Thursday, October 30, 2025, Betsy Ochester, Andrew Gutelle

Theme:  Sonorous cereal.

Today's puzzle appears to be an LA Times debut for both of our constructors.  Welcome and congratulations!  Betsy Ochester writes books for children, including over 100 published puzzle books.  Andrew Gutelle is also a prolific children's author, with puzzle books among his many published titles.  They have collaborated on a few of these books.  Today, their combined efforts bring us a Thursday-level crossword challenge for adults, based on a children's breakfast cereal.

The big reveal is:

51-Across. Breakfast cereal trio, and what 20-, 31-, and 38-Across are: SNAP CRACKLE POP.

Snap, crackle, and pop are the sounds that Rice Krispies cereal is said to make when milk is added.  (They are also the names of the cartoon characters on the box.)  In the other theme answers, snap and pop have different meanings.  Crackle has the same meaning but in a different context.

20-Across. See 51-Across: SIMPLE FASTENER.  This is a SNAP that is not a sound.

31-Across. See 51-Across: FIREPLACE SOUND.  This is a CRACKLE that is a sound.

38-Across. See 51-Across: GRAMMY CATEGORY.  This is a POP that is not a sound ... or is it?  Pop music has a certain sound, but it doesn't go POP!

I like the way the three words in 51-Across provide the clues for the other theme answers.

Let's see what other treats our children's authors have in store for us.

Across:

1. Fennellike herb: ANISE.  Fennel is a plant with an edible bulb, stalks, and fronds.  Anise is a plant of which only the seeds are used.  Both have a flavor like black licorice, but anise is stronger.  

fennel and anise

6. __ Jam Recordings: DEF.  Def Jam Recordings is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in New York City and specializes in hip hop, R&B, soul, and POP music.

9. Talent, informally: CHOPS.  In jazz, a trumpeter's skill depends largely on his mouth or "chops."  The use of the word expanded to mean overall skill in music, and even skill in general.

14. Crow's-feet treatment: BOTOX.  Botox can be injected around the outer corners of the eyes to paralyze the muscles that cause wrinkles to form.  The results last for three or four months, and treatments are supposed to be repeated for maximum benefit.  I am frankly more interested in:

These crow's feet require no Botox.

15. Food label fig.: RDA.  Recommended Dietary Allowance.  An abbreviation in the clue suggests an abbreviation in the answer.

16. Reduce: LOWER.

17. Fell for completely: ATE UP.  As in, they ate up the claims about the benefits of Botox.

18. Investigations: INQUIRIES.  

20. [Theme clue]

22. Anniversary pair?: ENS.  There are a pair of N's in anniversary.

23. Acai bowl grain: OAT.  An acai bowl is meant to be a healthy meal.  Obviously, it includes acai berries (often pureed), which are a kind of palm fruit, and it could include anything else, but is likely to have granola (including oats) and nuts along with other fruits.

Acai bowl

24. Progressive business: Abbr.: INS.  Progressive is an INSurance company.

25. [Shiver]: BRR.

26. "Stop right there!": HALT.

28. Blokes: MEN.

31. [Theme clue]

35. Bear whose porridge was too cold: MAMA.

An illustration from Goldilocks and the Three Bears

36. __-blond: ASH.  A cool toned blond hair color with hints of gray.

37. Miss Piggy, for one: DIVA.  Diva, from the Latin for goddess, was used in the 19th century to describe talented female opera singers revered by the public.  Now it often means a high-maintenance woman who acts as if the world revolves around her.

38. [Theme clue]

43. Possible reason for a TV-MA rating: SEX.  TV-MA means for Mature Audiences.

44. Remove from power: OUST.

45. Two-person card game: WAR.

46. Agcy. created by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974: NRC.  Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

47. Sun, in Seville: SOL.  Sol is Spanish for sun.

48. Texting letters: SMS.  Short Message Service is used to send text messages between mobile devices over cellular networks.

51. [Theme clue]

56. Like unexpectedly lesson-laden moments: TEACHABLE.  A teachable moment is an unplanned situation that can be used to impart a lesson.

57. Zinc __: OXIDE.  Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound used as an additive in numerous products including cosmetics, food supplements, rubbers, plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, lubricants, paints, sunscreens, ointments, adhesives, sealants, pigments, foods, batteries, ferrites, fire retardants, semi conductors, and first-aid tapes. Although it occurs naturally as the mineral zincite, most zinc oxide is produced synthetically.

58. Get clean: BATHE.

59. Charged particle: ION.

60. Solar energy collector: PANEL.

61. Was a straphanger, say: STOOD.  Picture yourself standing on a crowded bus -- hanging onto a strap or similar device placed along the aisle.

This guy is a straphanger.

62. "Called it, didn't I": SEE.  SEE?  I told you.

63. Aroma: SMELL.

Down:

1. Cut down to size: ABASE.

2. Running an errand, say: NOT IN.

3. List details: ITEMS.

4. Italian wedding __: SOUP.  The original name for this southern Italian soup is "minestra maritata" or "married soup" because of the marriage of flavors of meat and greens.  It is not a wedding soup!  The original is said to be a thick, hearty stew.  The American version is a lighter soup with pasta and meatballs.

American "Italian wedding soup"

5. Investigate: EXPLORE.

6. "Catch my __?": DRIFT.

7. "Cimarron" novelist Ferber: EDNA.  Edna Ferber (1885-1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1930; adapted into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), Giant (1952; made into the 1956 film of the same name) and Ice Palace (1958), which also received a film adaptation in 1960.  

Edna Ferber in 1928

8. Helpful pgs.: FAQS.  Websites often include Frequently Asked Questions pages.

9. Customers: CLIENTS.

10. Traffic signals?: HORNS.  An automobile horn can indeed be a signal used in traffic.  Move it, buddy!  If your mind wanders while waiting at a red light, someone behind you is sure to remind you.  My father, of blessed memory, used to call that an audible traffic signal.

11. Toddler's scrape: OWIE.

12. __ review: PEER.

13. Graduating gp.: SRS.  A graduating group is a bunch of seniors.

19. Practical: UTILE.  Useful, effective, expedient, helpful, serviceable, utilitarian, etc.

21. O.K. Corral surname: EARP.  On October 26, 1881, there was a gunfight near the O.K. corral in Tombstone, Arizona.  Three brothers, Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan Earp, as marshals of the law, were attempting to disarm five outlaws, to enforce an ordinance prohibiting the carrying of weapons in town.  Three of the five outlaws died in the shoot out, and the conflict between the Earps and the outlaws continued.

Wyatt Earp

25. "The Lair of the White Worm" novelist Stoker: BRAM.  Abraham Stoker (1847-1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist. Stoker wrote a dozen horror and mystery novels, including The Jewel of Seven Stars, The Lair of the White Worm, and The Mystery of the Sea, but his reputation as one of the greatest writers of horror fiction is based on his novel Dracula.

Bram Stoker

26. Lays into: HAS AT.

27. Vier plus vier: ACHT.  Vier plus vier ist acht.  Four plus four is eight in German.

28. "ABC World News Tonight" anchor David: MUIR.  David Muir is an American journalist and anchor for ABC World News Tonight and co-anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20.  He has reported from all over the world, won multiple Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards, and last year won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.  ABC World News Tonight has been the most watched newscast in the United States since 2015.

David Muir

29. One of the seven deadly sins: ENVY.  According to the Catholic Church, the seven deadly sins are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth.  We only had room for envy or lust today.

30. Confidentiality doc: NDA.  A non-disclosure agreement is a document in which one agrees not to divulge confidential information.

31. Subway fee: FARE.

32. Big name in movies: IMAX.  IMAX is a system of cameras, film formats, projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens.  Due to the expense of building and maintaining special IMAX theaters, IMAX has been modified to be viewed in existing multiplex theaters.

33. French bodies of water: LACS.  Lac is French for lake.

34. Aroma: ODOR.

35. Some British sports cars: MGS.  MG Motor is a British automotive brand dating back to the 1920s.  Since 2005, it has been owned by first one, and then another, Chinese state-owned manufacturer.  Most of the current models look very much like every other brand's SUVs, including electric and hybrid options, but they still make "performance" vehicles:

MG Cyberster -- an all-electric roadster

39. Shape-shifted: MORPHED.

40. Flowering desert plant with swordlike leaves: YUCCA.

41. Furry critter who lives on Endor: EWOK.  Ewoks were introduced in the 1983 movie Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.  They have since starred in two made-for-TV movies, The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).  Ewoks live on the fictional forest moon of Endor in primitive dwellings, but in spite of their humble circumstances, they deal a decisive blow to the technologically advanced Empire.

an Ewok

42. Runs fast: GALLOPS.

46. __ chips: NACHO.  Nachos are tortilla chips topped with cheese and salsa.  Those flavors have been incorporated into snacks like Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips.

47. Embarrassing public display: SCENE.

48. Porcupine quill: SPINE.  Contrary to popular belief, porcupines cannot shoot or eject their quills at will.  Any person or creature full of porcupine quills has foolishly touched a porcupine.

North American porcupine

49. Walk the runway: MODEL.

50. Write some letters: SPELL.

51. Stock exchange membership: SEAT.

52. Org. with an alphabet: NATO.  We should all memorize this alphabet for clarifying spellings to telephone representatives.

53. Grand slam quartet, briefly: RBIS.  In baseball, if the batter hits a home run with the bases loaded, four runs will be scored, and the batter will be credited with a "quartet" of Runs Batted In.

54. Flowering desert plant with fleshy leaves: ALOE.

55. Prep course target: EXAM.  A prep course is one that prepares the student for a particular exam.

56. "Dinner and a Movie" airer: TBS.  Dinner and a Movie is a cooking show that aired on TBS from 1995 to 2011 and returned in 2024.  Each episode includes a movie and the preparation of a dinner to go with its theme.

Here's the grid:

As usual, I have INQUIRIES for our readers.

Did you have the CHOPS to complete today's puzzle?

Or did you call a HALT to the solving at some point?

Don't be shy!  Have your say in the comments.

-- NaomiZ