Friday, April 11, 2025 - Zachary Edward-Brown

  Theme: "ALL righty then ..."

Puzzling thoughts:

Today's Friday offering from Zachary Edward-Brown (who, after doing some research, appears to be a newbie constructor - having had published puzzles this year in both Universal and AV Club) features the type of puzzle that our Irish Miss 🍀loves almost as much as she does a puzzle that contains a plethora of three-letter words, abbreviations, and uncommon names:  the add/subtract a word/letter with corny clues 😜

Ok, that being said ... let's look at the "good", the "bad", and the "so-so" that Zachary provided us today:

As my theme heading suggests, the word ALL appears once in three of the across entries and twice in another.  We'll get to that in a Moe-ment ... 

As the reveal in 53-down. states: "Bold poker play, and an apt title for this puzzle:" ALL IN is the bold move Zachary uses to change the meaning of the entry phrases.  How?  Let's check out the entries:

18-across. Performance in which dancers avoid center stage?: SIDE BALLET.  In this example, the word all changes the familiar term side bet to fit the clue.  A side bet is usually one made at a Texas Hold'em table after one of the players goes "all in".  A side bet can be made by the remaining players who have called the "all in" bet, and that wager does not affect the outcome of the other

31-across. Fearlessness shared by characters such as Rocky and Rambo?: HEART OF STALLONE. By far, my favorite of the entries.  Perhaps my all-time favorite add/subtract clue/answer.  Well done Zachary! How about a little Rolling Stones "Heart of Stone" to bring this one home?

40-across. Decide it's time to harvest oniony bulbs?: CALL THE SHALLOTS.  This entry is the outlier as it has the word ALL in two places of the answer: after the first letter (Call) and word of the phrase, and again in the word shallots.  "Call the shots" is the phrase that's being punned, and in keeping with what appears to be a gambling theme (the reveal is a poker term, as is the first entry), this phrase, too, can be used in various forms of wagering.  Have you ever played "HORSE" in basketball?

58-across. Vehicle built for Yao Ming and Shaq?: TALL-MOBILE.  And then this entry threw all of the monkey wrenches into the mix, as the word, minus the "all", T-Mobile, has nothing to do with gambling.  It is a wireless phone carrier service and internet provider ... although some users of that provider might say that you're "gambling" with getting good coverage

So, the good: HEART OF STALLONE (as well as the phrase "SNAIL MAIL" and the word "HOLYOKE")

The bad: TALL-MOBILE (as well as the entries of "HTC", "EEL POT", "T-BEAM", "ODOR EATER" and "E-BOAT") 

The so-so:  SIDE BALLET (that phrase just doesn't make any sense) and CALL THE SHALLOTS (due to its use of the word "all" twice) as well as the entries: "IMAGO" "A LOT" "ESAU", "ABC NEWS", and "BEEP" (as clued)

Overall rating for this one: ⭐⭐ and 1/2⭐

Perhaps one of the clued entries that was left on the cutting room floor:

00-across.  Convention activity for clowns that involves creating blown-up animals from colorful latex?: BALLOONDOGGLE

Here is the grid ... 

Across:

1. "Casablanca" role: ILSA.  Some SparkNotes for ILSA Lund

5. Postop therapy: REHAB. 

10. Sound from R2-D2: BEEP.  meh

14. Family nickname: NANA.  My maternal grandparents were called "NANA and Gramps"

15. Insect stage: IMAGO.

  

IMAGO = The adult stage

16. Syllables repeated in Rihanna's "Umbrella": ELLA.  Fast forward the video to the 1:20 mark to find the refrain that repeats the syllables, ella ella eh eh eh 

17. Place for Jazz players to practice: UTAH.  Utah Jazz basketball team (NBA)

[entry #1]

20. Take to the hills?: SKI.  Something my fellow Friday co-blogger, Malodorous Manatee, has done often this past ski season

21. Like supernovas: HOT.  Hot?  Ya think?

Literally, an exploding star

22. Some flight destinations: ATTICS.  Not a fan of the plural use of the word attic, but the clue was very clever

23. Underwater trap: EEL POT. Moe-ku #1

        Underwater trap

        Set by narcs had effect. Caught

        Users of eel pot

25. Digging: INTO.  

27. Pig's place: STY.

28. Needs to: MUST.  As opposed to "wants to" --- and its somewhat related clue/answer from 25-down:  Refuses to bargain: INSISTS.  

29. Holiday melodies: NOELS.  Some biblical history on the use and meaning of the word Noel

[entry #2]

37. Voyage: TRIP.  

38. Flair who was the first wrestler to complete the WCW's Triple Crown: RIC.

 

Also known as, "The Nature Boy"

39. Noisy commotions: ADOS.

[entry #3]

45. WWII craft: E-BOAT.  German "fast attack craft" known as Schnellboot.  The British donned it "E"-Boat with the "E" standing for enemy

Schnellboot

46. Oaf: BOOR.  I tried "clod" until I knew it wasn't correct

47. Dockworker's gp.: ILA.

50. Part of BPOE: ELKS.

51. Purchase that's worth a shot: CAMERA.  I really wanted the word here to be "whisky"

54. Amount after deductions: NET PAY.  Moe-ku #2:

        Trapeze artist earned

        Full salary, 'til he fell.

        Then, he got net pay

56. "Your point being?": AND.

57. Feel sick: AIL.

[entry #4]

61. Etc. kin: ET. AL.  Fun Faux Fact:  the abbreviation et. al. really stands for (Extraterrestrial Aliens)

62. Biblical twin of Jacob: ESAU. Moe-ku #3

        Jacob and his twin

        Discovered the first fulcrum:

        Called Esau's seesaw

63. "Bam!": KAPOW.

64. Alien-seeking org.: SETI.  Fun Fact:  This doesn't mean: Seeking English Translators Intergalactically 

65. Suffix that means "without": LESS.  Moe-ku #4:

        Crossword puzzle came

        With just a grid; nothing else.

        Left us all clueless

 
66. Les __-Unis: ETATS. Mandatory foreign phrase entry

67. Prefix in some juice names: CRAN.  

Down:

1. Unavailable: IN USE. As opposed to this:

Not in use

2. Potato pancake: LATKE. Not to be confused with:

Any "Taxi" fans out here??

3. Delivery for those who haven't gone paperless: SNAIL MAIL.

4. Spa sigh: AAH.  If you didn't look carefully, you might have thought the clue said: "Spa sign"

5. Starchy dish that requires attentive stirring: RISOTTO. How to be a risotto master:

6. Radiate: EMIT.

7. Bore: HAD.  Took me a while to suss this ... think of birthing a child, and now re-read the clue and entry ... 

8. Grow old: AGE.  

9. Bubbly drink?: BOBA TEA.  In this case, I think the word "bubbly" should have been in quotes, and the clue does not include a question mark. The "bubbles" in boba tea refer to tapioca beads, not CO²

11. "Black-ish" star Tracee __ Ross: ELLIS.  This person.  To be perfectly honest, I have never seen this actor in any of her movies and/or television series

12. Put in office: ELECT.

13. Gullible one: PATSY.

19. Bikini, for one: ATOLL.  Here is some interesting history regarding the atoll called Bikini

21. Emcee: HOST.

24. Color of Fear in the "Inside Out" films: PURPLE.  This one solved via perps, but I have seen this animated short from Pixar.  Just didn't recall that the Color of Fear was purple

26. "Take it down a __, please": NOTCH. "It's creepin' a bit"

30. Super G event, e.g.: SLALOM.  

31. Taiwanese electronics co.: HTC.  High Tech Computer corporation

32. Cy Young stat: ERA.  All of Cy Young's stat's

33. "Let your __ flag fly": FREAK. An idiomatic phrase that refers to being singular and expressive

34. Shoe insert: ODOR EATER.  A lot of us carp about certain words or phrases in crossword puzzles being erroneously pluralized; but in this case, I've never heard of the branded name product used to mask the smell in one's shoes called by its singular ... they're always referred to as "Odor-Eaters"

35. "Psych!": NOT.  For those who are not into either internet jargon nor youthful slang:

36. Start of spring: ESS. The letter ess is also the start of start

41. Construction girder: T-BEAM.  Here <== is a link to many of the different kinds of construction girders, including the t-beam, as well as the i-beam and h-beam ... "Beam me up, Scotty"

42. "The Paper City" of Massachusetts: HOLYOKE.  So why, in my intro, did I target this word in the "good" category?  Well, for starters, that is the city where C-Moe spent some of his early career in sales.  Holyoke is situated on the Connecticut River, in Western Massachusetts, and was, in the 1870's a leading producer of various paper and textile products.  Paper mills in Holyoke produced everything from paper napkins to cotton-fiber printing paper, as well as wall coverings (textile-based wallpaper) used during the early 20th century. The city is also home to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame ... most folks, when looking at the city's name, would pronounce it "holy - oak".  But true natives say it as: "whole'-yolk"

And now you know!

43. "GMA" production co.: ABC NEWS.  Good Morning America = "GMA"

44. Burden: LOAD.  Onus fit, too

47. Brand of chips: INTEL.  Moe-ku #5:

        Recent stock market

        Trend shows Lay's gaining speed, while

        Intel takes a dip

48. New car option: LEASE.  Remember when new car options included: automatic transmission, AM/FM radios, A/C, power brakes and power steering, power windows, carpeting, cloth-interior, white-walled tires, et al??  And soon after, cruise-control and cassette-radios were options?  The question now is:  what isn't included 

49. Book filled with world views: ATLAS.  This clue uses great play-on-words

52. Vaquero's rope: RIATA.  Only the second foreign phrase used in today's puzzle; kudos!

[reveal]

55. Bonus: PLUS. Let's see if the Thesaurussaurus agrees:

Yup!

56. Very much: A LOT.  OK, I included this in the "so-so" group of entries today.  I am not a big fan of using a lot in crossword puzzles.  How could Zachary have avoided this?  Here is how I might have constructed the bottom center of the grid.  The new look would get rid of ETATS, BAT, IPA, and most importantly, the dreaded "a lot":

59. Critter under Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas: BAT.  Learning Moe-ment  <=== every crossword puzzle should have at least one of these as a clue, IMO.  I had no idea that a ginormous colony of bats was a feature of the capital city of TX

60. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPA.  So, if Zachary had used C-Moe's version, the clue would have been: URL addresses:  IPS 

61. Key above ~: ESC.  Fitting clue/answer for the last one of the puzzle ... it's now time to escape this blog and wait for your comments and thoughts to today's puzzle 

Friday, March 28, 2025 - Katherine Simonson

 Theme: "PrEEEE-fix" - or - "Four E-'s [sic] a jolly good fellow ..."

Puzzling thoughts:  

First, thanks to NaomiZ for filling in for me while I was taking some time off of the puzzle boards to recover from my eye surgeries.  I appreciate the well-wishes from you readers, though I am still working towards better vision. Maybe I will have good news to share on my next blog ...

Second, with most eye surgery layoffs comes the need to refocus on the task at hand; that being, to clearly see what the constructor is trying to illustrate in her puzzle.  Cataract surgery or not, I re-viewed the puzzle after completing it in less than 10 minutes.  It seems that Ms. Simonson (owner of two published LAT puzzles) was merely trying to convey a witty (or is it, "wit-E-") connection between her clues and a common phrase/item that begins with the letter "E".  As follows:

16-across. Headquarters for a simulated space launch?: E-MISSION CONTROL.  An emission control system on a car, for example, might be a catalytic converter which converts noxious gases into a less harmful substance. (Note:  How come they haven't been able to develop something similar for the flatuant society?)

I digress ... the clue, however, refers to a "mission control center" - the facility that monitors and guides space flights, e.g.  The humor/wit is associated with how I've hyphenated the answer.  Items that begin with the prefix "E -" usually refer to something "electronic" or done "on-line" (e-commerce/e-mail/e-ticket).  If there ever existed a place where space-traffic control applicants could go to train in a simulator, it might be here ... @ e-mission control

29-across. Recognition for top cyber snoops?: E-SPY AWARDS.  I would hope that all who have solved crossword puzzles are familiar with the ESPY awards which honor professional and amateur athletes.  The word ESPY is very commonly used by crossword puzzle constructors. By hyphenating the "e" from the "spy" in this example, an on-line (cyber) recognition for top sleuths might be called the e-spy awards

47-across. Group of online church leaders?: E-RECTOR SET.  Hands up for how many of you Crossword Corner readers played with one of these when you were a kid?  A rector is defined in various ways, as the hyperlink shows.  Not sure if the American Anglican church is ready to hand over their priestly duties to an e-rector set just yet.  If they did, would they now be called: e-piscopalians?

62-across. Co-branding by web-based sellers?: E-MERGING MARKETS.  You seeee [sic] where this is going by now?  😉

I guess if I had to choose one of the four entries today that gave me a slight grin it would be the E-SPY AWARDS.  The others were kinda "meh" IMO, although E-RECTOR SET might be the best of the other three

As for the rest of the fill, it was actually quite tight.  No weird words, nor too many TLW's or abbrs.  Also, the inclusion of the words: TOE TAP, CORKER, and GREEN MEN added to its enjoyment.  All in all, I score it, ⭐⭐ - 3/4⭐, though I think a few solvers today might use the "juice/squeeze" analogy in their comments. It certainly was not very hard for a Friday puzzle, but that seems to be the norm these days

Here is the filled in grid with the "E-s" highlighted, then off to the rest ... 

The Grid

Across:

1. Legato symbol on a score: SLUR.  The arced line connecting the scale notes below

5. High flyer: JET.  Glad to see an actual word here instead of SST, for example

8. Medicinal or savory plants: HERBS.  Hand up for trying ALOES, first?

13. Prong: TINE.  As on a fork

14. "That was a long time __": AGO.  When C-Moe last blogged, maybe?

15. Fermented Japanese condiment: TAMARI.  Not familiar with this condiment

[themer]

19. Spunk: MOXIE.  I love this word! 

20. Like many shower stalls: TILED.  

This type of tile seems to be the current trend for shower stalls

21. NYC hrs.: EST.  Eastern Standard Time (only during late fall and winter hours, however)

22. Grocery department: DELI.  When I stop by there, they make me feel like a hero

24. Working diligently: AT IT.  What I found myself doing with today's blog! A bit rusty I admit

26. One of Padmé and Anakin's twins: LUKE.  Star Wars dude, Skywalker 

[themer]

34. Mil. branch: USN.  I waited for the perps to fill this

35. Dust speck: MOTE.  Seems synonymous - let's check with the thesaurus-saurus: 

Close enough

36. Jasper Johns genre: POP ART.

The artist and one of his images (pop art)

37. Cal State city: CHICO.  Here is a link to the Cal State dot edu website.  CHICO is in the north/central part of the state, between Sacramento (the capital) and Redding.  My partner Margaret was on the library staff of Cal State Channel Islands, once upon a time

39. Droop: SAG.  Gravity takes over on we older persons.  My extra bit of paunch is what I refer to as "Dunlop" disease ... my belly done lopped over my belt

41. Consideration when halving or doubling a recipe: RATIO.  I liked this clue!  3:1 = 6:2

42. Rehabilitate: REFORM.  There is no reforming C-Moe, I'm afraid 

44. Wearying trip: TREK.  @ Picard - would you define the journey of the Star TREK Enterprise to be wearying?

46. Brew in a mug: TEA. and its "clecho" @ 64-down. Brew in a mug: ALE.

[themer]

49. Anatomical sac: CYST.  Moe-ku: 

        How would the cheer go

        If an ovine's zit explodes?

        You'd say: "CYST", "BOOM", "BAAA ..."

50. __ fresca: AGUA.  CSO to Lucina

51. Sound reflection: ECHO.  Clue reflection = clecho

53. Science site: LAB.  Or for some owners, "lap site"

56. Martian, perhaps: ALIEN. and its "clecho" @ 40-down. Martians, perhaps: GREEN MEN.

58. Clear: ERASE.

[themer]

65. Silky fabric: SATEEN.

66. Hair-raising product: GEL.  This look would scare me; you?? 

How much GEL was used to create this whatever it is you'd call it?

67. Stretches often named for music genres: ERAS.  Any Disco ERA fans here? 

68. Some Central Europeans: SLAVS.  

69. Dollar: ONE.  Store, Tree, or General did not fit

70. Automation prefix: ROBO.  

Down:

1. Derive (from): STEM.  Or in 2020's speak, an acronym for Science Technology Engineering and Math

2. Prom conveyance: LIMO.  Or in my case, a 1964 Dodge Dart GT, equipped with a 225 cu in slant 6, and Chrysler's TorqueFlite push button transmission - I think the young lady that rode with me was named Debbie ... great car for driving: not so much for a prom date ... bucket seats ... 

3. Linux predecessor: UNIX.  I will defer to the resident computer geeks to better explain this clue and answer ... 

4. Dwell: RESIDE.

5. __ alai: JAI.  Here is an erstwhile popular crossword pair of entries - I think "Alai" appears more often then "Jai"

6. Narcissists: EGOTISTS. Nudists: ECOTISTS

7. Collette of "The Power": TONI. This link will tell you about her

8. Artisan's output: HANDIWORK. According to @CrosswordTracker, this entry word has shown up just once - also in 2025 - so kudos to Ms. Simonson for finding this

9. First aid pro: EMT.    

10. Not well-done: RARE.  The hyphenated "well-done" led me to think it referred to a temperature of steak.  Here is how I prefer my steak prepared:

"Pittsburgh" style; Rare +

11. Frat boys: BRO'S. [note: I added the apostrophe so you could see that it's an abbreviation] Fraternity members are called "brothers".  Moe-ku #2:

        The sorority

        XTP's* fraternity

        Partner: BRO's for Rho's

*X = Chi; T= Tau; P = Rho

12. Fine-grained soil: SILT. and its clecho (count 'em, three clechos today!) 18-down. Fine-grained soil: CLAY.

15. Keep time with one's foot: TOE TAP. Here is a golden oldie that includes tapping all five TOES  

17. Behold: SEE.

[cut and pasted next to 12-down]
 
23. Many an August baby: LEO.  The others are Virgos - hands up for any LEOs here? Not I

25. Taberna dish: TAPA.  Taberna: Spanish; Tavern: English ... tapas are small plate dishes (appetizers) that are offered by many tabernas 

26. Ill-gotten gains: LUCRE.  Crossword-y?? Not a word I use in everyday speak

27. Guide: USHER.  I like this clue, as the clue word and entry word mean both whether it's used as a noun or a verb.  "The guide ushered me to my seat, or the usher guided me to my seat" 

28. Kitchen block insert: KNIFE.  We have one of these kitchen blocks, but they contain a mis-matched set of knives a pair of food scissors and a meat fork

Picture this unbranded, for mine

30. Bog accumulations: PEATS.  Not sure that I like seeing the word "PEAT" pluralized; maybe a forced entry or something edited in?  Moe-ku #3

        Well-known model Kate

        Married tennis pro Sampras.

        She became Pete's Moss

31. Threadbare: RATTY.  This picture describes it perfectly!

Star of a new movie called "Ratty Toile"

32. Hangs on the line: DRIES.

33. Weasel with a black-tipped tail: STOAT.

35. Household expenses: MORTGAGES.  Another word that shouldn't be pluralized, IMO, given the context of the clue.  Unless, of course, you have two (or more) mortgages to pay.  One is enough for me/us, thank you!

38. __-Cola: COCA.  Is this really Friday?  Did anyone else think that the clues/answers were not "Friday-tough"

[cut and pasted next to 56-across]

43. __ Rouge: Paris cabaret: MOULIN.  Online reservations are available!

45. List shortener: ETC.  Et al had one too many letters

48. Picnic spoiler: RAIN.  ANTS fit until it didn't

49. Excellent joke: CORKER.  This brought back memories of the 15 odd years I lived in New England.  The word corker has its roots in the UK and means: a person or thing that is especially good, attractive, hilarious or funny.  The folks I knew in NE wouldn't pronounce this as it appears (Cork' - er), they would say: (Caw'-kuh)

Here's a real "corker"!

52. Pronoun option: HER.  HIM works, too

53. Minus: LESS.  Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

54. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  George Clooney's better half

55. Phi __ Kappa: BETA. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

57. Waffle maker: EGGO. I suppose IRON would fit, but again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

59. Prefix with dynamic: AERO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

60. Grab with a toothpick: STAB. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

61. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please [CSO to Canadian Eh!]

63. Informal title for a clergyman: REV.  Short for Reverand

[cut and pasted alongside 46-across]

Please offer your puzzling thoughts in the Comments section.  I'll shake the blogging rust off next month, promise ... 

Friday, January 31, 2025, Ricky J. Sirois

 Theme:  Risible (rhyming) repetition 

Puzzling thoughts:

Just 12 short days ago, Ricky J. Sirois provided us with a Sunday puzzle: his 4th LAT submission, according to NaomiZ.  And as NaomiZ will be doing the Friday blog in Moe's absence while he heals, believe every word she says!! 😀 

So, let's explore Ricky's 5th LAT puzzle before I take a brief hiatus:

Today's offering, while not as tough as some Friday puzzles I've blogged, did have its Moe-ments.  Every time there is some play-on-words it takes a couple of solved ones before the theme reveals itself.  At least for me ... 

So how did today's theme of repetition come about?  Let's look at the entries:

21-across. Dorothy's musing before heading back to Kansas?: DO I HAVE TOTO?  

I am certainly curious to know how Ricky came to think of the four entries he offered today.  The first is a solid example of how both of the expressions work: "Do I have to?" is a lament that many kids use when they don't want to do something.  And maybe Dorothy didn't want to return to Kansas after spending her wonderful dream in Oz.  But I'm sure that she double-checked before she did return that her dog, Toto was by her side.  

A Moe-ku, perhaps?  Be sure to read this a couple of times to see the double meaning ... 

        "C'mon, Dorothy,

        Ship's leaving; TOTO can't come."
        Her Auntie Em barks

33-across. All-clear before the big dance competition?: GOOD TO GOGO.

Once again, Ricky found a clued entry that exemplifies both meanings.  "Good to go!" is an expression that means everything is ready, or all-clear.  The word go-go is synonymous with a style or type of dancing.  It also was a term used by Inspector Gadget when he wanted to summon something:

42-across. Advice on how to prevent undue interest from influencers?: MAKE IT SO-SO.

One of our regular board influencers is our one and only Picard.  Sometimes a picture captures more than my words can describe!

53-across. Enthusiastic reply from a certain bird impersonator?: INDEED I DODO.

What ultimately led to my rating this puzzle a bit lower was this entry.  If our resident grammarian, Yellowrocks happens to stop by today, I hope she will offer her comments and thoughts about it

The first part of the phrase could be written "I do indeed" as well as "Indeed, I do".  Maybe the word "enthusiastic" in the clue leads us to the proper position of the word, "indeed".  But I digress ... 

The whole concept of "indeed, I dodo" just seemed forced.  A dodo is not just a "certain" bird, but an extinct one.  And unlike the other three entries the plausibility of that phrase just isn't there

How might the fourth entry be a little more plausible?  Here is a possible substitute for 53-across:

"Words from a department store Santa on his first day on the job"? I AM GUNG HO HO

He does check out who's naughty or nice

Today, Ricky had some pretty good mojo.  I give this puzzle ⭐⭐⭐ and 3/4⭐s - congrats!!

The filled grid.  Notice the Natick at 1-down and 13-across

Across:

1. Decoupage, e.g.: CRAFT.  Knowing what the word decoupage means led to solving this

Decoupage: the art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic, or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied

6. Stroller passenger: TOT.  

9. Substance: HEFT.

13. Dark matter?: HUMOR.  I stuck with rumor for too long in this spot.  I didn't get the play-on-words of its perpendicular (1-down. Ring leader?): CHAMP, either.  This was Moe's "Natick", as described in the grid image

14. Had regrets: RUED. I hope I won't rue having my cataracts replaced

16. Largest of seven: ASIA.  Seven = continents - can you name them all?

17. Suspect's story: ALIBI.  Really, I didn't make this up 

18. Plot size: ACRE.

19. Villain in "The Lion King": SCAR.  This guy:

20. Memory unit, informally: MEG.  Gig also fits - I had to erase it when some of the perps solved

24. Undertaking: PROJECT.

26. Persian Gulf nation: IRAN.  Iraq also fits but I used Iran, initially

Persian Gulf

27. Durham sch.: UNH.  My first thought was Duke - a university in Durham, North Carolina.  But since the word school was abbreviated in the clue, I knew the answer must contain initials.  The Wildcats of UNH reside in Durham, New Hampshire

28. Ellipsis trio: DOTS.  Something that C-Moe uses often when blogging ... would it surprise you to know that one of C-Moe's favorite movie theater candy is this?

30. Terr. divided in 1889: DAK.  My preferred clue for this would be: "Oft-injured QB Prescott of the Cowboys"

37. Stack: PILE.

38. Hierarchy levels: RUNGS.

39. Hockey's Bobby: ORR.  Oops - Ricky used one of the dreaded crossword-ese names

40. Civic, for one: SEDAN. Honda also fits, and I had to erase this before completing that section of the puzzle

41. "Ohhhh": I SEE.  Hopefully what Moe will say after he gets some new eyeball lenses

44. School org.: PTA.

45. Lean (on): RELY.

46. Foldable bed: COT.

47. Abbr. on an ESPN crawl: NCAA.  This usually applies to the NCAA as a whole. Right now, you'll see "WCBB" (for example) when ESPN is offering the scores of women's college basketball games on their "ticker" (crawl)

49. School papers: REPORTS.  The business world might refer to "reports" as those who work for their manager

57. One with a platonic partner, for short: ARO.  This was unknown by me but to be fair, it showed up recently in another LA Times puzzle

[ note: I wrote this recap before seeing ARO (in last Saturday's August Miller puzzle, e.g.) and then came back to edit it ... ]

58. Thoroughfare: ROAD. 

59. Leave out: OMIT.

60. Polling booth figure: VOTER.

62. Vegetable in the cabbage family: KALE.  I notice this vege being used in a lot of prepared salad mixes found at the grocery store 

63. Say hello quietly: WAVE.

  

64. __ planner: EVENT. 

65. Pizza joint in "Do the Right Thing": SAL'S. Sal's Pizza is a regional chain in NH and MA (surprisingly, there is none located @ UNH - see 27-across).  Sal's Pizzeria is found in Brooklyn, NY and was a venue in the movie, "Do the Right Thing".  And now you know, because prior to looking this up, I had no clue

66. Souvenir from an animated film: CEL.

67. Worshipper of Jah: RASTA.  I don't know about Jah but I do know that Joboo is for real.  Enjoy this clip! [rated PG-13 for a few choice words]

Down:

2. Help in keeping things straight: RULER.  I am guessing that Ricky/Patti meant one of these?

Notice the straight edge on the RULER

3. Compadre: AMIGO.  Would you use amiga if the clue was "Com-madre"??

4. Keyless key: FOB.  Moe-ku:

        Dick Van Dyke's TV 

        Wife said this before driving:

        "Lob me the FOB, Rob"

5. Weapons for Neptune and Shiva: TRIDENTS.  Many of us are aware of the god, Neptune 

I was unaware of the god, Shiva

6. Aspect: TRAIT.

7. "That sounds painful": OUCH.

8. Mega- squared: TERA.

9. "__ mañana": HASTA.

10. San Diego suburb whose name means "hidden": ESCONDIDO.

11. Italian automaker: FIAT.  Alfa fit but I didn't bite

12. Primary ingredient in poi: TARO.

15. Danny of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": DE VITO.  A series on FX network.  The trailer:

22. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO. [translation from Spanish to English] Four and four = eight

23. Hosp. sections: ERS.  ORS also fit.  Again, I chose the correct one initially

25. 2022 and 2024 AL MVP: JUDGE.  "Here comes the JUDGE"!  As in, Aaron Judge the center fielder of the NY Yankees

28. Not at all cool: DORKY.

29. Fairy tale baddie: OGRE.

31. "Too bad": ALAS.

32. Casino game: KENO.  How to play, courtesy of WikiHow

33. Golf clinic topic: GRIP.  Step-by-step guide to the perfect golf GRIP

34. Depose: OUST.

35. Everybody: ONE AND ALL. Not a phrase that we see a lot of in crossword puzzles

36. Hoped-for result: GOAL. 

37. Sauce made with pine nuts: PESTO.  Here is a simple recipe:

40. Short stay: STOPOVER.

42. Grazing location: MEADOW.

43. Coffee order: ICED.

45. "Run Away With Me" singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.

48. Gives way: CEDES.

49. Brand of canned chiles: ROTEL. My favorite of theirs, and one I use often in a variety of recipes:

Try this with black-eyed peas

50. Going prices: RATES. 

51. Reznor with two Oscars for Best Original Score: TRENT. His biography, courtesy of Wikipedia

52. "More or less": SORTA.

53. Bothers: IRKS.

54. U.S. weather agency: NOAA.  NOAA and NCAA were a bit too close to each other in the grid for my liking ... 

55. Apple desktop: IMAC.  I am a PC guy (laptop) with an iPhone

56. Deep __: DIVE. 

61. Eggs, biologically: OVA.  Not sure how much they'd charge for an ova, but a dozen hen's eggs were $6.99 this past week, and that was for the "store" brand

I'll close with a -ku:

    Manicurist earned

    Vet School degree. She now can

    Give a pet a cure

The Chairman has left the building ... see you in March or April

Friday, January 17, 2025 - Amanda Cook and Katie Hale

 Theme:  It's snack time

 

Puzzling thoughts:

Today's puzzle is a collaboration between two crossword puzzle assistant editors, Amanda Cook and Katie Hale.  Ms. Cook and Ms. Hale filled our goodies bag with five different types of snacks (although I would argue that NOODLES are not a snack) that are found at the end of five familiar phrases:

15-across. Internet cafe snacks?: BROWSER COOKIES.  [Microsoft dot com] describes cookies as "... bits of data that are sent to and from your browser to identify you. When you open a website, your browser sends a piece of data to the web server hosting that website. This data usually appears as strings of numbers and letters in a text file." How about a Moe-ku and cartoon to further explain?

        Beware logging on

        To the Girl Scouts' website; they

        Use BROWSER COOKIES

 

 

22-across. Billiard hall snacks?: POOL NOODLES. Pool noodles are flotation devices, or as this Moe-ku and cartoon describe:

        What might you call brains

        That work while swimming? Of course,

        They are POOL NOODLES

 

 

 

34-across. Arbitration snacks?: BARGAINING CHIPS.  [dictionary dot com] describes a bargaining chip as: "a potential concession or other factor which can be used to advantage in negotiations"; as described in yet another Moe-ku (and image):

        When Lay's and Pringles

        Decide to merge, I heard they

        Used BARGAINING CHIPS

 

 

44-across. Travel snacks?: AIRPORT BARS.  Despite the nearly flawless record of airplane travel, airport bars are still found in most concourses as a haven for nervous travelers to secure a drink (or two, or three) before boarding.  Or, as this Moe-ku and image suggest:

        Where might one find a

        Place to have a flight before

        A flight? AIRPORT BARS

 

 

 

 

 

53-across. Moving day snacks?: PACKING PEANUTS. Packing peanuts are those nut-shaped Styrofoam objects that help cushion your shipment by filling the voids in a package.  Or, as this Moe-ku and image might suggest:

        The preferred item

        Shippers use for elephants

        Are PACKING PEANUTS

 

 

 

They will cushion his trunk!

 

Perhaps this one was left on the editor's desk.  Clue: Bank heist snacks? SAFE CRACKERS.  Ok, so this one didn't make the cut but that doesn't mean there's no Moe-ku or cartoon!

        Parrot's owner is 

        A bank thief. I guess, Polly

        Wants a SAFE CRACKER

Here is the grid: 

 

My "score" for this puzzle is ⭐⭐⭐and 1/4⭐ It could have been higher, but there were far too many three-letter words (TLWs) and abbreviations.  I am sure they were needed to support the large number of entry letters (65), but many of the 17 TLWs were also abbr's (7).  I will point them out below. Also, there were a couple of forced entries (green paint) but again, the use of 5 entries which averaged 13 letters apiece creates filling problems 

Across:

1. Hoffmann of "Transparent": GABY.  I wonder if our Crossword Corner regular, desper-otto, found this 1-Across entry as a stumbling block today?  

Ms. Hoffmann's acting career began at an early age, and she's not that well-known now, methinks.  [wikipedia] lists this as her bio intro: "Gabrielle Mary Antonia Hoffmann is an American actress. She made her film debut in Field of Dreams (1989) and found success as a child actress in Uncle Buck (1989), This Is My Life (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and then later as a teenager with Now and Then (1995), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Volcano (1997), All I Wanna Do (1998), and 200 Cigarettes (1999)"

5. Feature of the ROFL emoji: TEAR.  😂 <== this

9. Intel org.: NSA.  TLW #1; abbr. #1

12. Tony kin: OBIE. One of the EGOT categories

13. Foot massage target: ARCH. Who doesn't love a foot massage?

14. Does a bit of tailoring: SEWS.  Did this one leave you in stitches?

18. Vientiane's country: LAOS.

19. "Industry" network: HBO.  TLW #2; abbr. #2

20. Symbol that can mean "approximately": TILDE. ~  <== this

21. Blow up: Abbr.: ENL. TLW #3; abbr. #3

25. Lecture without caring if one's words are heard: TALK AT.  Green paint??  Rarely used entry; seems semi-forced

27. Flamenco cheers: OLES.

28. Show contempt: SNEER.

29. Elisabeth of "The Karate Kid": SHUE.

 

 

 

31. Cricket gear: BAT.  TLW#4

38. Start of something?: ESS.  TLW #5

39. Mercury and Neptune: GODS.  ORBS fits, too
  
40. Slangy "OK": AIGHT.  More green paint??  This, too, seemed forced

41. "Skedaddle!": SHOO.

43. Part of a relay team: ANCHOR.  Usually, the fastest runner on a four-person relay team, and the person who anchors (runs the final leg)

49. Gershwin brother: IRA.  TLW #6 (and if clued as an investment option, this, too could have been an abbr.)

50. __ mail: SNAIL.  The last time I bought a "Forever" stamp from the USPS it cost $0.69 - and when I send a letter from AZ to GA it usually takes a week or more to get there ... SMH

51. Fury: IRE.  TLW #7

52. Eyeliner perfector: Q-TIP.  Unusual clue for this item, but glad to know that Amanda and Katie didn't refer to it as an implement for removing ear wax 

57. Fencing gear: EPEE.

58. Voicemail cue: BEEP.

59. Latin day: DIEM.

60. Big podcast producer: NPR.  TLW #8; abbr. #4

61. Classical closing: CODA.  "Classical", as in classical music

62. Borrowing figs.: APRS.  Abbr. #5; and worse, it pluralizes a TLW

Down:

1. Celebrate wildly: GO BANANAS.  More oft used entry than I would have thought

2. Six-pack producers: AB ROLLERS. A debut entry for published crossword puzzles.  Congrat's, ladies

3. Playbill blurbs: BIOS.  Abbr. #6 - a Playbill is a program that is handed out at theatrical events

4. Longbow wood: YEW.  TLW #9

5. 1990s workout fad: TAEBO. 

6. Barnett of CBS News: ERROL.  Not the first Errol that comes to my mind

 

 

 

This is for all of the ladies who read the blog!

7. Stanford's athletic gp.: ACC. TLW #10; abbr. #7 - Atlantic Coast Conference.  And why is Stanford, a Pacific Coast university part of the ACC?? 

8. Sorority row letter: RHO.  TLW #11

9. "Peaky Blinders" actor Sam: NEILL.  Not one with which I am familiar

10. Rutabaga, to a Brit: SWEDE.  Learning moe-ment for me: Rutabaga is also known as swede (in the UK), Swedish turnip, wax turnip, or neep. It is a winter root vegetable with edible roots as well as leaves that's closely related to the turnip and the cabbage [everyday healthy recipes dot com]

11. Beasts of burden: ASSES.  I can't do a blog without at least one video!! Am I an "ass" for using this one?

14. Hydroplanes: SKIDS.

16. Cocktail measure: SHOT.  Nice use of the clue to soften an otherwise "nasty" word entry.  OTOH, when I measure alcohol in a cocktail (or when drinking neat) I use fingers (two are the minimum)

17. Chiwere speakers: OTOE.  I didn't know who the Chiwere speakers were, but this one filled via perps, IIRC

18. "__ real": LET'S BE.  OK.  That is usually what I am (real) when I blog a puzzle; there's no holding back!

22. Start to ski?: PARA.  As defined

23. Peas and carrots: NOUNS.  Forrest Gump would be happy to know that

24. Designer Cassini: OLEG.

26. Tavern delivery: KEG.  TLW #12

29. Boopable pet part: SNOOT. Another clue that was chosen to help soften a negative word

30. Played sardines, perhaps: HID.  TLW #13

31. Silver Slugger awardee: BIG HITTER.  Not sure that I fully agree with this. A big hitter, as defined, is an important or powerful person.  It can also refer - in baseball terminology - to a sportsperson who is capable of hitting the ball long and hard.  And while the Silver Slugger award is an honor given for the top position players on various baseball teams, it is not what I would define as a big hitter (YYMV)

32. "Better safe than sorry" and "Actions speak louder than words": APHORISMS.  My favorite is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

33. Feature of some dance shoes: T-STRAP.  Splynter gave me permission to use this image, but he removed the stockings:

35. "The Firebird" composer Stravinsky: IGOR.  My kids' HS sports teams were nicknamed the "Firebirds".  Both of my kids were in band, and of course the band director had to feature movements from this iconic symphony during performances, including halftime shows at football games.  Enjoy!  

BTW, the bassoon solo at around the 5:00 mark is one my daughter has played many, many times (and better than this one, IMO)

36. Tennis ball containers: CANS.  As this blog is being written, the Australian Open Tennis Tournament is underway - wonder how Ons Jabeur is doing? 

37. Juice box brand named for its vitamin content: HI-C. TLW #14; abbr. #8 (technically)

41. Sudden surge: SPIKE.  

42. Celebration on the last full moon of Phalguna: HOLI.  Another entry that filled via perps

43. District: AREA. 

44. Poplar kin: ASPEN.

45. Like some add-on purchases: IN APP.  I am betting that as crossword puzzles become more "modern", this phrase will become crossword-ese as well as the word "app"

46. Speed climbing entrant: RACER.

47. Kangaroo, e.g.: BIPED.  

48. Filled cornmeal flatbread: AREPA.

52. Bon mot: QUIP.  Final Moe-ku:

        A witty remark

        Made by certain cotton swab's

        Called: a Q-TIP QUIP

        

54. Network with a three-note chime: NBC. TLW #15; abbr. #9

55. Old Prizm maker: GEO.  TLW #16

56. "For your eyes only" contract, briefly: NDA. TLW #17; abbr. #10

See you on the 31st but will probably be on hiatus after that.  Gonna have cataract surgery and one of the recovery "no-no's" is working on a computer ...