Saturday, June 14, 2025, Adrian Johnson

 Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson

                    

Our Wyoming native who went to college in Minnesota is now doing great work for a startup group called BetterFi, a nonprofit working to end predatory lending in Tennessee.

This face below represents how surprised I was when DOLMA and ANARCH turned out to be correct and I got the congratulations message!

                   

Across:

1. Longtime Harmon role: GIBBS - Watching Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon as GIBBS on the left below) on NCIS is a guilty pleasure of mine. The good guys always win, there is a lot of technology and some very quirky but attractive characters.

6. Solutions-oriented support group?: LAB TECHS - They prepare chemical solutions and can provide solutions to problems. 

14. "The Misfits" star: MONROE - Her husband Arthur Miller wrote the screenplay for his wife Marilyn but her marriage and life fell apart during the shooting of this last film for her and Gable. More about this troubled film

15. Emphatic phrase in an accusation: I MEAN YOU.

16. Raise, in a way: UPTILT - An unfamiliar word to me whose meaning is obvious

17. Course layout: SYLLABUS.

18. Timepiece useful in lunar gardening: MOON DIAL - If you believe the success of your garden depends on what the phase of the Moon is when you plant...

20. Reach: ACCESS.

21. Pandora selection: SONG.

22. Opposite of pos.: NEG - Does anyone remember Erik Agard's "Negative post/PRE" from a few Saturdays ago?

24. Image on the Lebanese flag: TREE.

25. Showing gumption: FEISTY.

28. "The Low __ Theory": A Tribe Called Quest album: END ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

31. Bankroll: WAD.

32. "Shame": THAT'S TOO BAD - Standard sarcasm on Seinfeld 

35. Banker who fills and empties pockets?: POOL HUSTLER - Oh, those pockets that can be targets of banked shots! A classic, gritty b/w 1961 film that got 94% on the Tomatometer!

36. "Tell the truth": DON'T LIE TO ME.

37. Clear dishes: BUS.

38. Brief, for short: Abbr.: SYN - Meta clues are always a challenge. Brief is a SYNONYM for short

39. Disorder organizer: ANARCH - From Greek an- "not" + arkhon "ruler," meaning "leader of leaderlessness," a paradoxical term used since the 1660s for "anarchist"

42. Source of some plant-based milk: OATS.

44. Shock-absorbing component of some running shoes: GEL.

46. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

48. High winds: FLUTES.

51. Disorder organizers: NEATNIKS - A Hawkeye line from M*A*S*H

54. Liquidation event: FIRE SALE.

56. Some bees: DRONES.

57. Family time at the Y: OPEN SWIM.

58. Chestnut kin: AUBURN.

59. "Alas ... ": SAD TO SAY.

60. Outdoor tables?: MESAS 😀

Down:

1. Disappear suddenly: GO POOF.

2. Chant: INTONE.

3. "Challenge accepted!": BRING IT ON - You can be pretty 4. Willing to accept a challenge, perhaps: BOLD  from the balcony.

5. "Are we alone?" org.: SETI - A trailer for a fav movie of mine, Contact, about the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence 

6. Hosiery thread: LISLE - LISLE is a type of finish that was applied to obtain smooth and even yarns. More

7. "The Backyard Bird Chronicles" writer/illustrator Tan: AMY.

8. New Grass Revival icon Fleck: BELA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

9. One on the Mohs scale: TALC.

10. Put into law: ENACT.

11. Offensive actions online: CYBER WAR.

12. Promotion from within: HOUSE AD - A HOUSE AD refers to advertising content that a website or media outlet uses to promote itself for its own offering rather than external products or services.  

13. Figured (out): SUSSED - A skill we solvers must have

14. "__ the word": MUM'S.

19. "Updates to share?": ANYTHING.

23. Age poorly: GET STALE.

26. Takes on set: SHOTS.

27. Running figure: TALLY.

29. Off: NOT ON.

30. Stuffed dish from Turkey: DOLMA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Stuffed grape leaves

33. Perkins who co-hosted "The Great British Baking Show": SUE - Not only had I never heard of Ms. Perkins, she is no longer with the show. In the picture below, SUE is on the left.

34. People with strong opinions on draft picks?: BEER SNOBS.

35. Copped an attitude: POSTURED.

36. "Radical Optimism" singer: DUA LIPA - She, and her helpful vowels, have been on our cwd playlist for quite a while now.

37. West End smashes: BOFFOS - Indicates a big hit in London's West End theatre district

40. "Things Fall Apart" novelist Achebe: CHINUA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

41. Folks who walk on the wild side?: HIKERS 😀

43. Surgical tube: STENT.

45. Foe: ENEMY.

47. Professional gp.: ASSN.

49. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.

50. Maxims: SAWS.

52. DeVine of "The Righteous Gemstones": ADAM - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

53. "Can't argue with that": TRUE.

55. "Weetzie Bat" writer Francesca __ Block: LIA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Saturday, February 1, 2025, Adrian Johnson, Will Nediger

 Saturday February 1, 2025 by Adrian Johnson & Will Nediger 

Adrian

Will

I had a nice 14-minute trip through Adrian and Will's puzzle. I wrote to Adrian about this puzzle he co-authored with Will and this was his gracious reply.

Hi Gary,

Great to hear from you. Will and I are good friends that have collaborated a few times on puzzles, most recently co-organizing a charity pack to support humanitarian relief efforts in Palestine (https://www.puzzlesforpalestine.com/) that we hope you’ll check out. Some wildly creative work from the best people in the business, 22 puzzles and no minimum donation—whatever you can spare to support rebuilding and humanitarian efforts.

This puzzle was a stunt of sorts to see how many 12-letter entries we could fix into a 15x grid. I sent Will the layout last year, he helped lock much of the center into place, I polished off the corners, and we were off! Thanks as always for the work you do.

Cheers,

Adrian

Across:

1. Attach: TIE ON.

6. Pickle: SCRAPE - Origin of the phrase

12. "You're getting ahead of yourself": DON'T BE SO HASTY.

14. "I'll meet you halfway": LET'S COMPROMISE.

15. Vaudeville singer Smith: MAMIE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

16. __ bran: OAT - Love this variety

17. Break stuff?: ADS 😀

18. Like: AKIN TO.

20. Car mirror's view: REAR - Not what you want to see

23. "__ Masters": reality show with building contests: LEGO.

24. When all's been said and done, to a Brit: AFTERWARDS.

30. Gifts that might be made with kukui: LEIS - A LEI made with Ti leaves and kukui nuts

31. Udder part: TEAT.

32. Joplin's "Treemonisha," e.g.: OPERA.

33. Zig instead of zag, perhaps: ERR.

34. Newspaper that covers Congress: THE HILL.

36. __ canto: BEL - Bel canto, Italian for beautiful singing is both a style of singing and a style of opera. 

37. "Julia" star Swinton: TILDA.

39. TV explorer Márquez: DORA The Explorer

40. School house, informally?: FRAT 😀

41. One might be on a roll: SESAME SEED - Yes, I'm embarrassed I can still sing this song from memory!

43. Freddie portrayer in "Bohemian Rhapsody": RAMI.

RAMI                                Freddie

44. Audition dismissal: NEXT.

45. Basil who designed England's Coventry Cathedral: SPENCE.

 

47. "That's the spot": AAH.

50. Question for a magician: HOW.

52. Planet-mapping tool: RADAR - An artist's concept of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapping the red planet.

53. Highly stressful situation: PRESSURE COOKER - If they pay you millions...

58. "You've been up too long": IT'S TIME FOR BED.

59. Promise: ASSURE.

60. Coarse cloth: TWEED - I'll bet you know who this prof in a TWEED coat is. (* answer at bottom.)

Down:

1. Big name in pizza rolls: TOTINOS.

2. Like some jewels: INSET

3. "There's more," briefly: ETC.

4. Letters with a negotiable price: OBO - Or Best Offer - A cool name for a thrift shop in Spokane, Wa 

5. Nautilus captain: NEMO - James Mason played the good captain in this Disney movie. BTW, 20,000 leagues is approximately 60,000 miles. Jules Vernes' book referred to how far the Nautilus travelled while under the sea not how deep the sea was. You're welcome.

6. Recycling-plant worker: SORTER.

7. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO.

8. Zodiac mammal: RAM.

9. Home of most of Turkey: ASIA.

10. Condition that may be treated with EMDR therapy: PTSD - A very interesting 3-minute video about Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reoricessubg therapy for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

11. Socket sets: EYES 😀

12. People who partially identify as female: DEMIGIRLS.

13. Blowout remedy: SPARE TIRE - Where it was in my Uncle Virgil's pickup

14. Endpoint of the Detroit River: LAKE ERIE - I was pleased to learn that Lake Huron flows into a Lake St. Claire and then the Detroit River takes that water down to LAKE ERIE.

15. Marimba strikers: MALLETS - Lionel Hampton used those MALLETS on xylophones, vibraphones and marimbas.

19. Promise: OATH.

21. Rotten to the Corps, perhaps: AWOL 😀

22. Genre for Flo Milli and Flau'jae: RAP - Not familiar with either of them but RAP made sense

25. Business offering stock options?: FEED STORE.

26. Sugar Bowl home: TAHOE - Yeah, I tried every variation for New Orleans I could but...

27. Handled better?: REBRANDED.

28. Ideal wheels: DREAM CAR - I'll take a '57 red and white Vette convertible! 

29. More coarse, in a way: SALTIER not 34. Not at all ferocious: TAME.

35. Boyos: LADS - A Welsh term

38. Dojo level: DAN.

40. Flipped out: FREAKED.

42. Dig up: EXHUME.

46. Europa Clipper, for one: PROBE - Surveying the surface of the Jupiter moon of Europa.

47. Capital of Samoa: APIA - 5hr 35min flight SSW of Honolulu 

48. Poetry, weaving, et al.: ARTS.

49. Pianist Myra: HESS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

51. Warp counterpart: WEFT.

54. Stampede Wrestling co-founder Hart: STU.

55. Military title: SIR.

56. Interrupting animal in a classic knock-knock joke: COW - I laughed really hard the first time I heard this joke.

57. City-building resource in Catan: ORE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I don't play.

*That of course is Dr. Henry (aka Indiana) Jones