Monday May 5, 2025 Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

  

¡Hola todos! sumdaze here with a calendar-appropriate puzzle -- just not the holiday I was expecting. No worries. We can pivot. Put down your sombrero and margarita. Instead, don your fascinator and mix up a mint julep.

Theme:         

Kevin and Andrea have teamed up to bring us three themers plus a reveal. You can read about Andrea on her Wikipedia page. 

I hear the bugler's call to post. It's time to check out the main contenders:

20 Across. Offerings at some cocktail parties: WINE AND CHEESE.  

Awkward!

27 Across. Improvement that may be based on psychology instead of medicine: PLACEBO EFFECT.  NIH.gov article

44 Across. Accessory that may coordinate with bath mats: SHOWER CURTAIN.  

I call clear ones show-er curtains.

Here is the unifier:

50 Across. First leg of the Triple Crown, whose levels of success can be found in this puzzle's circled letters: KENTUCKY DERBY.

The 151st KENTUCKY DERBY took place this past Saturday. (I hope to have this blog in the can before the race begins so I have no news of the results.) It is a 1¼ mi. (2 km.) race in Louisville, KY. The other two races in the Triple Crown are:

• Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, MD  ~  May 17, 2025  ~  1+3/16 mi. (1.88 km.)
• Bellmont Stakes in Elmont, NY  ~  June 7, 2025  ~  1½ mi. (2.4 km.)

Gamblers can bet to WIN (collect if their horse comes in first), to PLACE (collect if their horse comes in first or second), or to SHOW (collect if their horse comes in first, second, or third). These are the "levels of success" found in this puzzle's winner's circles. (See what I did there?)

And we're off!

Across:

1. Flat floaters in a pool: RAFTS.  

6. "Fuhgeddaboudit!": NOPE.  I hear this in TV shows about New Yorkers. It is a slur of "Forget about it" as in "Let go of that idea. It's not going to happen."

10. Small amounts of face cream: DABS.

14. Assign portions: ALLOT.

15. Visa competitor, informally: AMEX.  credit card companies

16. Mallorca, por ejemplo: ISLA.  The Spanish in the clue hints to a Spanish answer.

I recently finished listening to Coffee Break Spanish Season 4. It is comprised of 40 podcasts telling a story set on the island of Mallorca, Spain. Now I want to go there!  Here is Episode 1  

17. Savanna hunter known for its laugh: HYENA.  Not to be confused with hunters from Savannah, GA:  

18. Spinner on a roof: VANE.  

Look at the direction letters.

19. Canned Hormel product: SPAM.

23. "How ya doin'?": S'UP.  "What'S UP?" Both the clue and answer use non-standard English.

25. Prez after JFK: LBJ.  Both the clue and answer use abbreviations.

26. Just that single time: ONCE.

32. Follow as a result: ENSUE.  

33. Need to and from the dog park: LEASH.  Dog owners need a LEASH to walk their dog to and from the dog park but the dog can be unLEASHed while in the dog park.  

Meadow at her favorite Colorado dog park.

34. Lightbulb unit: WATT.  Watch this 2 min. video before you buy your next lightbulb.  

35. Apple beverage: CIDER.  Did you think this was a hard clue?

37. All excited: AGOG.  I rarely go to Starbucks but I was there in January with a friend. I pulled out an old Starbucks card from my wallet to pay. Apparently the cards are now made from paper but mine was plastic and still had a few dollars on it. The barista was AGOG that I still had an unused plastic card. She advised me to hang on to it.

41. Copy using very thin paper: TRACE.  

Teenager me used to do this a lot.

43. Jumper cable connection: ANODE.  

47. Mountaintop: PEAK.  16-A has me thinking about Mallorca.  

Puig Major is the highest peak on the Spanish island of Majorca
elev. 4,711 ft. / 1,436 m.
There is a radar station at the top.

48. BofA convenience: ATM.  BofA = Bank of America

49. Explosive material: TNT.  

Muddy Waters   ~   I'm Ready   ~   1954

🎵 I'm drinkin' TNT, I'm smokin' dynomite

I hope some screwball starts a fight  🎵

55. Post-WWII transnational gp.: NATO.

56. Bygone Apple player: iPOD.  I wish Apple still made these.

57. Wed in secret: ELOPE.  

It's a melon-choly story.

60. Beige kin: ECRU.  Both are tan-ish colors.

61. Spelling of "BH90210": TORI.  BH90210 refers to Beverly Hills, 90210, a teen drama series that ran from 1990 to 2000. The friends hung out at the 47-D Pit. Tori's father, Aaron Spelling was the producer. In XWD puzzles, I often mix up Tori Spelling with singer Tori Amos...and sometimes with 4-D.

62. Coffee shop freebie: SUGAR.  Is the SUGAR free or are unsweetened beverages overpriced?

63. One of the five W's of journalism: WHAT.  

64. Pentathlon blade: ÉPÉE.  The modern Olympic pentathlon sports are fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running.

65. Fantasy league deal: TRADE.  Fantasy sport leagues allow participants to assemble imaginary teams composed of real players of a professional sport. These teams compete based on the statistical performance of those players in real games. Owners can make a deal to TRADE players.

Down:

1. "Go team!": RAH.  

2. Gymnastics gold medalist Raisman: ALY.  [b. May 24, 1994]

2016 Summer Olympics

3. Was over in no time: FLEW PAST.  

Pongo says it's time for his walk.

4. "Breathe Again" singer Braxton: TONI.

5. Comics legend who co-created Spider-Man and the X-Men: STAN LEE.  [Stanley Martin Lieber 1922-2018]  Like Issa Rae, we usually see either STAN or LEE so it was fun to get both of his names today.

6. Language of WWII code talkers: NAVAJO.  

This was an excellent book.

7. Persian Gulf sultanate: OMAN.  

8. Hang in the balance: PEND.  Think:  "The matter was still PENDing when he left."

9. CFO or VP: EXEC.  Chief Financial Officer / Vice President / Executive

10. Turn off, in a way: DISENCHANT.  Def.:  (verb) to free from illusion.

11. Characteristic: ASPECT.

12. Supremely unconcerned: BLASÉ.

13. "I think so too!": SAME.

21. Go out, as the tide: EBB.

22. Weeding tools: HOES.

23. Gush forth: SPEW.  This interesting table organizes information on the world's geysers. It says that 51.9% are located in Yellowstone.

24. Funny bone neighbor: ULNA.  This 1:27 min. video explains what happens when we hit our funny bones.  

28. "Stop it!": CUT THAT OUT.  Pro tip:  Stop the tomfoolery when you hear your mom's feet coming down the hallway. Don't wait for her to enter the room.

29. Respected tribal member: ELDER.

30. Overdue fine, e.g.: FEE.

31. A long way away: FAR.

35. Crow's cry: CAW.

36. Cooler cubes: ICE.  

38. Exercise with barnyard animals: GOAT YOGA.  Has anyone tried this? I have not.  

39. Creator of Norse mythology?: ODIN.

40. Polite fellow: GENT.

42. Streaming option: ROKU.  We had this one last week.

43. Spot frequently shared by flyers: ARM REST.  "Shared" might be an exaggeration as in this 40 sec. comedic video:  

44. Nissan sedan: SENTRA.

45. Golfer's helper: CADDIE.  This 1:45 scene from the 1980 movie Caddyshack gives another meaning to the 1-A clue.  Yes, it is beyond sophomoric but I love Bill Murray at the end.

46. Sport-__: off-road auto: UTE.  utility

47. Bellini fruit: PEACH.  

recipe

50. Was in the loop: KNEW.  

51. Quote from, as a legal case: CITE.

52. BTS music genre: K-POP.  Did anyone else listen to WWDTM recently when they asked actor Brian Tyree Henry about the Korean Pop group, BTS? BTH guessed well and won the quiz but it was apparent he does not do XWD puzzles. If he did, he would be familiar with BTS -- like we are.  😏

53. Days of knights: YORE.  This was my favorite clue today.

54. Hazy memory: BLUR.  Here's a song about hazy thoughts:  

Jimi Hendrix   ~   Purple Haze   ~   1967

58. Word after mattress or mouse: PAD.  

mattress PAD, mouse PAD, and helicopter landing PAD

59. Before, to Byron: ERE.  Good clue! Lord Byron [1788-1824] was an English poet and ERE is an old-fashioned, poetic word meaning before.

The grid:  

Time to collect your winnings. Have a good week everyone!

Monday December 6, 2021 Kevin Christian & Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: 62. "C'mon, get serious!" ... and an admonition evidently ignored by the starts of the answers to starred clues: DON'T BE SILLY. - The first part of each theme entry can follow "Silly".

  

17. *Cage for a bunny: RABBIT HUTCH. Silly Rabbit.

26. *Tool for filling in holes in the wall: PUTTY KNIFE. Silly Putty.

40. *Bow users' musical ensemble: STRING ORCHESTRA. Silly String

49. *Skin response to fear or cold: GOOSEFLESH. Silly goose.

Boomer here.  

Silly Rabbit - Trix are for kids.  Who has never had that little egg with Silly Putty in it, and copied a comic?  Silly String comes in a spray can.  Careful - do not spray on your hair.  And my friend Andrea is a silly goose from Minnesota.  Hello!!

Boomer, C.C., Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels

May 26, 2021

Across:

1. Mexican dip: SALSA.

6. Kitten-lifting spot: NAPE.  I am pretty sure that those cats don't like it, but they have no choice.

10. "Notorious" Supreme Court justice, initially: RBG.  We lost Ruth a little over a year ago.

13. Gold miner's staked-out land: CLAIM.  I have a claim on my backyard, but all I found is dirt and grass.

14. Polishes, as text: EDITS.  I am polishing this blog right now.  Hope I don't screw it up.

16. Botch the job, say: ERR.  "To ERR is human", unless you're a shortstop.

19. Actress Zadora: PIA.

20. Moody music genre: EMO.

21. __ Grey tea: EARL.  "As I, walk through this world, Nothing can stop the Duke of EARL."

22. Wasn't feeling well: AILED.

24. Early bird's reward: WORM.  I am not that early.  I settle for Wheat Chex.

29. Blackjack card: ACE.  Get a face card and you win!

31. "Superman"' actor Christopher: REEVE.  

32. Hooded snake: COBRA.

35. Final Four org.: NCAA.  A big hit for Basketball fans, and office "Pick Winners", which I never won.

37. Dutch cheese town: EDAM.

43. "The jig __": IS UP.  My golf scores are UP, bowling scores are Down.

44. Double-reed wind: OBOE.

45. Trio in H2O: ATOMS. Three atoms.  Two Hydrogen and one Oxygen and you're all wet.

46. Barnes' bookselling partner: NOBLE.  We have stopped there many times.  They have the Beckett baseball card price guide plus Sudoku.  They also have a coffee bar but I don't pay their price for coffee.

48. Italian three: TRE.

53. Applies with a Q-tip: DABS.  "A little one will do ya" (Brylcreem commercial).

57. Finance whiz Suze: ORMAN.  We do not do much with financial planners.  Sometimes I watch CNBC but you just cannot predict the tricky DOW.

58. Christmas song: NOEL.  "The first NOEL, the Angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay".  (19 days and counting,)

60. Rapper __ Kim: LIL.

61. Oral health initials: ADA.

66. Part of mph: PER.  OR Price per Gallon.  It's about $3.10 in Minnesota but I have heard we are lower then most USA states at this time.

67. Promised to tell the truth: SWORE.  Or hit a bad golf shot, or leave a split.  (#@!&%#@)

68. "There's no such thing as a free lunch," e.g.: ADAGE.  This has been a LONG Medicare Ad AGE.  Hopefully it ends on Wednesday.

69. Hosp. triage areas: ERS.  My first trip to the VA emergency room was for pain I could not take anymore.  Then the bad news - three years ago.  The "C" word.

70. Still-life subject: EWER. "It's a still life water color, of a now-late afternoon .. . and we sit and drink our coffee".  Dangling Conversation. Simon and Garfunkel.

71. Printer supply: TONER.

Down:

1. Carpenter's fastener: SCREW.

2. Mission to remember: ALAMO.  "High up, Santa Ana, We're killing your soldiers below.  So the rest of Texas will know --- And remember the ALAMO."

3. Materials partner on a repair bill: LABOR.

4. Member of the fam: SIB.

5. Gallic girlfriend: AMIE.

6. Indira Gandhi's father: NEHRU.  Also a funny looking jacket that I never wore.

7. Grownup: ADULT.  Classification for some Movies that I never went to.

8. Racetrack stop: PIT.  Wow -- can those guys ever change tires in seconds!

9. And so on, briefly: ETC.

10. Answered, as an email: REPLIED TO.  Easier than answering regular mail.

11. Lawyer's filing: BRIEF.  Yes but they are hardly ever BRIEF.

12. Student's mark: GRADE.  My High School always gave numerical grades.  100 was great - 70 was passing.  Below 70 was trouble.  

15. Ice cream drink: SHAKE.  Used to be 20 cents at McDonald's in the 1960s.  Now I cannot afford them any more.

18. Scotch or masking: TAPE.  I like the Curad stuff to strengthen my bowling hand.

23. Played the market: INVESTED.  Believe me, it is NOT playing.  However sometimes I PLAY Craps. About the same results. 

25. California county that contains parts of Yosemite National Park: MARIPOSA.

27. Copy on transparent paper: TRACE.

28. "You betcha!": YEAH.

30. Recycle bin item: CAN.  We recycle so much paper that there is hardly room for CANS.

32. CBS forensic series: CSI.

33. NFL tiebreakers: OTS.  I sat through a few of these this year.   

34. Multiple Grammy winner featured on "Uptown Funk": BRUNO MARS.

35. Prize since 1901: NOBEL.

36. __-Magnon: CRO.  This was not the best looking guy to maybe put on a coin.

38. Vaccination spot: ARM.  C.C. was sore for a day or two.  I did not have any side effects but I wish people would Knuckle down and get their shots.  Last week we had an Omicron case here in Minn.

39. More, in Madrid: MAS.

41. Game with putting: GOLF.  Of course our courses are closed for the season, but our fall is lasting a long time. No complaints. We had a day of 52 degrees with a bit of rain.  No kidding and no snow!

42. Lend an __: listen: EAR.  What? Huh?  You talkin' to me?

47. Is flexible: BENDS.

48. You, biblically: THEE.  "America, America, God shed his grace on THEE!"

49. Flip out: GO APE.

50. Trial judge's demand: ORDER.  I think I have most of the "LAW and ORDER" episodes memorized.

51. Between, in French: ENTRE.

52. Like a designated driver: SOBER.  Like me forever.

54. Poe's middle name: ALLAN.  Edgar.

55. Ship's hull region: BILGE.  These must be most of those parked in the Pacific Ocean that have Christmas gifts on them.

56. More cunning: SLYER.

59. Aspiring DA's exam: LSAT.

63. Be obligated to: OWE.  "I OWE- I OWE, so off to work I go"

64. "Don't delay!": NOW.

65. Pre-marital (just barely) promise: I DO.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 84th birthday to Lucina! Lucina used to travel to CA regularly and met up with our California blog regulars JD, Chickie, Clear Ayes and Garlic Gal. Sadly both Dodo and Clear Ayes have passed away. JD, Chickie and Garlic Gal are still in close contact.

L-R back row: Chickie, Clear Ayes, Garlic Gal
   Front: JD, Lucina, Dodo (June 23, 2011)

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 Michael Wiesenberg and Andrea Carla Michaels

Chopped Salad with Sliced Veggies.  The letters in the circle spell out a vegetable that is "sliced".  I'm not sure I would consider "slicing" maize, but the word itself is sliced in half.

20-Across. December holiday mailing: CHRISTMAS CARD.  CHARD.

28-Across. Orca: KILLER WHALE.  KALE

46-Across. Significant other: MAIN SQUEEZE.  MAIZE.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Salad crudités ... and a hint to each row of circled letters:  SLICED VEGGIES.

Across:

1. "__: Ragnarok": 2017 superhero film: THOR.  I just learned from watching the sit-com Ghosts, that the word Ragnarok basically is interpreted to mean the "final destruction of the world."

5. Mob boss: CAPO.

9. Popular pudding brand: JELL-O.  If you want to know more about Jell-O and its various products, you can visit the Jell-O Museum in Le Roy, New York.

14. Fit for harvesting: RIPE.

15. Six-sided state: UTAH.

16. Be of use to: AVAIL.

17. Suitable for all __: game rating: AGES.

18. Actress Petty: LORI.  Lori Petty (b. Oct. 14, 1963) was in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, and more recently in the Netflix show Orange is the New Black.

19. Event site: VENUE.

23. "__ do it": "Sorry": I CAN'T.

24. Arthur with two Emmys and a Tony: BEA.  Be Arthur (née Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009), makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She also served as a Staff Sergeant in the Marines.

25. CO winter hrs.: MST.  As in Mountain Standard Time.

33. Indian music style adopted by the Beatles: RAGA.

37. "All in favor" vote: AYE.  //  And 30-Down. Bleaching agent: LYE.  I liked how these two rhyming words crossed.

38. Undercover cops may wear them: WIRES.  Did anyone watch The Wire?  We binged on this show during the Covid shutdown.

39. Flowerlike sea creature: ANEMONE.  They are beautiful creatures.

41. Airport kiosk printout: E-TICKET.  They are convenient when they are working properly.

43. Prefix with state or net: INTER-.  As in Interstate and Internet, both of which I seem to use daily.

44. __ Kippur: YOM.  Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement in Judaism.  Yom means "day" in Hebrew.  Kippur is translated to mean "Atonement", however, there is actually no literal translation to this Hebrew word.

45. Former fast fliers: Abbr.: SSTs.  We used to see these SuperSonic Transports in the crossword puzzles on a frequent basis.

50. Overnight option: INN.

51. Pence and Harris: Abbr.: VPs.  Mike Pence (né Michael Richard Pence; b. June 7, 1959) is the IPVP  (Immediate Past Vice President) and Kamala Harris (née Kamala Devi Harris; Oct. 20, 1964) is the current Vice President.  Enough said.

52. Letter after beta: GAMMA.

62. "Piece of cake," e.g.: IDIOM.

64. Diner sign element: NEON.

65. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  That's Sir Alec, to you.  Alec Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000) was a great stage actor, but most of us recognize him as Obi Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars movies.

66. Patient no longer: FED UP.  I am Fed Up with FedEx!  Packages are delayed, and when they are delivered, the packages are all dented and partially ripped open.

67. Tyne of "Judging Amy": DALY.  Tyne Daly (née Ellen Tyne Daly; b. Feb. 21, 1946) asp stared in Cagney & Lacey.  Her brother is actor Tim Daly (né James Timothy Daly; Mar. 1, 1956).

68. Fascinated by: INTO.

69. Luge vehicles: SLEDS.

70. Mex. miss: SRTA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

71. Tree house: NEST.

Down:

1. "Baywatch" actress Bingham: TRACI.  I never watched Baywatch and I don't recognize Traci Bingham (b. Jan. 13, 1968).

2. Note for a soprano: HIGH-C.  //  Not to be confused with 32-Down. Minute Maid drinks: HI-Cs.

3. Rossini work: OPERA.  Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792 ~ Nov. 13, 1868) wrote nearly 40 operas before he was 40 years old.

4. Varnish component: RESIN.

5. Like many midnight movies: CULT.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a classic cult film.

6. Quark place: ATOM.

7. Sunday school story: PARABLE.

8. "Yes, it's clear now": OH, I SEE!

9. Morning cup: JAVA.  Hi, Java Mama!

10. At any point: EVER.

11. Big Ben and the Golden Gate Bridge, e.g.: LANDMARKS.  How many world landmarks have you seen from this list?

12. Greater N.Y. school: LIU.  As in Long Island University.

13. Bullring "Bravo!": ¡OLÉ!  More of today's Spanish lesson.

21. NASDAQ buy: STK.    As in Stocks.

22. Jeep or Jetta: CAR.

26. Dangerous precipitation: SLEET.

27. What the doctor ordered: TESTS.

29. Golf commentator __ Baker-Finch: IAN.  Ian Baker-Finch (b. Oct. 24, 1960) is an Australian golfer and sports commentator.

31. 1910s conflict, briefly: WWI.  World War I lasted from July 28, 1914 until November 11, 1918.

33. Spider-Man films director: RAIMI.  Sam Raimi (né Samuel Raimi; b. Oct. 23, 1959) has been directing films since the late 1970s.

34. Kofi of the U.N.: ANNAN.  Kofi Annan (Apr. 8, 1938 ~ Aug. 18, 2018) served as the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations, from January 1997 through December 2006.

35. Pick a lock, say: GET INSIDE.  Hmm... So it's not a crime?

36. "__ to that!": AMEN.

40. Surg. areas: ORs.  As in Operating Rooms.

41. Want-ad letters: EOE.  As in Equal Opportunity Employer.

42. Harvey Levin's online tabloid: TMZ.  Who knew?

44. Sighed agreement: YES, DEAR.

47. Home shopper's channel: QVC.  Quality Value Convenience.

48. Flips: UPENDS.

49. Silly Putty holder: EGG.

53. "Let's take it from the top": AGAIN.

54. Pooh creator: MILNE.  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) write the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.  The backstory.

55. Runs into: MEETS.

56. Knotted neckwear: ASCOT.  This neckwear is becoming a crossword staple.

58. Overly bright, fashionwise: LOUD.

It's just wrong!

59. Rascals: IMPS.

60. Battery unit: VOLT.

61. Irish New Ager: ENYA.  Enya (b. May 17, 1961) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Her given name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, so you can see why she goes by Enya.

62. They aren't sure things: IFs.  If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I will go for a run.  NOT!

63. Ctrl-Alt-__: DEL.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה