Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - Nate Curry and Zhou Zhang

 Theme:  I'm on pins and needles

I will admit that Hatoolah's Rat tat cartoon from yesterday made me chuckle when I knew this was my opening cartoon today! 😉

Puzzling thoughts:

Did anyone else feel tingly whilst filling in this puzzle?  Not I.  Nothing prickly about it, either.  Just a few jabs, here and there, and I really didn't feel the stick when the needle was finally administered ...

OK, enough of the cheap barbs.  Today's puzzle is a family collaboration between mom (Zhou) and son (Nate).  The dad, Kevin Curry, and son Nate had a collaborative puzzle earlier this year on Friday January 2. And when I poked a bit further, [according to some notes I found while searching the internet] I learned that Zhou and Kevin are a Seattle-based couple with three sub-teenaged children.  Nate is the oldest of the three.  Four of the five family members have had puzzles published by the NY Times - all as collaborations.  And the "legacy" that's building for this family (as crossword puzzle constructors) is quite recent - all post pandemic

The reveal for today's puzzle is: 51-across. Make a measurable difference, or what the answers to the starred clues do: MOVE THE NEEDLE.

The supporting entries are:

20-across. *Tailor's tool: SEWING MACHINE.  The history of the sewing machine is pretty fascinating

34-across. *Inker's tool: TATTOO GUN. The history of tattoo guns is also quite fascinating

39-across. *Intelligence agent's tool: POLYGRAPH. A brief outline of the history of a polygraph is not as interesting as the previous two entries, but certainly, it was a learning moment for me

All three of the devices above have a movable needle as a part of its design.  Pretty straightforward 

Good job by mom and son - the fill was tight and clean

Here is the grid and then on to the rest:

The Grid - see how "clean" it is? No mistakes, today!

Across:
1. Excerpt from a film: CLIP.  Often times Chairman Moe will use a film clip - also known as a "trailer" - to support, visually, a clue/entry.  Today is no different, though I had to revise my search a bit as the only movie called "Clip" was NSFW.  So, I found something that is related to "clip" in this trailer:

 

5. Like back legs: HIND. 

9. Wanders: ROAMS.  Do you recall when the word roams just meant "wanders", and not something related to placing/receiving a cellular phone call?  And for the record, does anyone pay a roaming fee anymore, with these all-inclusive cell phone plans?

14. Highway division: LANE.  

15. Purple berry in healthy smoothies: ACAI.  One of a few crosswordese entries, but I am OK with this one

16. Illuminated from below: UP LIT.  This might be the lone use of green paint in today's puzzle.  Backlit is a more recognized term; if you try to google uplit (one word or two) it takes you to uplift instead

17. Food thickener made from seaweed: AGAR. Another stale crossword entry but sometimes a constructor has to resort to these to keep other words in place

18. Takes a snooze: NAPS.  Something that this retiree looks forward to

19. __-gritty: NITTY.  Did anyone else think, immediately, of this band?  Spill the dirt!

[theme entry]

23. Get ready: PREPARE.  Now that all of my tax stuff is here, it's time to prepare for filing

24. Word before bar or drink: ENERGY.  As one who's been known to imbibe, the word energy did not immediately come to mind with "bar" and "drink" 😉

27. Contents of a barn stack: HAY. 

28. Nursing spot: TEAT.  A more "fun" clue could have been: "Nursing spot for a kid" (as in a baby goat)

30. WNW's opposite: ESE.  Ese has also been clued as a language suffix (as in Japanese)

31. Very pale: ASHEN. 

[theme entry]

36. The sun, for one: STAR.  And also, an image used in rating things. As in, my rating for today's puzzle is a solid, ⭐⭐⭐ and 1/2⭐

Imagine my surprise when I got to 58-across: Gives stars to: RATES.  Aren't we constructors supposed to avoid using an entry word in a clue?

37. Common living room piece: COUCH.  Did anyone else use the word DIVAN in this spot? I did

38. Big name in volleyballs: VOIT. My 5-1/2 year-old grandson has taken a liking to volleyball (mainly due to his having a crush on one of the star players on his grandpa's alma mater's team).  If you've never watched a match (NCAA Women) in person you're missing out on what (to me) is the most entertaining form of college athletics (the colors of the image below will be a hint to Moe's alma mater)

And here is an example of my grandson's girlfriend making an emphatic kill and setting a school record; which she then broke a few matches later when she scored 43 kills in a 5-setter

[theme entry]

41. Jai alai basket: CESTA.  I remember when both the sport (Jai Alai) as well as the crosswords (jai and alai) were popular.  I lived in Connecticut for several years and during that time period there was a jai alai fronton (the venue where the game is played and a former, oft-used crossword entry) in Hartford.  I would occasionally go there to watch and wager ... below is a clip about the rules of jai alai but if you'd prefer to open a hyperlink instead ... take your pick of which one to click 

42. Shorthand in a coffee order: CAF.  As in caffeine 

43. Went as a passenger: RODE.  TRAVELED was too big to fit 

44. Only Canadian MLB city, for short: TOR.  A CSO to our regular poster, CanadianEh! And yes, C Eh!, I know you've been waiting since 1967 for another Stanley Cup - your Blue Jays should've won a World Series last year, but the LA Dodgers were the best team $ could buy ... FWIW, I remember attending a Blue Jays game in TOR in the summer of 1992.  I think at the time, TOR was tied for first place but their win that evening gave them sole possession; they never relinquished their hold on first place, and they went on to win the World Series that year.  You've got very rabid fans there!

45. Consumed uncooked: ATE RAW.  I know there are those who'd frown at this, but one of my favorite raw consumables is an oyster on the half shell - maybe a dozen or two

47. Look of the recently woken: BED HEAD.  I couldn't decide whether bed head was one word or two until I found this:

I guess it's two

 

[reveal]

54. Honeycrisp, e.g.: APPLE.  One of the sweeter apple varieties, I've been told

56. Shoe bottom: SOLE.  Moe-ku:

        Korean monks walked

        Barefoot when leaving country.

        Forfeited their SOLE

57. Hubbubs: ADOS.

[see above with 36-across]

59. Work with yarn: KNIT.  Are any of our regular posters or anonymous visitors into knitting? 

60. NHL venue: RINK.  CSO to our Friday blogger, Splynter

61. Romantic meeting: TRYST.  Moe-ku #2:

        Famous love romance

        Should've been called: "Tristan

        TRYST and Isolde"

62. Goes out with: SEES.  DATES was too long to fit

63. Disappointing report card grades: DEES.  I'm pretty sure that I had a couple of these during my college years; don't recall having one in HS

Down:
1. Jewelry fastener: CLASP.  Question for all of the guys out there:  is it just me or do you also have trouble unfastening one of these when your wife asks you to unclasp her necklace?  Maybe I should have watched this video first:

2. Golden beer: LAGER.  The word Lager in German is actually Lagerbier.  We shortened the name when the brew was introduced to the US by German immigrants.  The most famous American Lager is Budweiser; but when I choose to drink a lager these are my two favorites: 

3. Amazed: IN AWE.  I am in awe that an 11-yr old boy (Nate) could be a such a talented crossword puzzle constructor; this is seriously a very good puzzle

4. Outer edge: PERIPHERY.  Not an oft used crossword entry - nice!

5. Grumpy due to lack of food: HANGRY.  A portmanteau of Hungry and Angry

6. Start of Caesar's boast: I CAME.  Moe-l'ick (and not his best "boast"!) A bit lewd, but hey, it's a limerick!

        Julius Caesar (we all know his name)

        Was also a lover, part of his fame.

        He was boastful in bed

        Must have been his swelled head

        His go-to exclaim? "I (already) CAME"

7. California wine valley: NAPA.  Despite its well-known image, I find other California wine valleys (and regions) more enjoyable to visit - this past summer we went to the Sierra Foothills, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, and Paso Robles wine regions.  Loved each of them.  "Old-time" Paso Robles is still enjoyable but other parts of that area are quickly becoming the southern sister of Napa (which means, too crowded and too expensive)

8. Many a drink coaster: DISC.  An unusual clue for this word.  When I checked the Crossword Tracker website to see the frequency of its use, today's marks the first!

9. Encounter: RUN INTO.  I'm sure we all have stories about a time and place where we have run into a friend and/or famous person during our travels.  For me, probably the most unusual one was when I ran into an old friend - whom I hadn't seen in well over 6 years - in the A Terminal at the Atlanta airport.  We were both heading towards the escalator that descends to the inter-terminal train to make a connection; his incoming flight and mine obviously arrived simultaneously, but think of the odds of both of us disembarking in a manner that would allow us to sync our movements through the busiest airport in the world?  And then recognize each other and say "Hi!" ... 

10. State one's view: OPINE.  

11. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, e.g.: ALTER EGOS.  Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, et al are all alter egos of Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, and Peter Parker ... but as I looked up both of the characters in the clue (Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl) and read their biography it dawned on me that Zhou (and/or Nate) was describing their own family, in a way 😉

12. Cambridge univ.: MIT. One of the things I liked most about today's puzzle was the limited use of abbreviations

13. Total dump: STY. I wonder if Nate's bedroom has the sty look of this famous cartoon son:

21. Flat bread served with curry: NAAN.

22. Toffee bar brand: HEATH.  The dark chocolate variety's the one I prefer:

Are you a dark chocolate fan, too?

25. "Top Gun" outfit: G SUIT.  Image below is from Luke AFB, here in Arizona.  I dunno what happened to their torsos and heads ... maybe it's the result of pulling 9 G's

26. Gossipy sort: YENTA.  Do we have any yentas among our regular posters and/or anonymous viewers?  And for the record, does a yenta have to be Jewish?

28. Brownish gray: TAUPE.  This was one of two "starting" words that I use(d) when I solve the daily Wordle puzzle - unfortunately, the day that this one "hit" I tried the other starting word (which has none of the same letters as taupe).  Imagine my surprise when I used taupe as my second guess and saw all green ... 

29. Engrave: ETCH.

31. Pet adoption org.: ASPCA.  American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (I can see why they choose to use the acronym!)

32. Weasel with a short, black-tipped tail: STOAT.  Moe-ku #3: 

        Weasel entered an

        Anagram contest and lost.

        "Told you he was TOAST!"

        
33. Pessimist's description of a glass, perhaps: HALF EMPTY. 

34. Super Mario character who looks like a mushroom: TOAD.  I wonder if this was Nate's clue?

35. Picked up, in a way: OVERHEARD.  Moe-ku #4: (using the intransitive verb form and two extra syllables)

        Gossip sought new "dirt".

        Couldn't make out their words. "Psst!

        Overhear over here, please!"

           

37. Director Cameron: CROWE.  Jerry Maguire is my favorite of his movies.  Yours?

40. Most serious: GRAVEST.

41. Girls Who __: nonprofit that supports STEM initiatives: CODE. Learn all about this great organization

44. Religious beliefs: TENETS. Stealing a page from Ray-O-Sunshine's playbook:

Beliefs found at the International UFO Museum in Roswell, NM? TenETs

46. Parts: ROLES.

47. Contradict: BELIE.

48. Pearl Jam vocalist Vedder: EDDIE.  As a band that formed in Seattle, WA (Zhou Zhang's current city) it would not surprise me that this is her (and maybe the whole family's) favorite group.  Here is one of their songs featuring the vocals of Eddie Vedder

49. Without company: ALONE. Company, as in companionship.  If read differently, could the answer be "Sole Proprietorship"?

50. Classroom workspaces: DESKS. The traditional way of organizing desks in a classroom is in a grid pattern (rows), with the teacher's desk at the very front of the room.  One of my early memories of a non-traditional way to organize was when I was in the third grade - our teacher, Mrs. Neimann, decided to arrange the desks in a U-shaped pattern.  There was no escaping being able to see her or each other.  She remains perhaps my most favorite elementary school teacher ... 

One example of a U-shaped desk arrangement

52. Sounds of disapproval: TSKS.  Moe-ku #5:

        Certain Egyptian

        Boy king never said "TSK, TSK",

        Quite obviously ...

53. Sharpen, as a knife: HONE.  I wonder if this applied to young Nate, many years ago! 😉

54. Gallery display: ART.  A sophomoric joke just came to mind ...

55. Golf course standard: PAR. Once upon a time, this blogger was skilled enough to have completed an 18-hole round of golf with a score below par - did it a few times, actually.  My golfing skills have long since atrophied.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've played over the past three years and have a couple of fingers remaining ... maybe in 2026 I will attempt to play more often

Well, it's off to the supermarket today (first Wednesday in the month = 10% senior discount).  See y'uns (that was for TTP) in March 

ps: to Anonymous PVX - regarding the age survey a week ago ... you and I may share the same exact birthday (month/year, for sure) or be very close.  Drop me an email if you can ... Moe

Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - Joe Deeney

 Theme:  I wish it would rain

Puzzling thoughts:  Happy New Year Crossword Cornerites!  I know you've heard this said over and over the past week, but as this is Chairman Moe's first appearance as a blogger in 2026, I figured it was OK for me to reiterate

As C.C. mentioned at the end of December, I will be doing just one blog a month; the first Wednesday.  Today's puzzle is by none other than a noted crossword constructor, Joe Deeney.  I am not certain, but this might be the first Deeney puzzle that I have recapped

I am pretty sure that Mr. Deeney did not intentionally cast a cloud on the expanded 16x15 grid, but his goal was to have a bit of rain fall on us with four entries and a reveal.  60 letters make up the five longest clue answers, so trying to squeeze that into a 15x15 grid would be impossible

The reveal:  64-across. Perfectly satisfactory, or an apt description of 18-, 26-, 39-, and 54-Across: RIGHT AS RAIN.  All four of the entries have a type of rain on the RIGHT side of the phrase

18-across. 1991 operation that ended with the liberation of Kuwait: DESERT STORM

26-across. Celestial event such as the Perseids: METEOR SHOWER

39-across. Communication protocol for peer-to-peer file sharing: BIT TORRENT.  This was an unknown and filled in via perps

54-across. Sweet finish for fried chicken: HONEY DRIZZLE

STORM, SHOWER, TORRENT, and DRIZZLE are all terms associated with rain

Here is the grid:

On to the rest of the clues/words ...

Across:
1. Running sport: TRACK.

6. Thrown for a loop: AWED.

10. Lure (in): ROPE.

14. Moves like a fleeing deer: BOUNDS.

16. Sushi wrapper: NORI.

17. Rep on arm day: CURL.  There are such things as an "arm day"?  My idea of a curl with my arm is lifting a pint of IPA or a bottle of ________

[entry]

20. Molecule part: ATOM.

21. Focus to win a contest?: STARE.  I think I could out-stare most anyone if challenged

22. Flower bed tool: HOE.  

23. Sault __ Marie: STE.

24. Sushi option: AHI.  I tried eel before ahi

[entry]

30. "Succession" actor Culkin: KIERAN.  

Macaulay (left) and Kieran - the Culkin brothers

32. Steal from: ROB.

33. Prototype: Abbr.: ORIG.  Short for original

34. Basilica niche: APSE.  This word seems to find its niche only in crossword puzzles

35. __ economy: GIG.  I was an Economics major in college and don't recall this ... 

 

37. Structure whose roof begins near its foundation: A-FRAME.  I tried lean to at first

[entry]

42. Two __ and a lie: icebreaker game: TRUTHS.  Is this anything like truth or dare?

The rules

44. Leb. neighbor: ISR.  I tried SYR at first

45. Frittata need: EGGS.  Along with other ingredients

49. Lucky acorns, eventually: OAKS.  Just imagine if ALL of the fallen acorns turned into oak trees.  Want to try to grow your own?  Here is a brief tutorial, courtesy of YouTube

50. Superlative suffix: EST.

52. Balance sheet column: ASSETS.  DEBITS also fit but I chose to be positive

[entry]

57. Large load: TON.  

58. Cards, in NFL scores: ARI.  CSO to all of us who live in ARIzona, although the way the Card(inal)s have been playing the past few years none of us are probably following them as intently

59. "__ got it!": I'VE.

60. Freeze over: ICE UP. 

62. Make a bad impression?: DENT.  With all of the fancy cameras on automobiles these days, a simple dent still requires a lot of cash to repair, especially if it's on the front or rear bumper

[reveal and theme entry]

68. Puts away the dishes?: EATS.

69. Taiwanese computer company: ACER.  A decent, entry level machine

70. Stewpot with a conical lid: TAGINE.  Never used one

71. Chow for a sow: SLOP.  

72. Surrender, as territory: CEDE.

73. Stiletto alternative: WEDGE.  I tried HEELS at first

Down:
1. Up in the air, briefly: TBD.  To Be Determined

2. Fish-to-be: ROE.  I wonder if the same tutorial for growing an oak from an acorn would work for growing a fish from a roe?

3. Down Under denizens: AUSSIES.

4. Site with tech reviews: CNET.

5. Hwang Dong-hyuk's "Squid Game," e.g.: K-DRAMA.  We don't subscribe to Netflix (believe it or not) so this one had to fill in by itself

6. Hill worker: ANT.  SEN and REP also fit

7. Happy holler: WOO HOO.  I had YOO HOO at first

8. Representation of uncertainty on a graph: ERROR BARS.  A function of Excel

9. Assists, in hoops lingo: DIMES.  All you ever wanted to know about this phrase can be found in the hyperlink

10. Type of A/V connector: RCA.  The history of RCA cables

11. Best in a pool: OUTSWIM.  Not a commonly used word in crossword puzzles - according to Crossword Tracker it's been seen just four times, between 2008 and 2014

12. Mentee: PROTÉGÉ. Merriam-Webster defines this as: "one who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence"

13. __ Fudd: ELMER.  One of many Warner-Brothers cartoon characters voiced by Mel Blanc

15. Area of expertise: STRENGTH.

19. Good to go: SET.

24. Alias lead-in: AKA. William H. Bonney, Jr. - AKA, "Billy the Kid" Kind of resembles (67-across. Once called:) NEE.  

25. With it: HIP.  Moe-ku:

        Maynard G Krebs shaved

        His goatee, when prepping for

        A hip replacement

27. Conclusion starter: ERGO.

28. Beeper?: HORN.

29. Provides an address: ORATES.

31. Chew out: REBUKE.  Our Thesaurussaurus concurs

36. Hardware and software support: I.T. SERVICE.  According to Crossword Tracker, this phrase has been used just once before (in 2019) and was clued as:  PC support

38. Feline in an alley: FERAL CAT.  Moe-ku:

        "Talladega Nights" 

        Actor's known for being hip:

        A true, Ferrell Cat

40. Wee: ITSY.  As in the itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini

41. Nabisco cracker: RITZ.  Or, the last word in an Irving Berlin song, made famous by Dr. Frankenstein and the monster:

42. Painfully close to home: TOO REAL.  

43. Met by chance: RAN INTO. 

46. Make bank: GET PAID.  Not counting the theme entries, Mr. Deeney used a total of nine two-word phrases in this puzzle

47. Classic Pontiac: GTO.  One of many General Motors' A-Body cars of the 1960's

48. Oft-protected fig.: SSN.  Never give out your Social Security Number to a stranger; but since I know all of you through many recaps I've done, here's mine:  123-45-6789

51. Completely surrounded: SIEGED.

53. Move back and forth: SEESAW. A Moe-ku from the archives:

        Jacob and his twin

        Discovered the first fulcrum,

        Called:  Esau's SEESAW

54. God of the underworld: HADES.  More info on HADES

55. Nobel-winning physicist Paul: DIRAC.  

P.A.M. Dirac was an English theoretical physicist who was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics

56. Skin blemish: ZIT.  Everything was going rather smoothly in today's puzzle until this one popped up

61. Encourage: URGE.  

63. Baking meas.: TSP.  

65. Ancient Eur. realm: HRE. Holy Roman Empire

66. Bank corp. with an orange lion logo: ING.

See you again on February 4th

Friday, December 19, 2025 - Samantha Podos Nowak

 Theme:  Addition can sometimes be better than subtraction ... OR ... am I adding or losing some (L)B's?

Puzzling thoughts:

First, this is my last recap/blog of 2025.  Second, since we are one week before Christmas, my recap today will be more brief than usual

Now, with regards to today's puzzle, this is not the first Samantha Podos Nowak puzzle I've blogged. One of her earlier efforts was a collaboration with LAT assistant editor, Katie Hale.  Samantha, like I, came into constructing puzzles after/during the Covid pandemic.  In fact, she and I both had a puzzle that ran the same day (her's at WSJ and mine at LAT) but that's just a coincidence ...

Today's puzzle has an interesting theme, based on a famous line in a Shakespeare play:

36-across. Soliloquy dilemma, and a phonetic hint to 17-, 25-, 51-, and 61-Across: TO BE OR NOT TO BE.  I checked a few sources, and surprisingly this entry has not been seen in a published xword puzzle in almost a decade, and obviously, not used with this set of entries:

17-across. "Pencils, down!" for one: TIMBERLINE. The "Be(B)" or Not to Be(B") is highlighted in the entry.  Use the B and the entry means - literally - the upper limit of tree growth (usually in mountainous regions).  Such as this:

But if you eliminate the B the clue fits the "not to be(B)" meaning.  Think of when you were taking a timed test in school and the proctor calls out:  "Pencils, down!"  I guess (stretching one's imagination) that this would be a TIMER "LINE"

25-across. "What I did last summer" essay penned by a lifeguard?: POOL TABLE.  A pool table should not be mistaken for a billiards table.  Likewise, if you are working a summer part-time job as a lifeguard, you probably don't want to go off telling pool tales or this might happen:

51-across. Ice cream truck jingle, e.g.?: SUGAR CUBE.  When was the last time you saw a sugar cube served in a restaurant?

Now lose the B and you get a semi-ridiculous answer that fits another semi-ridiculous clue ... I never thought of the jingle from an ice cream truck as a sugar CUE.  You can thank me later for the earworm I am about to inject you with, once you click on the "play" button on the video below:

61-across. Fee for a reunion dinner?: ALBUM COVER.  With the B you get this:

IMO, the best ALBUM, ever

Without the B you get a goofy answer to a goofy clue.  At my latest HS reunion, the "ALUM COVER" was $50 which included the cost of renting the venue and what turned out to be a pretty good buffet dinner.  Here is a picture from mine this past September:

Oh, and those of you who wanted to know why Moe thinks that Led Zeppelin IV is the best ever, here is the full album on YouTube - starting with one of my top 5 favorite songs ever:

So, Moe, if you didn't like SUGAR CUBE entry, what would you have suggested, instead?  Ok, here:

51-across. Preserves made by artisans from Wisconsin resort county? DOOR JAMBS - but alas, this one would be cut as the B in JAMBS is silent ... 

How about: Comment from a Jewish kid when he realizes spring break is over? SCHOOLBOY

The Grid:  

I will address the words I disliked or stumbled with in the other clues/answers, below

Across:
1. "Black Widow" singer Rita: ORA.  She is not a singer that I listen to, so this one sat for a while before the perps appeared

4. Oodles: STACKS.  Another that took some time to fill

10. Harvest: CROP.  REAP also fits

14. Loonie currency, briefly: CAD.  For some reason I thought CND would be the answer; but come on, even for a Friday the clue for cad should've been for a noun, not an abbreviation

15. Prestige: CACHET.  It's interesting to note that when I asked the Thesaurusaurus for a synonym for cachet it provided me with prestige - but when I asked for a synonym for prestige it gave me this:

16. Lentil pancake: DOSA.  This word has been used somewhat often @ both Universal Crosswords and USA Today.  Mostly since 2020.  Was this a food item that was introduced during COVID that C-Moe possibly ignored?  I don't think I have ever had one (or two)

And of course, my puerile brain had to think of a Moe-ku:

        Do Indian chef's

        Like Square Dancing? They must. They

        Do the DOSA-dough

[theme entry]

19. Scattered: SOWN.  I originally spelled this SEWN; then, realized my mistake (which left me in stitches)

20. More than half of the world's population: ASIANS.

21. Courtroom figs.: D.A.s. Again, a clue for an abbreviation, when the clue could have been:  German article (DER, DIE, and DAS) and have been just as difficult (IMO)

23. Brief read?: MAG. What's with all of the abbreviations? Sheesh

24. Curriculum __: VITAE.  After watching this video, I am perfectly happy being retired! 

 

[theme entry]

28. USN rank: ENS.  Maybe I should have started counting abbr's ...

29. Hotel bar: SOAP.  My mind immediately thought "MINI"

31. Burrito option: ASADA.  As in "carne asada".  Asada translates to the English "grilled".  Personally, I prefer El Pastor burritos

32. Alien-seeking org.: SETI.  Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - and the abbr's continue

34. Bind: TIE.  

35. Class with pastels: ART.  

[reveal of the theme]

41. Sculpture medium: ICE.  Phil Conners was quite the ice sculptor, as depicted in this movie by (54-across. "Groundhog Day" writer/director) Harold RAMIS.

42. Bygone JFK carrier: TWA.  I'm done panning all of the abbreviations ... if I see another one, I will ignore it and move on, FWIW

43. Silver State city: RENO. Silver State = Nevada

45. Fountain spot, perhaps: PLAZA.  

48. Staffer: AIDE. 

50. Keebler baker: ELF.  Moe-ku:

        Michael Bloomberg's one

        Of the shortest billionaires

        He's an ELF-made-man

[theme entry]

56. Slip: ERR.  

57. __ Quixote: DON.

58. From the beginning: DE NOVO.  Our Latin word-of-the-day

59. Luau strings: UKES. 

[theme entry] 

64. Bambi, for one: DEER.  FAWN also fits

65. Afternoon trayful: TEA SET.  SCONES also fits

66. QB mistake: INT. 

67. Ish: OR SO.  Ballpark estimate might have worked as a clue, too

 
68. Knight mares: STEEDS.  While this definition doesn't specify, a steed can be either a stallion or a mare - and since it can be a female horse, it allowed Samantha (or maybe Patti) to use this witty clue

69. Season opener?: ESS. For those who don't "get" the wordplay, season opener usually refers to the first MLB game of the new year - but here, it's the starting letter in the word, season

Down:
1. So-so ranges?: OCTAVES.  Sometimes clues go too far ... but I am guessing that whoever came up with this one was referring to the "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do" range, which is also an octave  

And for anyone here who learned/played their first scale (octave) on the piano - with "do" being middle C - I trust that you will "get" this Moe-ku:

        "So-so ranges" was

        The clue. I knew where to start.

        Gee, I'm one sharp guy

2. Chocolate-covered bite: RAISINET.  Did anyone else think that this chocolate-covered candy was spelled Raisinette?

3. Comes clean about: ADMITS TO.  See 2-down for MY confession

4. Tantrums: SCENES.  Having just returned from spending time with a 5-1/2 year old grandson, I endured more scenes than a Shakespeare play

5. Works on the road: TARS.  Or, sailors on a ship

6. Knee pt.: ACL. 

7. Home of the Cubbies and the Bears: CHI.

8. Martial art that began as sword exercises practiced by samurai: KENDO.  In Japan, I hear that toy stores are selling a figurine by the same name (Kendo) that's equipped with a sword, a convertible, and a girlfriend named Barbie 

9. Take the wrong way?: STEAL.  This word (steal) is among the more popular starting words for the online game, Wordle

10. Common PC inserts, once: CDS.
 
11. Floor model?: ROOMBA.  Model, as in which model Roomba would you purchase for cleaning your floor.  The one on the left below looks pretty functional, to me

12. The Penguin's first name: OSWALD.  Seriously?

13. Supercontinent of the late Paleozoic Era: PANGEA.  And if you just got over the previous clue/answer ...

18. Sheepish remark: BAA.

22. Tee off: START.  As in the start of a golf hole

25. Two of a kind: PAIR.  What's your favorite pair? These?

26. Bill with round numbers?: OPEN TAB.  More wordplay in this clue ... 

27. Mary of "The Maltese Falcon": ASTOR.  Also known as Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke

30. Oklahoma Natives: OTOE.  So, Otoe is also the plural?

33. Island near Majorca: IBIZA.  Okay.  I've been pretty lenient about the obscurity of many of today's words.  And honestly, a couple of "odd" words for a Friday are OK if the puzzle venue specifies that.  But the LA Times Friday puzzles lately have been anything but consistent.  IBIZA, PANGEA, OSWALD, ROOMBA, KENDO, RAISINET, SETI, VITAE, DOSA (and I still have a few more words to recap ...)

35. Little bit: A TAD.  You think I am a tad frustrated by today's puzzle?  I don't think I will be the only one

37. Digital greeting: E-CARD.  

38. Tot's bruise: OWIE.

39. Animated film in which Renée Zellweger voices a florist named Vanessa Bloome: BEE MOVIE.  I wonder if one of the possible titles for this film was "To Bee or Not to Bee"?

40. Spices up: ENLIVENS.  I suppose you could say that Moe-kus enlivens my recaps (44-down. In a way:) OF SORTS.

45. Ersatz: PSEUDO.  Don't believe this answer; it's fake

46. Forum visitor who never posts: LURKER.  How many lurkers do we have at this forum?  I'm guessing it's in the hundreds - maybe more

47. Sees eye to eye: AGREES.  

49. Raises: ERECTS.

52. Checked garments: COATS.  Do restaurants still have coat check rooms? 

53. Still in need of tenants: UNLET.  Can we add unlet to the list of weird words today?

55. "That's __-brainer!": A NO.  [see above] - maybe not

58. Contacted privately, briefly: DM'ED.

60. B'way sign: SRO.

62. Honeybunny: BAE.

63. Capitalize on: USE.  Did anyone keep a count of how many abbreviated words there were today?  Does anyone use many of these in their normal conversations, written or oral?

I hoped my last puzzle to recap this year could've been more fun.  But I have enjoyed doing these; hard to believe it's been 5-1/2 years since I volunteered to blog on C.C.'s LATCC site

Wishing everyone a safe and blessed holiday season - see you next year!

Friday, December 5, 2025 - Brian Callahan & Taylor Johnson

 Theme:  "Pocket change"

And here is a YouTube clip of one of the songs from this album

Puzzling thoughts:

The reason I chose "Pocket Change" as the theme title is because, well, I found that cool album cover photo and an equally cool song from that album.  So there!  But if we use it to describe today's puzzle, it fits; we see four entries that are all created from the letters in the word "pocket", so in a sense, we have (a) pocket "change"  

In the grid image below, I highlighted the word P-O-C-K-E-T in each of the entries. I was hoping that the remaining letters in each entry would have some added meaning, so I reached out to Taylor Johnson (one of the co-constructors) to further define what this puzzle's all about: 

Taylor replied, "It's essentially a letter-bank theme! Basically, the reveal is saying that each of those entries is "made OUT OF POCKET," meaning that the only letters used to make those entries are the letters in (the word) POCKET.  Some letters are repeated in some entries, but overall, the only letters that appear are P-O-C-K-E-T. I hope this clears things up! Thanks!"

Taylor said nothing more about whose idea this was, his or Brian's.  Both of these gentlemen have scores of published crossword puzzles between them; not sure if this was their first collaboration though

Entries:

17-across. *Odist with a passion for the culinary arts?: COOKTOP POET.  Might this inspire the Chairman to embrace this entry?  Why not!  How about a Moe-l'ick for a change?

        Former chef just decides to embark

        Doing stir-fry.  He went on a lark

        Opened restaurant in town

        Near the green; what a clown!

        'Cause he calls it: "A Wok in the Park"        

24-across. *Eight-member band from Seoul, perhaps?: K-POP OCTET.  How about another Moe-l'ick?

        K-Pop octet conducted a poll

        And the question was painfully droll:

        "Just because that we lack

        Any singer who's black

        Do you think that we ain't got no Seoul?"

37-across. *Social media community obsessed with quick kisses?: PECK TOK.  Sorry, nothing in this one inspired the Chairman, poetically ... and to be honest, I thought this entry could have been left out

 

However, after I wrote today's blog, I got an email from the constructors and explained (to this old Boomer) what this meant.  Apparently, people who love reading (for example) might have a "community" on Tik Tok that refers to all the people who make videos about books; and they are then known as "Book Tok".  I suppose that those who do kissing videos might resemble this one:

 

 

48-across. *Beverage sold at a Florida theme park?: EPCOT COKE.  I dunno if Brian and Taylor checked first, to see if Disney World features Coca-Cola products, but they do.  So, I guess I can let this one slide.  And because Disney serves Coca-Cola products, this one inspired a Moe-ku:

        Disney hired Coke

        To build a new attraction

        Called:  Fanta - Sea Land

Reveal:

59-across. Like some expenses, and how the answers to the starred clues are made?: OUT OF POCKET.  (Described above)

Here's the grid, and then off to the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:
1. Casual top?: CAMI.

5. __ page: website introduction: SPLASH.  Would've preferred ___ pool for this one; fun!

11. Spanish infinitive: SER.  To be in Espanol

14. Stratford-upon-__: AVON.  Birthplace of Shakespeare

15. Cause: LEAD TO.

16. Hullabaloo: ADO.  Does anyone remember this Hullabaloo?

[theme entry]

19. "Snowden" org.: NSA. Snowden

20. Morsel: TIDBIT.

21. Flavor of some purple ice cream: UBE.  I would not want ice cream to taste like this

22. Condition that affects one's ability to focus, briefly: AD/HD.

23. Pastoral: IDYLL.

[theme entry]

26. Word on a shoppe sign: OLDE.  Here is a shoppe where you can buy olde signs

28. "Yes __!": SIRREE.

29. Soft "Hey, you": PSST.

32. Great Basin people: UTES.

35. Gets warmer, in a way: NEARS.

36. Prefix in some genre names: ALT.

[theme entry]

39. Jazz guitarist Metheny: PAT. 

 

40. Paris river: SEINE.

42. Catch: HEAR.

43. IDs on tax forms: SSNS.  Mine is 123-45-6789.  Yours? [don't reply!] 

44. Star associated with Venus: SERENA.  Her sister; former tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams.  The movie, King Richard, talks about their rise from Compton, CA to being the best sister act in sports

46. Expand: GROW.

[them entry]

51. Catch: HITCH.  

55. Infielder played by Bernsen in the "Major League" films: DORN.  An interview with Roger Dorn

56. Weep: CRY.

57. Eritrea's capital: ASMARA.

58. Egg cells: OVA.

[theme reveal]

61. Hat similar to a songkok: FEZ.  Songkok?  What the *?!# is that?  Oh, this:

62. "The way things stand ... ": AS IT IS.

63. "Je t'__": French "I love you": AIME.  

64. Get too much sun: FRY.

  

65. Change from residential to commercial, say: REZONE.  

66. Educational spots, briefly: PSAS.

Down:
1. Arizona flora: CACTI.  CSO to Lucina, Yuman, and yours truly - any other Arizonans I've missed? Here is a picture of a very rare cactus 

Crested Saguaro

2. Steer clear of: AVOID.

3. Mercurial: MOODY.

4. Image that's subject to interpretation: INK BLOT.

5. Opening: SLOT.

6. Verve: PEP.

7. Relish: LAP UP.  "Condiment" did not fit

8. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO.  Maybe one of our posters can share a recipe? 

9. Brews: STEEPS.  As in tea

10. Word with tip or take: HOT.  Hot tip; Hot take

11. Driving challenges?: SANDTRAPS.  The ones in the photo below are known as "The Church Pews" and were last seen in this past June's U.S.Open Championship held at Oakmont CC outside of Pittsburgh

12. "Thinking Out Loud" singer: ED SHEERAN.  Ed and I share the same birthday.  Here are some others who were born on this date.  And below you can listen to a seasonal song from Mr. Sheeran

13. Driving challenges?: ROAD TESTS.  If I recall, I passed on the first go around.  Had to parallel park; serpentine through cones; and do it all in a car with a manual gear box.  Apparently this is what the PA test involves nowadays

18. Register: TILL.  This:

22. Lot unit: ACRE.

24. Fore-and-aft rigged boat: KETCH.

25. [I'm a pig!]: OINK.

27. Outstanding: DUE.

29. Sent along (to): PASSED OFF.

30. Pajama party: SLEEPOVER.  Is this a song video you'd play at a sleepover? [contains a few nasty words so beware]

31. Suffering from cabin fever: STIR CRAZY.

33. Pull (out): EKE.

34. Play area: STAGE.

37. Cooped (up): PENT.

38. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR.  The best NHL player to wear the #4 sweater? 

41. Quite bright: NEON.

43. Pool wear: SWIM CAP.  What do you think of this one?

45. Point the finger at: ACCUSE.  

47. Very, very: OH SO.

49. Ana of "Love, Victor": ORTIZ.  This person: 

50. Onetime capital of Japan: KYOTO.  Maybe my co-blogger MalMan can comment about Kyoto?

52. Brand of rolled tortilla chips: TAKIS. Total unknown to me.  Don't think that I have ever tried them.  To those who have, are they any good?

53. Taco topping: CREMA.  It's the Mexican version of cream cheese

54. Abhors: HATES.

57. Cathedral area: APSE.  Crosswordese

59. Dory propeller: OAR. and 60-across. Dory propeller: FIN. Are clechos.  

59 across DORY

60 across DORY

Since I don't have deep pockets, this is all you get for today!  Have fun with your comments and/or questions.  See you in two weeks