Monday May 26, 2025 Christina Iverson

  

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!  

sumdaze here. Today's theme is:

Things We Need to Trim for $200, Alex.  

You can put away your hedge clippers. This one is more personal. We'll begin with the three themed clues & answers:

16 Across. Really, really strong: AS TOUGH AS NAILS.  

26 Across. Delicate pasta often served with a light sauce: ANGEL HAIR.  It is one of the thinnest pastas available. Its Italian name is capellini which means "little hairs". 

<not for those with trichophobia>

44 Across. French folktale that inspired a Kurt Vonnegut novel: BLUEBEARD.

Britannica's write-up  

The reveal:

52 Across. "I wasn't sure at first, but ...," or what could be said about the ends of 16-, 26-, and 44-Across?: IT'S GROWING ON ME.  We use this idiom to say that we like something better as time goes on. It can also imply an increasing attachment. Ex.:  At first I did not like my roommate's pet iguana but now IT'S GROWNING ON ME.

Also, the words NAILS, HAIR, and BEARD name things that GROW ON the human body.  

Play-Doh Buzz 'n Cut Fuzzy Pumper Barber Shop Set

Across:

1. Flurries of activity: ADOS.  This fill always makes me think about the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing.

5. Swedish aerospace giant: SAAB.  SAAB aerospace history

9. Pet food brand: ALPO.  

Remember the Lorne Greene ads?
(BTW, he was a Canadian, born in Ottawa...eh!)

13. Olympic skier Lindsey: VONN.  [b. October 18, 1984 in St. Paul, MN]  Lindsey Vonn: All alpine ski titles, records, and medals - complete list  

She is simply amazing!

14. The Bruins of the Big Ten Conf.: UCLA.  University of California, Los Angeles

memory trick for next time:  the bear on the CA state flag

15. Devil costume part: TAIL.

19. Impressive display: ARRAY.  This is the first of three answers that could be clued in a math way.  

20. One whose age is given in months: TODDLER.

22. Brick and __: MORTAR.  In this age of E-TAIL, brick and mortar has developed a more specific meaning to distinguish businesses with a physical building where clients and customers can visit.

24. Plead: BEG.  Does anyone remember this Olivia Newton-John song from 1975?  

Please Mr. Please

I may or may not have sung this song into a hairbrush

while roller-skating in my driveway back in the day.

25. __ Star State: LONE.  CSO to our TX Cornerites!

28. "Please explain?": HOW SO?.

29. Chilled: ICED.  

30. Bus. letters: INC.  Business and INCorporated.

31. "Right this minute!": NOW.

32. Allow: LET.

33. Musician known as the "Godfather of Punk": IGGY POP.  [b. James Newell Osterberg Jr. on April 21, 1947]  I question how many IP fans we have on The Corner; but, in case you are curious....

Iggy Pop   ~   Lust for Life   ~   released 1977

35. Beaver's project: DAM.  

38. "As if!": HAH.

39. Prefix with gender: CIS-.  Wiki list of English words prefixed with CIS-

40. "Of __ and Men": MICE.  John Steinbeck [1902-1968] was an American author who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writing, combining sympathetic humor and keen social perception." To me that perfectly describes this novella (published in 1937) as well as his other works. Steinbeck is much celebrated here in Monterey, his home county.

41. Lofty goal: DREAM.

46. Tidy: NEAT.

47. Stick in a pool hall: CUE.

48. Stovetops: RANGES.  This is the second of three answers that could be clued in a math way.  

49. "Wow, so soon?": ALREADY.

51. Refried beans bean: PINTO.

56. "If the __ fits ... ": SHOE.  

57. World-traveling Verne protagonist: FOGG.  Phileas Fogg is the protagonist in the 1872 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. This is the trailer for the 2004 Disney movie version starring Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan:  

58. Train travel: RAIL.  

The Doobie Brothers   ~   Long Train Runnin'   ~   1973

59. Watch part: HAND.  

60. Own (up): FESS.  

This one didn't go where I thought it was going.

61. Loud noise: SLAM.     and     45 Down. Loud noise: BANG.

Down:  

1. Director DuVernay: AVA.     and     27 Down. "Brokeback Mountain" director Lee: ANG.

We see these directors regularly in our grids.

2. Uno y uno: DOS.  "Y" (pronounced "ee") translates to "and" in English. I love the name Marysol (sea and sun).

3. Properly aimed: ON TARGET.  Eaglets instinctually shoot their poop outside of their nest but they do not seem to first look to make sure family members are not in the way. In this video Sunny NAILS eagle dad Shadow 🎯, who takes it in stride.  

video from 5/11/25

As of this writing, neither Sunny nor Gismo have fledged

-- but I am keeping an eye on them!

BTW, the correct word for an eagle poop shoot is slice.

4. Showed appreciation for a bad joke, maybe: SNORTED.  

5. Result of a Halloween candy binge: SUGAR HIGH.  This was not a first-y but it is a great bonus word! I started with SUGAR rusH.

6. Sore: ACHY.

7. In the style of, on a menu: À LA.

8. Tool often used on Thanksgiving: BASTER.

9. Just slightly: A TAD.

10. Brought down to the ground: LAID LOW.

11. Bed cushion: PILLOW.

12. "Full House" twins: OLSENS.  They did that thing where twins play one character so a TODDLER would not have to be on set so much.  

Mary-Kate and Ashley
(or Ashley and Mary-Kate???)

17. Asian territory on a Risk board: URAL.  Risk is a board game of strategy and territorial conquest.

18. Eggy holiday drink: NOG.

21. __ Speedwagon: REO.

22. Put in the post: MAIL.

23. A single time: ONCE.

24. Transport with training wheels: BICYCLE.  We see training wheels less and less because today's TODDLERs learn to ride on balance bikes. Pretty nifty!!  

28. Move like a frog: HOP.

31. Some facial jewelry: NOSE RINGS.  Speaking of frogs...

33. Terse affirmative: I AM.  "Remember to take out the recycling."  "I AM!"

34. More, on a music score: PIÙ.  This is an Italian musical term that means "more". It is commonly used in conjunction with other musical instructions to indicate that the performer should increase certain aspects of the music, such as volume, speed, or emotion.  source  

35. Like the lines on argyle socks: DIAGONAL.  This is the third of three answers that could be clued in a math way.  

36. Land unit: ACRE.

37. Rx items: MEDS.  Note that both the clue and answer are abbreviations.

38. Talks trash about: HATES ON.  Just as it is not a good idea to roll around in trash, it is not a good idea to wallow in HATE.

40. Trusted career guides: MENTORS.

41. Genetic letters: DNA.

42. Condiment on a hot dog: RELISH.  This word is a good fit for Memorial Day picnics.

43. "Santa Baby" singer Kitt: EARTHA.  [1927-2008]  Eartha also played Catwoman in two episodes of the 1960s Batman TV series. Here she is with Cesar Romero as The Joker.

44. Bribe: BUY OFF.  I had paY OFF before BUY OFF.

47. Capt.'s underling: CDR.  In the U.S. Navy, a Captain is over a Commander.

50. Became older: AGED.  Speaking of birthdays, Happy 75th Birthday to Sophia!  

51. Babe and Wilbur, for two: PIGS.  Young PIGS are called piglets and young hedgehogs are called hoglets.  

Babe, Wilbur, and a hoglet

53. Deep sadness: WOE.

54. "Mamma __!": MIA.  Such a great soundtrack! I'll take a chance on this one:

55. Furniture wood: ELM.  If this were 1-Down, I would have inked in oak but by 55-D it had filled itself.

Today's grid:  

Christina put ten (non-themed) two-word answers in this grid.

I hope this puzzle measured up to your expectations!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Wednesday, Nov 27th, 2024 ~ Christina Iverson

  THE MIND...

I am a pluviophile

Another 16 x 15 grid for a Wednesday puzzle - but - no circles, then again eight or ten names, depending on how you count, 22 each of TLWs and four-letter words, eight "quoted" clues, and a whopping ELEVEN abbreviations;

18. *Is treated unfairly: GETS THE SHAFT

29. *Biodiverse ecological layer: RAINFOREST CANOPY

49. *Lost control of one's emotions: FLEW OFF THE HANDLE

64. Expression that covers a broad category, or what is found at the end of the answer to each starred clue?: UMBRELLA TERM - Today's $2 word for this phrase is "hypernymy"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Coastal country with approximately a quarter of Africa's gorillas: GABON - I recall "Survivor" had a season there

6. "Huh, really?": "THAT SO~?"

12. Panda car driver: COP - I did not know this is a British term, despite having parents born & raised in England, but it makes sense; black & white . . . . the Wiki

15. The "A" of the ABC islands: ARUBA - the others being Bonaire and Curaçao

16. Become less intense: EASE UP

17. Singer DiFranco: ANI - name #1 

20. Slump: SAG

21. Skedaddles: SCOOTS

22. Fish out of water: MISFITS - semi-meh.  FishES would have helped

24. Data unit: BYTE

26. "A little assistance here!": "HELP~!"

28. Monogram pt.: INITials - abbr#1

34. Irene who matched wits with Holmes: ADLER - #2; I did not know this character

35. Eateries that might have 1950s decor: DINERS

Hello~? McFly~?

36. Actress Gadot: GAL - #3; I am getting used to seeing her in crosswords now

37. Apple platform: iOS

40. Foot part: TOE

41. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA - #4, crossword staple

44. "You're making me blush!": "STOP IT~!"

47. Sacred song: PSALM

54. Actress Chaplin: OONA - #5 - her IMDb

55. Phone message: TEXT

56. Genesis garden: EDEN

57. Suitcases: LUGGAGE

61. Gutter ball preventer: BUMPER

I think she's cheating . . . .

63. Genetic material: DNA - abbr#2

68. Common breakfast ingredient: EGG

69. Hearty: ROBUST

70. Loads (of): SCADS

71. Poor grade: DEE

72. Real estate and the like: ASSETS

and "the like"  :7))

73. "Aw, shucks": "OH MAN..."


DOWN:

1. "Eww!": GAG

2. "__ you nuts?": ARE

3. "And yet ... ": BUT STILL...

4. More than a little indecent: OBSCENE - "the words he knows are all obscene, but . . . "

We lost Phil Lesh last month - Oct 25th

5. Brussels-based gp.: NATO - Wed-level crossword clue - abbr#3

6. Wobble: TEETER - good WAG on my part

7. Pestered: HASSLED - but ANNOYED was not

8. Volcanic residue: ASH

9. United group: TEAM

10. Certain Muslim: SUFI

11. Makes a selection: OPTS - meh. chooses is  better

12. Vegas venue: CASINO - I have ZERO desire to go to Las Vegas, other than to see the architecture

13. How some bet: ON A TIP - Dah~! Not ONLINE

14. Spot that isn't spotless: PIG STY

19. Hostess brand: HoHo - meh.  I don't like this clue; isn't it a "product", not a brand~?

23. Snorkeler's footwear: FINS - how goes the swimming, C.C.~?

24. Boast: BRAG

25. When repeated, "Blah, blah, blah" kin: YADA - the "Elaine-ism" from Seinfeld

27. Trident-shaped letter: PSI

30. __ pie: dish with corn chips: FRITO - does make sense; we called it "Dip" in Cincinnati

31. Explosive letters: TNT - two blogs in a row for me; abbr#5

32. Corp. suit: CEO - ah; 'suit' meaning the 'person' in the position; the term for this is "metonymy" - and abbr#6

33. Colombian street snack: AREPA

A recipe here - a taco made with a thick corn flatbread

38. "Sounds painful!": "OOF~!"

39. UV-filtering measurement: SPF - Sun Protection Factor - for UV "B" rays, and abbr#7

41. Nightmare: BAD DREAM

42. Fanning of "Super 8": ELLE - #5, More from her IMDb page

43. Prayer ending: AMEN

44. Branded totes and pens, e.g.: SWAG - I am quietly wondering if I will ever get invited to the Pipe Organ convention, and see what swag they are offering. . . . 

45. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT - duh-duh-duh dun....snick - snick - #6

46. Tina Turner's signature song: THE BEST - I can think of others that are "BETTER"

48. Star-bellied Dr. Seuss creature: SNEETCH - I've never heard of these guys, #7

49. Practiced origami: FOLDED - practiced POKER, too

50. Upscale waiting area in an airport: LOUNGE - total WAG

51. Take part (in): ENGAGE

And a Picard Shout-Out~!

52. Rejoices: EXULTS

53. Web design code: HTML - abbr#8

58. Supernatural glow: AURA

59. Engineered foods, for short: GMOs - Genetically Modified Organisms, abbr#9

60. Subsides: EBBS

62. El __, Texas: PASO

65. Regret: RUE

66. Dietary amt.: RDA - abbr#10

67. Early AOL rival: MSN -  MicroSoft Network - abbr#11

Splynter

Savor Stuffing the Stuffing tomorrow~!

Monday April 8, 2024 Christina Iverson

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with an eye opening puzzle from Christina Iverson.

Theme:      I See What You Mean

 

Let's see if we can shed some light on this one.

TBH, thinking about eyeball anatomy and diseases makes me feel squeamish
so I am narrowing this down to just one diagram that has
all we need for today:  ROD, IRIS, CONE, and  PUPIL.

These are the themers:

17 Across. Curtain holder in a bathroom: SHOWER ROD  

I like these curved ones. They give me just a bit more space.

25 Across. Purple flower with a fuzzy patch: BEARDED IRIS.  

These lovely IRISes belong to my former neighbor and current friend.

51 Across. Orange marker in a construction zone: TRAFFIC CONE.  

64 Across. Student at the top of the honor roll: STAR PUPIL.  

Then the reveal:

39. "We're almost there!," and what can be said about 17-, 25-, 51-, and 64-Across?: THE END IS IN SIGHT.

The ends of all the themed clues (ROD, IRIS, CONE, and PUPIL) are  parts of a human eye and are essential to sight.  

This theme seems an excellent fit for viewing today's total solar eclipse. I think that was Patti's plan. What do you think?

PSA from The Corner:  Prioritize your eye safety. Do not look directly at the sun during an eclipse.  Turn around!  

Bonnie Tyler (1983) Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn around)

<You knew I had to work this in.>

Across:

1. Have an ugly cry: BAWL.  a baseball reference  😜

5. Fly through the air: SOAR.

9. Barked: ARFED.

14. Eight, in Spanish: OCHO.  ¡Canta conmigo! (Sing with me!)

15. Give a darn: CARE.

16. "__!" ... "Polo!": MARCO.  It's a hide-and-seek game played in a swimming pool that holds a distinction in that everyone who ever played it also cheated at least once.

19. Situation with a player at first, say: ONE ON.  another baseball reference.

A runner at first sets up the opportunity for my favorite thing about baseball -- the double play.  

20. Peaceful: SERENE.  Def.:  (adj.) marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.

That's you ... in the canoe.

21. Commercial lead-in to "bnb": AIR.  This clue feels like a lot of work for something as ubiquitous as AIR. "Commercial" here refers to business as opposed to a TV advertisement.  

Airbnb is an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their property with people who are looking for accommodations, typically for short stays.

23. Gaelic speaker: CELT.  

24. French fashion initials: YSL.

28. Country singer Loretta: LYNN.  (Apr. 14, 1932 - Oct. 4, 1922)  Her website says that she is the most awarded lady in Country music.

29. Scotch's partner: SODA.  A Scotch & Soda is an alcoholic beverage ... and the first line of this song by the Kingston Trio.  

30. Naked: BARE.  Here's a clip from a TV show called Naked and Afraid from The Discovery Channel. You can think of it as Survivor on crack. It is now on its 17 season.  

33. Stomp on the gas: GUN IT.  Let's move on from this one as quickly as possible.

36. Govt. intel org.: NSA.  National Security Agency

43. Unnaturally pale: WAN.  

44. Construct: ERECT.  

45. Film spool: REEL.

46. Root vegetable in Nigerian cuisine: TARO.  TARO, aka cocoyam (pronounced "KOH-KOH-YAM"), is a crop cultivated in many regions including Africa and the West Indies / Caribbean. The crop is a staple food in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana. It can be prepared a variety of ways.

48. Lawn tool: RAKE.

55. Work on a quilt: SEW.

58. Wild canine: WOLF.

59. "Dance the Night" singer __ Lipa: DUA.

60. Like some albums: DELUXE.  A "deluxe edition" usually means it contains extra content, compared to the standard edition.  This is the album cover for 59A's DELUXE edition.  

(tiny writing at the bottom says "deluxe edition")

62. Show host: EMCEE.  I learned the other day on WWDTM that a British English term for an MC (Master of Ceremonies) is compere.

66. Jump back, say: REACT.  This is how it's done:

67. Sheet of paper: PAGE.

68. Hatchling's home: NEST.  A pair of intrepid birds have built a nest in my hose holder. Needless to say, I will not be using that hose for a while. I know this is not a great picture but I did not want to upset them. The mom is in there. They were well-protected during our recent storms, my dog will keep cats away, plus I have a lot of miner's lettuce going to seed in my front yard for them to forage. They chose well, don't you think?

69. Cities with harbors: PORTS.

70. Post-blizzard blanket: SNOW.  Cute clue!

71. __ and crafts: ARTS.

Down:
1. Like an overbearing older sibling: BOSSY.  Lucy immediately came to mind.

2. Is sore: ACHES.

3. Pattern of spirals on a fingerprint: WHORL.  You don't hear this one everyday.  

A fingerprint analyst is a professional scientist who obtains, studies, and analyzes fingerprints as well as palm prints and footprints as part of a crime scene investigation.

4. Actor Rob of "Parks and Recreation": LOWE.  He played Chris Traeger, an intensely cheerful and enthusiastic character.

5. Bug keeper-outer on a window: SCREEN.  

perhaps an underappreciated moment of brilliance

6. Rowboat rower: OAR.

7. Noisy, as a crowd: AROAR.

8. Fixed up again: REDID.  past tense of "redo"

9. "Yo te __": AMO.  Spanish  

10. Putrid: RANCID.

11. Allowed to roam, as chickens: FREE RANGE.

You can feed your RANCID fruit to your FREE RANGE chickens.

12. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.

13. Heading on a list of actions to avoid: DON'TS.  

18. Phonetic term often associated with they/them pronouns: ENBY.  It is "phonetic" because it sounds like N-B, as in non-binary.  

22. Sticky tree secretion: RESIN.  I learned on this U.S. Forest Service website that RESIN in hops gives beer its unique aroma and bitter taste.

26. "The Hate U Give" writer Thomas: ANGIE.  goodreads link

27. Connect the __: DOTS.  The 2018 Guinness World Record is 52,901 dots!

28. Big name in jeans: LEE.  Their marketing campaign uses a 'regular guy' approach.

30. Short "While I'm thinking of it ... ": BTW.  By The Way....

31. Exclamation of understanding: AHA.

32. Vehicle picked up at an airport, maybe: RENTAL CAR.  Good clue! It reminds me of what happened to the rental cars in Hawaii during Covid. Most tourists visiting Hawaii get a rental car. Tourists stopped flying to Hawaii during Covid. Suddenly there was no room to park all the rental cars that would normally be checked out to visitors. The solution was to park them at Aloha Stadium. They filled the parking lot!

34. Golden State sch.: USC.  University of Southern California

California has "University of ___" schools and "CSU, ___" schools (e.g., CA State University, San Diego). Both are 4-year degree schools. UC schools operate as residential campuses focusing on research and graduate education. CSU schools, in contrast, tend to enroll more commuter students. The UC system is generally considered more prestigious -- and more expensive.

35. The "N" of TNT: NITRO.

37. "__ Persisted": children's book by Chelsea Clinton: SHE.  goodreads link

38. Ga. capital: ATL.  Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.

40. Maker of squishy darts: NERF.  

super squishy

41. Humanlike robot: DROID.  

For the record, I want our future AI overlords to know that I supported them

by posting this very favorable 1:20 min. video.

42. Anger: IRE.

47. Move emotionally: AFFECT.

49. Composer Lloyd Webber: ANDREW.  (b. Mar. 22, 1948)  I learned from reading his bio on his website that he has EGOT status.  This is Patti LuPone singing With One Look from his musical, Sunset Boulevard.  

50. Save: KEEP.

51. Little troublemaker: TWERP.

52. Juliet's partner: ROMEO.

53. Zodiac transition points: CUSPS.  These are the days bordering the sun's transition to a new sign. For example, those born between April 17-23 are in the Aires-Taurus CUSP. They are said to be influenced by both the Aires and Taurus zodiac signs.

54. Board game that dropped "The Settlers of" from its name: CATAN.  I have blogged this fill before but I still could not remember it. Oof! Perhaps another visual image will help lock it into my cerebral cortex. If not, my neurons will play CAT ANd mouse looking for this name.  

55. "Terrific!": SUPER.  

56. Are: EXIST.

57. Swollen marks: WELTS.

61. Name that means "moon": LUNA.  If you are around anyone named LUNA while watching the eclipse today, you can say, "Down in front!"

63. UFO pilots: ETS.

65. Back in time: AGO.

"Now in time", we will take a look at the grid:  

See you later!