Friday, June 27, 2025, Caroline Hand

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Welcome to the Crossword Corner mixer.  What is a bit out of the ordinary, today, is that, thanks to the imagination of our constructor, Caroline Hand, it is the drinks themselves that are doing the mingling with each other.  Let's start with the reveal:

62 Across:  Cocktails, and what 18-/39-Across and 24-/54-Across literally are?: MIXED DRINKS.  This was a case where the reveal was, indeed, helpful in figuring out what was going on in the grid.  Also, thank you, Caroline, for "pairing up" the drinks.  It certainly made things easier to sort out.  At four places in the puzzle the names of mixed drinks get taken apart and then re-assembled in order to answer the clues:

18 Across:  Innie or outie, in Paris?:  In one regard, a bellybutton reference.  FRENCH NAVEL and 39 Across:  Poor internet service?: FUZZY CONNECTION.  

A Fuzzy Navel and a French Connection get mixed up with each other.

24 Across:  Result of applying bright yellow polish?: LEMON NAIL and 54 Across:  Feature of an old iron roller coaster?: RUSTY DROP.  

A Lemon Drop and a Rusty Nail switch partners.

This is how it all looks in the grid:

... and the rest of the attendees:

Across:

1. Set: PUT.  As in to place something on a table or shelf (or in its place).  See also 13 Down.

4. Very Cherry Twist soda brand: SHASTA.

10. Back up: CLOG.  As in the hairs stuck in the drain are CLOGging up your bathroom sink.

14. Actress de Armas: ANA.

15. Risks: PERILS.  Used as a plural noun.  As in:

16. Robust: HALE.  Free from infirmity or illness.

17. Brief "Blah, blah, blah": ETC.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.

20. Safari roarer: LION.

22. End __ high note: ON A.

23. Viper roll fish: EEL.  This solver had never heard of a Viper Roll but it was easy enough to figure this one out.

27. Garth's co-host: WAYNE.  WAYNE Campbell and Garth Algar.  From the "Saturday Night Live" skit and subsequent films.

Another Bit of A Mash-up

31. Taqueria option: ASADA.  One of today's Spanish lessons.  Grilled.

32. Quaker product: OATMEAL. The clue refers to the cereal company not the religious sect.

34. Type of symmetry: RADIAL.

38. European volcano: ETNA. 

Earlier This Month

44. Samoan capital: APIA.  Four letters three of which are vowels.  A constructor's friend.

45. Good guy: MENSCH.  A bit of Yiddish.  A man of great integrity and honor (a MENSCH)  began earning some extra cash by driving for an app-based ride sharing service. To market his services to people in the community, he made business cards offering rides from the Uber Mensch. He thought that his community was under-served and that he could fill that Nietzsche.

46. Not as warm: STONIER.  A bit of a stretch definition-wise?  COOLER was too short.  

48. Recitations made by students before entering Oxford's Bodleian Library: OATHS.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  From Wiki:  "Before being granted access to the library, new readers are required to agree to a formal declaration. This declaration was traditionally an oral oath, but is now usually made by signing a letter to a similar effect."

53. Picker-upper: TONIC.  Good for what ails ya'.

58. Largest U.S. labor union: NEA.

60. Spanish relative: TIA.  Another of today's Spanish lessons.  Aunt.

61. Like canned olives: OILY.

67. Boxer Laila: ALI.  A frequent visitor as is her father.

68. Lines of praise: ODES.  An Ode To Crosswordese

69. Sweet: DULCET.

70. Alpha preceder: GEN.  As in Gen-x or Gen-z or GEN-alpha which encompasses those born from 2011 - 2024.

71. Rootless plant: MOSS.  As in "A Rolling Stone gathers no MOSS".  See also 25 Down.

Shoulda Kept Rolling

72. Snide looks: SNEERS.

73. Rowing machine, familiarly: ERG.  From Wiki, "The word ERGometer comes from the Greek word ‘ergon’ and ‘metron’. While these might sound more like gladiator names than a way to measure your progress, the word ergon means ‘to work’ and metron means ‘to measure’. So the term ‘ergometer’ means that it measures work."

Down:

1. Dish named for the pan it's cooked in: PAELLA.

2. Lets free: UNTIES.  If 17 Across had been a reference to the Las Vegas Electric Day Carnival (EDC) then this answer would have been UNDIES.

3. Toyota pickup since 1995: TACOMA.

4. Daytime coverage letters: SPF.  Sun Protection Factor.  A sunscreen reference.  We had this one two weeks ago.

5. Wading bird: HERON.  Why does a heron sleep with one leg in the air?  Because if it lifted both legs it would fall over.

6. Big event space: ARENA.

7. Middle East peninsula: SINAI.  Also the name of a famous mountain and a famous hospital.

8. Pampering, for short: TLC.  Tender Loving Care

9. 1970s tennis great: ASHE.  A frequent visitor.

10. Dylan portrayer: CHALAMET.  A more recent visitor.  How does it feel?

11. Head, in Hammersmith: LAV.   British English for toilet.  Hammersmith is a district in West London and a head is what a toilet on a ship is called. 

12. "Viva!" alternative: OLE.  A hearty cheer!

13. Set: GEL.  We also saw this clue and answer combination two Fridays ago.  See also 1 Across.

19. Pond critter: NEWT.  Tiny is a great name for my NEWT - because she is, after all, my NEWT.

21. Show approval: NOD.  In many societies, but not all around the globe.

25. __ a one: NARY.  Nobody.  Not a soul around.

26. Interest-ing offers?: LOANS.  Interesting cluing.  LOANS bear/earn interest.

28. Hairy cryptid: YETI.

29. Second prefix: NANO.  Not second as in the one after the first and before the third.  A measure of time reference.  A NANO-second is equal to one one-billionth of a second.

30. Zip: ELAN.  A bit of a stretch.  Also a bit of misdirection as zip can mean none/nada.

33. Obi-Wan player: ALEC.  In the "Star Wars" movies, ALEC Guinness played Obi-wan Kenobi.

35. Pinnacle: ACME.  We never know if it will be ACME of APEX until we crosscheck.  They, however, know immediately:

36. "Cloud Cuckoo Land" novelist Anthony: DOERR.  New to this solver.

37. Lodge: INN.  The worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at was called The Fiddle.  It was a vile INN.

39. Observe Ramadan: FAST.    FASTing, for an entire month from dawn to sunset requires the abstinence from sex, food, drinking, and smoking.  It occurs roughly around the time of the Vernal Equinox.

40. Doing: UP TO.  As in "What the heck are you UP TO, now?"  No good, probably.

41. Western national park: ZION.

42. Eccentricity: ZANINESS.

43. La __: brand of Asian food products: CHOY.  Jim Henson created their spokesdragon.

47. Summer coffee choice: ICED.

49. Stir: ADO.  Not as in to stir a mixed drink.

50. Emergency room procedure: TRIAGE.  TRIAGE is a process for sorting injured people into groups based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical treatment. Triage is used in hospital emergency rooms, on battlefields, and at disaster sites when limited medical resources must be allocated.

51. Whoop: HOLLER.

52. Agent's activity: SPYING.  Not a Hollywood agent.  Not an agent of change.  One of these:

55. Purposeful: UTILE.  Purposeful/UTILE was not the first connection this solver made.

56. Thereafter: SINCE.  RIP, Brian.

57. Giver's counterpart: TAKER.

59. Goes on to say: ADDS.

62. Former sitcom starring Allison Janney and Anna Faris: MOM.

63. Rite answer?: I DO.  Is that the right answer?

64. Tic-tac-toe side: XES.  X's and O's   Is XES is usually spelled this way?

65. Broadcast: RUN.  As in "what year did (fill in your favorite TV show) RUN?  Definitely a "pre streaming" concept.

66. GPS lines: STS. STreetS   Global Positioning System

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  It's time, now, for this marine mammal to navigate his way back to the office.

_____________________________________

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Caroline Hand

Fifty Shades of Gray.  or maybe just 4 shades today.

17-Across. Extremely good-looking person, slangily: SMOKE SHOW.  I am not familiar with the term Smoke Show to describe an attractive person.  I guess it refers to someone who is so hot they are on fire.

23-Across. Actress who played Rollergirl in "Boogie Nights": HEATHER GRAHAM.

40-Across. Treat that can help a dog with indigestion: CHARCOAL BISCUIT.

53-Across. Online publication founded in 1996 by Michael Kinsley: SLATE MAGAZINE.  Slate is an online magazine that features stories on politics, the arts, and business.

And the unifier:

65-Across. Range between white and black, and where the starts of 17-, 23-, 40-, and 53-Across can be found: GRAY SCALE.  Is it spelled Gray or Grey?  On this side of the Pond (unless you're Canadian), the color generally spelled with an "A".  On the other side of the Pond, the colour is generally spelled with an "E".  An easy way to remember this is in American, use the "A"; in England use the "E".  Hi, CanadianEh!

Across:

1. Sleep outdoors: CAMP.

5. Salad topped with blue cheese and bacon: COBB.  Robert H Cobb is said to have created the Cobb Salad.  It's made with lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, crisp bacon, roasted chicken, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese and a touch of French dressing.

9. __ Sketch: drawing toy: E-TCHA.

14. Spiny succulent: ALOE.  As we learned from yesterday, it's a sunburn soother (See. 2-Down).

You knew I was going to include this cartoon.

15. Major producer of pineapples and bananas: DOLE.  Everything you wanted to know about the Dole Company.

16. Dubbed: NAMED.

19. Peruvian pack animal: LLAMA.

20. Cantina fare: TACOS.

21. Oahu neighbor: KAUAI.

29. Fury: IRE.

30. Quiche need: EGG.

31. __ Jima: IWO.

32. Inquires: ASKS.

36. April 15 agcy.: IRS.  Tax day is coming up soon!

38. Bother terribly: EAT AT.

44. "Access Hollywood" host Lopez: MARIO.  Mario Lopez (b. October 10, 1973) is an actor who has also appeared on Broadway as well as television.

45. Hither and __: YON.

46. Residential units, briefly: APTs.  As in Apartments.

47. Horror movie street: ELM.

48. Mallon in the World Golf Hall of Fame: MEG.  I don't follow golf, so I was not familiar with Meg Mallon (b. Apr. 14, 1963).  She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

51. Sleeping place: BED.

58. __ Island: New England state: RHODE.  Rhode Island is the smallest state in the Union.  Supposedly, the state got it name from the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, who called the island "Roodt Eylandt" (meaning "Red Island") in 1614, referring to the red clay lining the shores of Aquidneck Island, an island in Narragansett Bay.

59. Flatbreads for gyros: PITAS.

62. Belly button type: OUTIE.

68. Monastery member: FRIAR.

69. Jane Austen heroine: EMMA.  Emma is the 1815 novel written by English author Jane Austen (Dec. 16, 1775 ~ July 18, 1817).  It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and is about the relationships among people from a small number of families.  I have never read it.

70. Sledding spot: HILL.

71. Lower leg joint: ANKLE.

72. Proofreader's catch: TYPO.

73. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL.  I always fly El Al when I go to Israel.

 

Down:

1. Performers in a play: CAST.

2. __ mater: ALMA.   Today's Latin lesson.  Alma mater literally means Nourishing Mother, but it is a phrase used to indicate where one went to college.

3. Freeloader: MOOCH.

4. Tea option: PEKOE.  The gradation and classification of tea is very complicated.  Pekoe tea actually refers to a grade of black tea, specifically referring to the size and quality of the leaves, and not a specific flavor or type of tea.

5. LP successors: CDs.  As in a Compact Disc.

6. __ and aah: OOH.

7. British fellow: BLOKE.

8. Word of caution: BEWARE.

9. Makes bigger: ENLARGES.

10. Actress Shire: TALIA.  Talia Rose Shire (b. Apr. 25, 1946) is probably best known for portraying Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series of movies.  She is also the sister of film director Francis Ford Coppola (b. Apr. 7, 1939).

Francis Ford Coppola and Talis Shire

11. Nashville-based awards org.: CMA.  As in the Country Music Association.

12. Skirt edge: HEM.

13. Tooth care org.: ADA.

18. "La Bamba" actor Morales: ESAI.  Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  Did you know that his name, Esai, is a Spanish name that derives from the Hebrew root "Yesha'yahu" (יְשָׁעְיָהוּ), which means "God is salvation"?

22. Brand of fluffy slippers: UGG.  The UGG company began in Australia and got its name because the sheepskin boots are ugly.

24. Group of three: TRIO.

25. Queen of Mount Olympus: HERA.  In Greek mythology, Hera, the goddess of marriage, women, and family, is considered the Queen of Mount Olympus.

26. Seek a loan from: HIT UP.

27. Anticipate: AWAIT.

28. Apple juice brand: MOTT'S.  It's more than just apple juice.

32. Zeniths: ACMES.

33. "__ we dance?": SHALL.

34. Cosmic payback: KARMA.

35. Indian honorific: SRI.

37. __ as a fox: SLY.

39. 2010 health law, for short: ACA.  As in the Affordable Care Act.

41. Summoning words: COME HERE.

42. Tea option: BOBA.  Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese tea drink with chewy tapioca pearls (boba).   The drink is also frequently sweetened and combined with milk or fruit flavorings.

43. Spanish spelling of Agnes: INEZ. 

49. Angsty music genre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

50. Gizmo: GADGET.  A gizmo is defined as any device that gets the job done, but it often means an unknown object. 

52. Hummus and salsa: DIPS.

54. Dry run: TRIAL.

55. Bacteria-ridden: GERMY.

56. For a very specific audience: NICHE.

57. Online sales: E-TAIL.

60. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  Yummers!  Penne alla vodka is a popular pasta dish, made with penne pasta, tossed in a creamy, tomato-based sauce that includes vodka, and sometimes chili flakes and other ingredients.

61. Vend: SELL.

62. Birds __ feather: OF A.

63. Self-serve coffee server: URN.

64. "__ Tok": No. 1 hit for Kesha: TIK.

66. Gear for a roadie: AMP.

67. Basketball star Ming: YAO.  Yao Ming (b. Sept. 12, 1980) played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 until 2011.  He is 7 ft 6 in.  In 2007, he married Ye Li, who, at 6 ft 3 in, is also a former professional basketball player.  She played for the Shanghai Octopus team in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

 

Here's the Grid:

חתולה