Tuesday July 15, 2025 Dan Kammann, Zhouqin Burnikel

The Teddy Bear's Picnic.  Today's puzzle provides lots of elements needed for a successful summertime picnic.

17-Across. Vague catchall expression: BLANKET TERM.

27-Across. Folks who hopefully prevail in a tense situation: COOLER HEADS.

47. Outfield grab perfected by Willie Mays: BASKET CATCH.

And the unifier:

61-Across. Outside eating spots, and where to find the starts of 17-, 27-, and 47-Across: PICNIC AREAS.

Across:

1. Network with pledge drives: PBS.  As in the Public Broadcasting Service.  The logo is a silhouetted human face that is supposed to represent "everyone".

4. __ insult to injury: ADD.

7. Fragrance: AROMA.

12. Perky agent in Progressive ads: FLO.

13. Skylit courtyards: ATRIA.

Oops, wrong atria.

15. Defame in print: LIBEL.

16. At a distance: FAR.

19. Angle symbol in geometry: THETA.  It's Greek to me.

21. Cross a welcome mat: GO IN.

22. Organs shielded by goggles: EYES.

23. Seated yoga pose: LOTUS.

25. Spanish aunts: TIAs.  Today's Spanish lesson.

30. Keeps in the email loop: CCs.  A shout out to our Blog Mistress.

33. Deceptive ploy: RUSE.

34. Arcing toss: LOB.

35. Yawn-inducing: HO HUM.

37. Like fine wine: AGED.

38. Dive like an eagle: SWOOP.

41. Singer McEntire: REBA.  Reba Nell McEntier (b. Mar. 28, 1955) is sometimes referred to as the Queen of Country Music.

42. Pulsate: THROB.

44. Egg cells: OVA.

45. Stand for a speaker: DAIS.

46. UFO navigators: ETs.  As in ExtraTerrestrials. 

51. Rights advocacy org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  The organization was founded over 100 years ago ~ on January 19, 1920.

52. Artifact: RELIC.

53. Move like a dreidel: SPIN.

56. Obstacles to teamwork: EGOS.

58. Battery terminal: ANODE.

64. Apply gently: DAB.

65. For all to hear: ALOUD.

66. Some Instagram videos: REELS.

67. Timeline division: ERA.

68. The Wizard of __ Park: Edison nickname: MENLO.  Thomas Alva Edison (b. Feb. 11, 1847 ~ October. 18, 1931) established a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

69. Unicorn's horn count: ONE.

70. Pen for pigs: STY.

Down:

1. Sound of a fizzling firecracker: PFFT.

2. Far from thrilling: BLAH.

3. People who can't handle defeat: SORE LOSERS.

4. Delta HQ: ATL.  Delta Airlines Headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.

5. Event with diva impersonators: DRAG SHOW.

6. Flintstone pet: DINO.

7. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.

8. Rituals such as wudu and baptism: RITES.  Wudu is an Islamic ritual purification practice involving the washing of specific body parts before prayer and other acts of worship.

9. Do as one is told: OBEY.

10. No more than: MERE.

11. Charitable relief: ALMS.

13. Taper off: ABATE.

14. Muscular Japanese dog: AKITA.

18. City west of Tulsa: ENID.  Enid is a crossword staple.  The name of the town might have been inspired by Alfred Tennyson's Idles of the King.

20. Lake Erie port: TOLEDO.  Hi, JazzBumpa!  Is there a relationship between the town in Ohio and the one in Spain?  You decide.

24. Bookmarked links: URLs.  As in the Uniform Resource Locator.

26. Fireplace residue: ASH.

27. Shipping container: CRATE.

28. "You __ to know better": OUGHT.

29. Kindle purchase: E-BOOK.

30. Hacks that help video gamers win: CHEAT CODES.

31. Three-dimensional: CUBIC.

32. Break to pieces: SMASH.

36. Invest with priestly authority: ORDAIN.

39. Supervised: OVERSEEN.

40. Hors d'oeuvres spread: PÂTÉ.  Yummers!

43. U.K. TV network: BBC.  As in the British Broadcasting Corporation.

48. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  For a certain generation, Sir Alex Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000) is best known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Yesterday we learned that in 1952, he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai.  I am not quite of that generation to have remembered that.

49. Sweetie: SUGAR.

50. Group of students: CLASS.

51. Declare invalid: ANNUL.

53. Email incessantly: SPAM.  We had the canned meat yesterday.

54. Heap on laundry day: PILE.

55. Clickable picture: ICON.

57. Cookie that created the Dunk Club: OREO.  A crossword staple.

59. Pub projectile: DART.

60. Online auction giant: EBAY.

62. Vow renewal vow: I DO.

63. Foamy drink in a stein: ALE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Dan Kamman and Zhouqin Burnikel

Broken Noses.  Today's puzzle is brought to us by our blog hostess C.C. and Dan Kammann.  A Beak is an informal term used to describe a nose, often a large nose.  Each theme answer begins with the letter B and ends with the letters EAK, thus the word BEAK is "nosing" around the answer.

18-Across. Fast talker's torrent: BLUE STREAK.

24-Across. Short mental rest: BRAIN BREAK.

My idea of the perfect brain break.

38-Across. British dish named for frying sounds: BUBBLE AND SQUEAK.  Bubble and squeak is a hearty, one-pan recipe that makes the left over potatoes, vegetables, and meat.

54-Across. Lean red meat choice: BISON STEAK.

And the unifier:

60-Across. Do some snooping, and a feature of 18-, 24-, 38-, and 54-Across: NOSE AROUND.  A Nosey Parker is one who noses around.

What else can we nose around and find?

Across:

1. Horse hoof sound: CLOP.

5. Chore: TASK.

9. Shade-tolerant plant with broad leaves: HOSTA.

14. Great __: big dog: DANE.  Is it also a Top Dog?

15. Amazon berry enjoyed by toucans: ACAI.  This berry is becoming a crossword staple.

16. Yarns: TALES.

There is some tale in that yarn.

17. The "S" of GPS: Abbr.: SYST.  Global Positioning System

20. Raison d'__: ÊTRE.  Today's French lesson.

22. Mouse catcher: TRAP.

23. Earthbound Australian bird: EMU.

27. Come to a halt: STOP.

28. Actor Cariou: LEN.  I didn't recognize the name, but I do recognize the face of this Canadian actor.  Len Cariou (né Leonard Joseph Cariou; b. Sept. 30, 1939) often appeared along side Angela Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) in Murder She Wrote.

29. "That hits the spot": AAH!

30. Dorky sort: NERD.

32. Hit "+" on a calculator: ADD.

33. Activist/filmmaker Newsome: BREE.  Bree Newsome (née Brittany Ann Byuarm Newsome; b. May 13, 1985) is best known for her act of civil disobedience when she removed a Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house in 2015.

35. Founded: Abbr.: ESTD.  As in Established.

43. Combustible heap in a funeral rite: PYRE.

44. God, in Notre-Dame: DIEU.  More of today's French lesson.

45. "Single Lady" comic Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; Apr. 19,1982) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

46. Sale caveat: AS IS.

49. Word before a maiden name: NÉE.  A continuation of today's French lesson.

50. Utah's cap.: SLC.  This was my head-scratcher until I realized that the capital of Utah is Salt Lake City.

51. Beer ingredient: MALT.  To make beer, you need four basic ingredients: water, malted grains, hops, and yeast.  Malt is a cereal grain, most often barley, that has been steeped in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried, a process called malting. Malting converts the grain's starches into sugars, making it a key ingredient in beer.

57. Org. on tubes of toothpaste: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

58. Bonnet-sporting Berenstain Bear: MAMA.

59. Reseals, as a road: TARS.

64. Completely destroy: RAZE.

66. Cook on a barbecue: GRILL.

67. Campus sports gp.: NCAA.  As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Congratulations to the LSU baseball team the 2025 NCAA National Champions!  Geaux Tigers! 

Geaux Tigers!

68. Smell: ODOR.

69. Lower leg joint: ANKLE.

70. Watched warily: EYED.

71. General __ chicken: TSO'S.  One version of the origin of General Tso's Chicken.

Down:

1. LP successors: CDs.

2. Wore a hoodie over a sweater over a shirt, e.g.: LAYERED UP.

3. Ready when needed: ON STAND BY.

4. __ dish: shallow lab container: PETRI.

5. Soda can opener: TAB.

6. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL.  As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which is one of the major ligaments in the knee.  This injury appears often in the puzzles.

7. Fry in a pan: SAUTÉ.

8. "A Real Pain" Oscar winner Culkin: KIERAN.  I recognized Kieran Culkin (né Kieran Kyle Culkin; b. Sept. 30, 1982) from his portrayal of Roman Roy in Succession.

9. URL starter: HTTP.  HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

10. Rower's blade: OAR.

11. Icy rain: SLEET.

12. "I love you," in Spanish: TE AMO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

13. Invite to the roof deck, say: ASK UP.  //  And 31-Down. Ask for: REQUEST.

19. "For Pete's __!": SAKE.

21. Makes possible: ENABLES.

24. Spill the beans: BLAB.

25. Like many trees in winter: BARE.

26. Actress Perlman: RHEA.  Rhea Perlman (b. Mar. 31, 1948) is best known for her portrayal of Carla on Cheers.

27. SoCal home of the Aztecs: SDSU.  As in San Diego State University.

34. Put the kibosh on: END.  Kibosh is a fun word.

36. Promos intended to spark curiosity: TEASER ADS.

37. Texas attraction with lions and tigers: DALLAS ZOO.

39. Rotten kid: BRAT.

40. Purple pet on "The Flintstones": DINO.

41. Caught in the act: SEEN.

42. Field goal attempt: KICK.

47. Letter-shaped girder: I-BAR.

48. Gymnastics great Biles: SIMONE.  Simone biles (b. Mar. 14, 1997) has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.

51. "Tokyo Ghoul" genre: MANGA.

52. Deck out: ADORN.

53. Vision-improving surgery: LASIK.

55. Pert: SAUCY.

56. Deck with a Lovers card: TAROT.

58. Like brothers: MALE.

61. Building wing: ELL.

62. "Sorry, lassie": NAE.  Today's lesson in Scottish dialect.

63. Father: DAD.  We celebrated Father's Day earlier this month.

65. Hosp. triage areas: ERS.  As in Emergency Rooms.

Here's the grid:

חתולה