Sunday August 31 , 2025 Amie Walker & Wendy L. Brandes

Theme:  "GET THE BALL ROLLING" - From left to the right, the letters spell out BINGO.

4. *Request for greater detail: BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC.

9. *"Really, Captain Obvious?": GEE YA THINK.

12. *"C'mon, quit pretending to be confused!": OH YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING.

50. *"Free Your Mind" group: EN VOGUE.

74. *Visionary physicians?: EYE DOCTORS.

Reveal: 

3. With 70-Down, "Never would've predicted this scenario," and what can be said about the first word of the answer to each starred clue?: THAT WASN'T ON.

70. See 3-Down: MY BINGO CARD.

Did I miss anything extra? I had to google "How to play Bingo". So a Bingo card has the letters BINGO on top. This 14, 27, Free, 56, 66 doesn't make any winning sense to me. 

 

Amie and Wendy have collaborated on a few puzzles for the LAT. This is their first Sunday together. 

Across:

1. Rollaway bed: COT. 

4. Sweetie: BABE.

8. "Totally ready for the weekend!": TGIF.

12. Muppet who lives in a recycling zone: OSCAR.

17. Letters for a monarch: HRH. His/Her Royal Highness.

18. Nook's format, e.g.: E TEXT.

20. Incessantly: NO END.

21. "Hungry hungry" animal in a kids game: HIPPO.

22. Porto greeting: OLA. Porto is the Portuguese wine capital. 

23. Religious platform: ALTAR.

24. Where Penguins play on ice?: ARENA. Pittsburgh Penguins.

25. Raising agent: YEAST.

26. Lotus part: PETAL.

28. Hotel gym, e.g.: AMENITY.

30. Groups of friends: POSSES.

31. Deemed suitable: SAW FIT.

33. Rice dish cooked in a wide pan: PAELLA. Looks delicious.

34. [I didn't get my way!]: POUT.

35. 1990s treaty acronym: NAFTA.

36. Inc., in Britain: LTD.

37. Spots that might smear: ATTACK ADS. Amazing clue.

41. Some send-ups: SATIRES.

43. Question after a photo finish: WHO WON?

44. "The penny drops!": AHA.

46. Dull, figuratively: VANILLA.

48. __ kwon do: TAE.

51. Wash. neighbor: IDA.

52. Exudes: OOZES.

54. __ nous: ENTRE.

55. Disdain: SCORN.

57. Small complaint: NIT.

58. Bring about, as mayhem: WREAK. Only Havoc.

59. Classic muscle car: GTO.

60. Partner: MATE.

62. Conjure up: EVOKE.

64. Fin. neighbor: SWE.

65. Taken together: IN TOTAL.

67. KenKen figs.: NOS.

68. Return from vacation: FLY HOME. Someday I will. 

72. Before, in poems: ERE.

73. "Stop hogging it!": LET GO.

75. Mount also known as Kissavos: OSSA.

76. Peruvian singer Sumac: YMA. Have not seen her in our grid for a long while.

78. Accept terms: AGREE.

81. "I don't __ it": BUY.

82. Très très: ULTRA.

84. Soccer star __ Heath: TOBIN.

86. Pure joy: BLISS.

87. Pub brew: ALE.

88. Fair-hiring inits.: EEO.

89. College in Dublin: TRINITY. Ireland's oldest university.

91. "Stop filming!": CUT.

92. Pride event: PARADE.

95. Epiphany figures: WISE MEN.

97. Listen clandestinely: EAVESDROP.

99. Autograph seeker's tool: PEN.

100. Utility bill data: USAGE. Did you know that they charge you a higher rate for your power usage between 5:00pm to 7:00pm?

102. Coats with ganache, e.g.: ICES.

103. Baseless rumor: CANARD.

105. Conditional release: PAROLE.

107. "Good 4 U" singer Rodrigo: OLIVIA.

110. Culinary school dough?: TUITION. Another fun clue.

112. Orgs. that may serve as alternatives to hostels: YMCAS.

113. Recurring theme: MOTIF.

114. Ring around a lagoon: ATOLL.
 
116. Rapace of "Prometheus": NOOMI. She was also in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

118. First words of many an alphabet book: A IS.

119. Central Asian mountain range: ALTAI. Extends to China where Xinjiang is.

120. "No __!": SIREE.

121. React to a bad joke: GROAN.

122. Vaccine molecule: RNA.

123. "It's Gonna Be Me" band: NSYNC.

124. Ramona, per Beezus: PEST.

125. Unexpected problem: SNAG.

126. Susan of "The Partridge Family": DEY.

Down:

1. Slices and dices: CHOPS.

2. "The Library Book" writer Susan: ORLEAN.

5. Georgia airport code: ATL.

6. Early app edition: BETA.

7. Lead by __: EXAMPLE.

8. Field where accidents are common?: TORT LAW.

10. Cozy lodging: INN.

11. Rx regulator: FDA.

13. Afternoon snooze: SIESTA.

14. Pros who try to stay balanced?: CPAS. Nothing athletic. Pros indicates an abbreviated answer.
 
15. Abbey space: APSE.

16. Goes bad: ROTS.

19. Buys for, as a birthday dinner: TREATS TO. The nice church couple treated me for a papaya salad. Mild. Still hot for me. 

20. Ace: NAIL.

27. Romance: AFFAIR.

29. Nancy Drew's boyfriend: NED.

30. "Un __ Loco": "Coco" song: POCO.

32. Shadow: TAIL.

34. Try to hit, as a cat might a laser beam: PAW AT.

38. Exquisite: TO DIE FOR. Cantonese soup. That red thing is goji berry. Not anything hot. 

39. Groggy state: DAZE.

40. Citi Field predecessor: SHEA.

42. Follower of Jah: RASTA.

45. "Fire away": ASK.

46. Relax on the sofa: VEG.

47. Not backing: ANTI.

49. "__ we all?": AREN'T.

53. Brand with a Selena Gomez limited edition version: OREO.

56. __ phone: CELLULAR.

61. Swallowed: ATE.

63. "__ mio": O SOLE.

64. Lead-in to "op": SYS.

66. Some concert merch: TEES.

69. Aspiring J.D.s' exams: LSATS.

71. Give off: EMIT.

77. In __ event: ANY.

78. "Shark Tank" network: ABC.

79. Cause of a sticky situation: GLUE. I've learned to wear a glove every time I use Super Glue.

80. "Poison" singer Ora: RITA.

81. Poetic performers: BARDS.

83. Reaching great heights: TOWERING.

85. Like show-offy pushups: ONE-ARM.

90. Enlist again: RE-UP.

93. Cruising the Caribbean, maybe: ASEA.

94. Uniform adornment: EPAULET.

96. Not alfresco: INDOORS.

98. Vance of "I Love Lucy": VIVIAN.

99. Butter portion: PAT.

101. Stritch of Broadway: ELAINE.

104. Egyptian river: NILE.

106. Input for some plagiarism detectors: ESSAY.

107. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN.

108. Haha alternatives: LOLS.

109. Wee: ITTY.

111. End of a.m.: NOON.

114. Egyptian viper: ASP.

115. Connection: TIE.

117. Goat's bleat: MAA.

C.C.

Monday June 30, 2025 Amie Walker and Darby Ratliff

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's theme is:  

not that this is a test or anything....

20 Across. Place to see some spectacles?: GLASSES CASE.  A bit of misdirection is always fun. Perhaps you were thinking of a spectacular display?  

25 Across. "Abbott Elementary" star: QUINTA BRUNSON.  Congratulations to you if this one was a gimme. It was ESP for me. I checked our archives. Quinta's full name was a themed answer on 10/22/24;  she appeared in a clue on 5/29/25;  and she was mentioned in the write-ups on 10/25/23 and 10/29/24. It is time for me to remember her name. 

42 Across. Coach at a health club: PERSONAL TRAINER.  

You could say that Mr. Miyagi was a
PERSONAL TRAINER for the Karate Kid (1984).

52 Across. Manager who opens up a shop, or an apt description of 20-, 25-, or 42-Across: KEY HOLDER.  I was not familiar with this title. As the clue indicates, it is an employee with added responsibilities, such as arriving early to unlock a business.

Also, the circles spotlight three KEYs of another variety -- computer KEYs. Furthermore, the KEYs are held within the themed answers:  ESC, TAB, and ALT. I liked how our puzzle setter placed all the KEYs so that they span the two word answers. I noticed that these three keys are in the top-to-bottom order that matches my keyboard. I wonder if that was intentional.

Next, we will enter the other clues & answers:

Across:

1. Fashion mag known for quizzes: COSMO.  Magazine is shortened, so is COSMOpolitan. 

6. Dog's foot: PAW.

9. Fan out, as toes: SPLAY.  When dogs lay with their legs SPLAYed, it is called splooting.  

14. Proprietor: OWNER.  OWNERs are usually KEY HOLDERs.

15. Prefix with system: ECO-.

16. Self-assurance: POISE.

17. Media watchdog org. that focuses on queer inclusivity: GLAAD.  This organization was founded on November 14, 1985.  website

18. Big boat that held animal pairs: ARK.  

19. Answers an invite, briefly: RSVPS.

23. Korean car company: KIA.

24. Pizzeria order: PIE.  Dean Martin sang about one in 1953.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza PIE, that's amore.  ♪♪

32. Mom's sister: AUNT.

33. Neckwear worn by Mickey Mouse at Aulani Resort: LEI.  This is a Disney resort on the island of Oahu's leeward side. Their website says aulani means "messenger of a chief".  

34. Ladybug feature: SPOT.  Cute clue! A ladybug's spots are not random. They serve as a deterrent to predators.  more about ladybug's spots

36. Laser tag sound: PEW.

37. Runs at full speed: GALLOPS.  It is surprising how smooth it feels on a horse's back at full gallop.

41. "__ bit confused": I'M A.

45. Digital counterpart: ANALOG.

46. Beat in a hot dog contest, e.g.: OUT EAT.  This answer has four vowels and two T's.

47. Spots for facials: SPAS.

48. Tax season helper: Abbr.: CPA.

51. "__ la vie!": C'EST.  That's life! (French)

55. Opposite of 39-Down: ANTI.     and     39 Down. In favor of: PRO.

58. Major fad: MANIA.  

Beetlemania came to mind.

59. "I so agree with you": AMEN.

63. Vanilla __: BEAN.  It takes 9 months from pollination to bean; 9 months to cure the bean; and 9 months to enhance the flavor in a humidor.

64. Humidor item: CIGAR.  "Vanilla BEAN" did not fit.

65. __ sago: tapioca dessert served hot or cold: TARO.  Google says this is a Cantonese dessert.

66. Karaoke selection: SONG.  Karaoke translates to "empty orchestra" in Japanese.  

67. Came to the surface: AROSE.

68. Dutch semisoft cheese: EDAM.  made in the Netherlands

Down:

1. Gear tooth: COG.

2. Hooting bird: OWL.  I have always been fond of burrowing OWLs. They are less than 10 in. (25.4 cm.) tall and are active during the day. This video was made by someone with a trail camera.  Burrowing Owl Facts

3. Catch (on): SNAG.  It took me a bit to catch on that this was like when your sweater catches on a bench splinter.

4. HelloFresh product: MEAL KIT.  HelloFresh delivers meal components to your house.

5. Confer holy orders upon: ORDAIN.

6. Samosa vegetables: PEAS.  During the fall I stock up on Trader Joe's mini spicy pumpkin samosas; however, those do not have PEAS in them.

7. Land measure: ACRE.

8. Pans that might require special burners: WOKS.

9. Wrist injury: SPRAIN.

10. To have or to hold: POSSESS.  I like this allusion to wedding vows.

11. "I will never __ this down!": LIVE.

12. Nile snake: ASP.

13. "I accept!": YES.

21. Stayed put: SAT.

22. Apple core, for short: CPU.  This apple is a computer with a Central Processing Unit.

25. Largest borough of New York City: QUEENS.  I just needed one perp to guess at this one.  

26. Open, as a present: UNWRAP.

27. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.

28. Bike signal: BELL. I have a bell on all of my bikes. I use them to notify other Rec Trail users that I am about to pass but they are usually too busy looking at their phones to hear me.

29. Barrel of laughs: RIOT.

30. Weighs in: OPINES.

31. Vegetarian restriction: NO MEAT.

32. Dad, in Korean: APPA.  

35. Like sourballs: TART.

37. Canadian honker: GOOSE.  I recently learned about how the Artic Barnacle GOOSE builds its nest on a high cliff then the goslings do a freefall to meet their parents at the bottom. Apparently their bones are soft enough to survive the fall during a 36-72 hour window. This video is bananas!  

Spoiler alert: the chick survives!

38. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.

40. Sriracha, for one: SAUCE.  

43. Satisfying, as thirst: SLAKING.  Def. (verb) (1.) <archaic> Subside; abate.  (2.) crumble.

44. Say over and over: ITERATE.  Is "reiterate" redundant?

48. Seat at the table: CHAIR.  Literally.

49. Father of many, many puppies in "101 Dalmatians": PONGO.  I pulled this one out of the punchbowl!

50. Ms. Marvel, for Kamala Khan: ALIAS.  

Canadian actress Iman Vellani played Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel
 in the 2022 Disney+ series.

53. Org. with a pool, often: YMCA.

54. Truth alternative in a party game: DARE.

55. Crunch muscles: ABS.

56. Prefix with classical: NEO-.

57. Beach vacation souvenir: TAN.  My old boss used to say that a vacation's good vibes fade at the same rate as the TAN.

60. Steamed: MAD.  

61. Notable span: ERA.

62. Snack, cutesily: NOM.  

Here's the grid. We do not usually see vertical symmetry on Mondays.

Two notes before I close:

1. Thanks to RustyBrain for covering for me last week!
2. Please join me in wishing our blogmistress C.C. a very happy birthday!  🎂 

Thursday, June 12, 2025, Amie Walker, Amanda Rafkin

 Theme:  Love Of My Life

LOML and NaomiZ on their recent trip to Spain
checking out the Alcázar in Segovia where
Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon once held sway.

Constructors Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin team up today to give us a pleasant diversion with a puzzling theme.  There are no circles, but we are asked to look at the beginning of each of the starred entries to find a secret message.

17-Across. *Elixirs that stir passion: LOVE POTIONS.

27-Across. *Steinbeck novella featuring George and Lennie: OF MICE AND MEN.

48-Across. *Franchise whose characters have "cutie marks": MY LITTLE PONY.

63-Across. *"Appreciate every moment": LIFE IS SHORT.

62-Down. Romantic initialism spelled out by the starts of the answers to the starred clues: LOML.

I'm glad the ladies told us this was an initialism, because LOML did not look like an English spelling to me!  And I'm glad they said it was romantic, too.  That helped me to guess "Love Of My Life."  When I went online to confirm this solution, I found that according to Yahoo News UK, "The acronym LOML is universally believed to mean 'love of my life'. It is used in messages and comments constantly."  Not only that, but Taylor Swift released a song just last year titled "loml."  Learning new things is good mental exercise, and not a waste of precious brain cells, right?

On to the rest of the things we knew, or didn't:

Across:

1. Fire (up): REV.

4. Sound of an ungentle landing: THUD.

8. Ready to pour: ON TAP.

13. "Little Red Riding Hood" tool: AXE.

I had nightmares about this story for years.

14. Grey __ vodka: GOOSE.

15. Boatload: CARGO.

16. __ reel: GAG.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Fish sauce quality: UMAMI.  Umami is often described as a fifth taste sensation (not salty, sour, bitter, or sweet) that is savory and delicious.  Vague enough?  Oxford Languages says it corresponds to the flavor of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate.  Yum!

21. Takes a turn?: REVOLVES.

22. "Let's kick it up a __": NOTCH.

25. Worn-down pencil: NUB.

26. Jargon suffix: ESE.  Legalese, bureaucratese, journalese, computerese ...

27. [Theme clue]

31. Not post-: PRE.

32. Hindu festival: HOLI.  Holi is a major Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring in India and the blossoming of love. It is colorful!

33. Gave the star treatment to: RATED.  Oh, that kind of star treatment!  

37. Morrison who said, "The function of freedom is to free someone else": TONI.  Spoken at the Barnard College commencement ceremony, 1979.

39. Like cereal sitting in milk: SOGGY.

42. Clip: PACE.  Clip is usually used when speaking of a rapid pace:  a good clip, a fast clip.

43. Compress: SMUSH.  Informal for mash or push.  

45. Warmth: HEAT.

47. Pro's opposite: CON.

48. [Theme clue]

52. Rapper __ Nas X: LIL.  By now you all know him.

Lil Nas X

55. Particle: BIT.

56. Rounds in tourneys: SEMIS.

57. "That was off topic ... ": I DIGRESS.

60. Cultured __: PEARL.

63. [Theme clue]

66. WC: LOO.  WC (water closet) and loo are British terms for toilet or lavatory.

67. Put some chips on the table: ANTED.  Not snacks!  He put some chips (gaming tokens) on the table to play a round of cards.  In other words, he anted (sounds like ANTEED) up.

68. Capitol Hill staffers: AIDES.

69. Cash dispenser: ATM.

70. Wine vessels: CASKS.

71. Some "Modern Family" figures: DADS.

72. Marina __ Rey, California: DEL.  The other end of "the 90" from our place.  Speaking of which, save the 90!  Los Angeles city planners want to repurpose this short freeway by putting apartment buildings and businesses on it.  It's not continually jammed, so it must be ripe for further development.

Down:

1. Italian meat sauce: RAGÙ.  Yes, ragù (with a grave accent, leaning left) is a meat sauce typically served with pasta.  But RAGÚ (with an acute accent, leaning right) is a trademarked brand of bottled pasta sauces.  I counted 25 varieties of RAGÚ on their website, and only one contained meat.  

2. Test: EXAM.

3. List that may include black bean chili and mushroom pot pie: VEGAN MENU.  Traveling in Europe can be challenging for us.  We were happy to find places like Roots & Rolls in Barcelona, Mad Mad Vegan in Madrid, and Wild Food in Granada, where the menus are entirely vegan.

4. All __ well: TOO.  I know all TOO well that vegetarian options are limited in some places!

5. __ lane: HOV.  We can use the High Occupancy Vehicle lane in California if there are two or more people in the car -- or if it's a Clean Air Vehicle with a required decal.  To qualify for a decal, the vehicle must be: 1) 100% electric or hydrogen fuel cell powered, or 2) plug-in hybrid-electric meeting certain standards, or 3) compressed natural gas meeting state and federal emission standards.

6. Tech support caller: USER.

7. Rely (on): DEPEND.

8. National Black Cat Day month: OCTOBER.  Sure, but:

National Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17th.

National Black Cat Day is October 27th.

October is Black Cat Awareness Month.

All of these events are meant to raise support for black cat adoptions and to dispel superstitions.

9. Get just right: NAIL.

10. Treasure stash: TROVE.

11. Nosy neighbor in "WandaVision": AGNES.  WandaVision is a TV miniseries created for Disney+, based on Marvel Comics, featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff (whose alter ego is Scarlet Witch) and Vision.  Nosy neighbor Agnes is secretly a witch herself, and an antagonist.  If we are going to get into complex fictional worlds, I'd rather listen to my granddaughter describe the tribes of dragons in the Wings of Fire books:  SkyWings, IceWings, NightWings, SeaWings, MudWings, SandWings, RainWings, HiveWings, LeafWings, SilkWings ....

12. Entourage: POSSE.

14. Bug: GLITCH.

18. Reproductive cell: OVUM.

20. Pronoun used in mock outrage: MOI.  Made famous by Miss Piggy, it's Frawnche for "Who, ME?"

23. Co. leaders: CEOs.  Company leaders are Chief Executive Officers.

24. Angel hair topper: HALO.  You were thinking ragù, right?  Not that kind of angel hair.

27. Elects (to): OPTS.

28. Gift tag word: FROM.

29. "See ya in the morning!": 'NIGHT.

30. __ trapped: stuck at home because of a tot's sleep schedule: NAP.  The clue defines this very well.  I'm not sure this phrase existed when I had little children, but I may experience the situation with the upcoming grandson.

34. Tex-Mex dish with an edible bowl: TACO SALAD.  I always called the salad in a fried tortilla bowl a tostada, though I'm aware that some skimpy tostadas are built on flat, fried tortillas.  Extremely brief research suggests that the meal in the yummy bowl is actually a TACO SALAD. 

El Pollo Loco calls this a Classic Tostada.  They're on my side!

35. Nobel Prize subj.: ECON.  Also phys., chem., med., lit., and peace.

36. Say no to: DENY.

38. Belief system: ISM.

40. Obtains: GETS.

41. Home of Grace Hopper College: YALE.  Grace Hopper College is a residential college of Yale University, opened in 1933 as one of the original eight undergraduate residential colleges.  It was originally named Calhoun College after US Vice President John C. Calhoun, but renamed in 2017 in honor of computer scientist Grace Murray Hopper.  If you knew this, you just might be a Yalie, AKA Eli.

44. Some Subarus: HYBRIDS.

46. Lures: TEMPTS.

49. "Completely false!": LIES.

50. "Such a shame": IT'S SAD.

51. Food in "Sweeney Todd" and "Waitress": PIE.  In the penny dreadful stories about Sweeney Todd (1846/47), the villainous barber of Fleet Street, Todd kills his customers, and his neighbor bakes their flesh into meat pies, which she sells.  Waitress was a 2015 stage musical and 2023 musical comedy movie, in which a waitress who bakes pies eventually finds a way to leave her abusive husband and run her own business.

52. Lavender kin: LILAC.

53. Tony winner Menzel: IDINA.  Idina Menzel is an American actress and singer. She has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence and powerful mezzo-soprano voice.  Having achieved mainstream success across stage, screen, and music, her accolades include a Tony Award and a Daytime Emmy Award.

Idina Menzel

54. Elevates: LIFTS.

58. __ chic: GEEK. According to Collins English Dictionary, geek chic is a fashion style believed to be characteristic of geeks, including the wearing of heavy-rimmed glasses and T-shirts with humorous slogans.

59. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

61. Repetitive learning method: ROTE.

62. [Theme clue]

64. Out of the ordinary: ODD.

65. Hi-__ graphics: RES.

Here's the grid:

One of the Loves Of My Life is solving the crossword puzzle with all of you here in the Corner ... the bloggers, the commenters, and those who read along.  

So ... was this puzzle a rare PEARL?  Or did it land with a THUD?

NaomiZ