comedy team composed of comedians Bud Abbott (né William Alexander Abbott; Oct. 2, 1895 ~ Apr. 24, 1974) and Lou Costello (né Louis Francis Cristillo; Mar. 6, 1906 ~ Mar. 3, 1959).

43. Narrow flat-topped hills: BUTTES.  //  And 54-Down. Wide flat-topped hill: MESA.

44. "Sacré __!": BLEU.  More of today's French lesson.

46. Like some pungent dips: ONIONY.

47. Official directive: DECREE.

48. Doily loop: EYELET.

50. Hobbit who travels to Mount Doom: FRODO.

51. Waters gently, as a houseplant: MISTS.

52. "Same here," formally: AS DO I.

56. Recipe amt.: TSP.  As in a Teaspoon.

57. Feeling of wonder: AWE.

58. __ mode: À LA.  More of today's French lesson.

59. Urge: YEN.  Also Japanese currency.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Picard (Robert), who visited Splynter last June. Picard and his wife have also met with MM and his girlfriend Valerie a few years ago. 

Monday November 24, 2025 Joseph A. Ganji

  

Happy Monday-before-Thanksgiving, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle to whet your appetite. Theme:  

I had intended to insert the Norman Rockwell painting but this one caught my eye.

Constructor Joseph A. Gangi serves up these five themed answers:

17 Across. "Gee willikers!": GOOD GRAVY.  Both of these expressions of astonishment are generally associated with older generations and regional dialects.

25 Across. Lists of top students: HONOR ROLLS.

37 Across. Folks who do a lot of binge-watching: COUCH POTATOES.

48 Across. Get down to brass tacks: TALK TURKEY.  another idiom clued with an idiom

60 Across. Extremely simple: EASY AS PIE.

GRAVY, ROLLS, POTATOES, TURKEY, and PIE are all parts of a traditional Thanksgiving holiday feast. However, instead of merely listing  menu items, the foods are plated in our grid via non-food, in-the-language phrases. Bonus points for ending with dessert!

Next we will partake of the remaining clues & answers:

Across:

1. Music genre known for four-on-the-floor beats: DISCO.  Good start! I like a 1-A clue that takes a little sussing -- but not in a discouraging way.

Four-on-the-floor is drummer lingo for using a foot pedal to hit the bass drum on each of the four quarter beats in 4/4 timing. In other words, the drum just thuds 1-2-3-4. It is commonly used in dance music genres.  Example:  Dancing Queen by ABBA (released 1976)  

6. "__ we there yet?": ARE.  

9. Double-reed woodwinds: OBOES.  "Double-read" means an oboe uses a single, double-reed -- not two reeds.

14. Rack up, as expenses: INCUR.  

15. Young chap: LAD.  Both chap and LAD are more commonly used in British English.

16. All smiles: HAPPY.     and     22 Down. Flash a smile toward: GRIN AT.  😀

19. Pet pests: FLEAS.     and     23 Across. Pet pest: TICK.  

20. Road trip option: INN.

21. "I'm totally with you": SAME.

22. "Keep talking": GO ON.

29. Prepare, as bao buns: STEAM.  

They can be made with a variety of sweet or savory fillings.
A pork mixture is a common choice.

31. Sizable: BIG.

32. Tire filler: AIR.  Unlike bao buns, one should refrain from filling tires with a pork mixture.

33. Insta post: PIC.  Instagram is a PICure-sharing app.

35. Kitchen nooks: DINETTES.

40. Food storage rooms: PANTRIES.  I love an organized pantry. Today I found a can of olives in my pantry that expired two years ago.  

This is not my pantry ... but wouldn't it be nice?

41. Meadows of "Peacemaker": TIM.  his IMDb page

42. Land between Can. and Mex.: USA.

43. Zero's counterpart, in binary code: ONE.  It is time for today's math lesson. Binary code uses two digits, 0 and 1. This is handy for situations with only two states, such as ON or OFF with electricity. Another code with which you might be familiar is hexadecimal code. Hex gives us 6 and decimal gives us 10 so this code requires 6+10=16 digits. We have to be creative because we normally only have ten digits, 0-9. The solution is to use letters as digits. A hexadecimal code uses 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, and f. So a=10, b=11, c=12, d=13, e=14, and f=15. This saves a lot of space when dealing with really large numbers. One place you might have seen this is in Box d. Control number on a Form W-2. Here is an example:  

A1B2 is (2X16⁰) + (11X16¹) + (1X16²) + (10X16³) = 2+ 176 + 256 + 40,960 = 41,394

44. Give height to, as hair: TEASE.  This is a method of backcombing hair to make it puffier. It can also make knots that are difficult to comb out later.

53. Clever notion: IDEA.  

Rock the Boat    ~    The Hues Corporation    ~    1973

"So I'd like to know, where you got the notion"  🎵🎵

54. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.  

Earp's tombstone -- not the movie, Tombstone

55. Bread often brushed with ghee: NAAN.  Ghee is clarified butter and is often used in Indian cooking. In this clue, ghee is a hint that we are looking for a food in Indian cuisine.

57. Class that may send one back to the drawing board: ART.     and     51-Down. Support for a drawing board: EASEL.

58. Lose strength: ABATE.

62. Washroom fixture: BASIN.  We do not see this answer in XWDs as much as we see its semi-synonym:  nsync.

63. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day, e.g.: EVE.  an apt Easter egg

64. Actor Dinklage: PETER.  [b. June 11, 1969] He has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Game of Thrones.  

65. Oohed and __: AAHED.

66. "Kenan & __": former Nickelodeon sitcom: KEL.  IMDb link

67. Full of attitude: SASSY.

Down:

1. Fingers and toes: DIGITS.

2. Party to the conspiracy: IN ON IT.  Here we have an example of solver-friendly clue writing/editing.  IN ON = "Party to" but the "IT" was aided by a noun object in the clue.

3. Wall-mounted light: SCONCE.  

Pro tip:  They can sometimes be used to open a secret door.

4. Cow's chew: CUD.  If you have ever observed the contented faces of cows chewing their CUD, you would be like me and wish humans could do that, too. Alas, we only have one stomach.

5. Assns.: ORGS.  Associations and ORGanizationS

6. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.

7. Bird in a Poe poem: RAVEN.  Precisely:

8. Name in the ice cream aisle: EDY.  

9. "Ugh, never mind!": OH FORGET IT.

10. "The Jungle Book" bear: BALOO.  

11. Welcome sign for a hungry night owl: OPEN LATE.  In this case, the night owl is not a bird but a person who often stays up late. Do we have any night owls on The Corner? 

12. Ecol. monitor: EPA.  Ecology and Environmental Protection Agency

13. Method: Abbr.: SYS.  SYStem

18. Pep squad cheer: RAH.  

24. Out of order: KAPUT.  This is a fun word. It comes to us from the French word capot, via the German word kaputt. I was surprised to see that Merriam-Webster does not classify it as a slang term.

26. Somber bio: OBIT.  biography and OBITuary

27. Falsehoods: LIES.  When I Googled "OBIT" and "LIES" I learned about hoaxer Alan Abel who died for real in 2018 but in 1980 he persuaded the New York Times to report his death.

28. Former jrs.: SRS.  juniors and SenioRS

30. Fleeting fad: MICROTREND.  I could not find this word in Crossword Tracker. It might be a first-time use.

A MICROTREND is "a niche or industry specific consumer behavioral trend which is mass market ready and actionable." Some attribute the rise in MICROTRENDs to social media and especially, to influencer marketing posts. Another article said this has led to overconsuming in order to "keep up".  

Tomato Girl Summer is now oh, so last season. 😀

34. Body-lifting exercise that may be done in a doorway: CHIN-UP.  

35. Buns, bobs, and beehives: DOS.  I am pretty sure you have to 44-Across your hair to make a beehive hairDO.

36. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.

37. Spanish house: CASA.  Casa translates to "house" in Spanish. Also, kasa translates to "umbrella" in Japanese. My memory trick for this was that they both provided a 'roof' over one's head.  You can see it in the kanji.  

There is no "c" in Romanji (English letters for Japanese words).

38. Tethered: ON A LEASH.  

Resident Alien fans will recognize this from the handbook.

39. __ pressure: PEER.  This happens when a group hug is too tight.

40. "To __ it mildly": PUT.  The mechanic said, "To PUT it mildly, your engine is KAPUT."

45. Changes with the times: ADAPTS.

46. Story told in installments: SERIES.  For example, David Copperfield was published as a serial from May 1849 through November 1850. Then it was published in book format in 1850.

47. Bistro, e.g.: EATERY.

49. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE.  [b. March 17, 1997]

There just are not enough superlatives for this athlete.

50. Ye olde rascal: KNAVE.

52. "Huzzah!": YAY.  Merriam-Webster lists huzzah as a noun that is often used interjectionally to express joy or approval.

56. Short snoozes: NAPS.  

Scott Metzger creates the best pet comics.

58. Old hoops gp.: ABA.  The American Basketball Association was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. more about the relaunch

59. "Hello, ewe!": BAA.  Cute clue.  

Translation:  Hi mom!

60. Startled cry: EEK.

61. Watery expanse: SEA.  About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered. That's quite expansive!

The grid:  

Joseph did not have a lot of wiggle room constructing this grid.
Ending with PIE meant the only two themers
he could switch around were the two 10-letter answers. Well done!

Now it is time to clean up the dishes. Have a great-ful week, everyone!