Tuesday, December 9, 2025 Doug Peterson

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

17-Across. *  Metaphorical container similar to Pandora's box: CAN OF WORMS.

24-Across. *  Result of serious core training: SIX PACK ABS.

50-Across. *  Advocate from a social agency: CASE WORKER.

60-Across. *  Pilot's aerobatic maneuver: BARREL ROLL.

And the Unifier:

38-Across. Trip to buy brewskis, or a sequence found in the starts of the answers to the starred clues: BEER RUN.  Notice that with each theme answer, the amount of beer grows from a mere Can to a full Barrel.

And, a hidden gem of an alcoholic beverage:

61-Down. Taproom pour: ALE.

Across:

1. Perfectly clear: LUCID.

6. Website with a Collectibles category: EBAY.  A Brief History.

10. Capture digitally: SCAN.

14. __ note: dictionary explanation: USAGE.

15. "Encore!": MORE.

16. Lymph __: immune system part: NODE.  Everything you need to know about Lymph Nodes, but didn't know to ask.

19. Having the resources: ABLE.

20. Crumbly Mexican cheese: COTIJA.  Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán. It is white and firm, with a salty, milky flavor.

21. Unpleasantly bitter: ACRID.

22. "Beat Bobby Flay" contestant: CHEF.  Bobby Flay (né Robert William Flay; b. Dec. 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and TV personality. He is an Iron Chef and the host of Beat Bobby Flay, a competitive cooking show.  Tomorrow is his 61st birthday.

27. Stay hidden: HOLE UP.

29. Unoriginal reply: ECHO.

30. Retired record holders?: iPODS.  I wish the iPod hadn't been discontinued.  I still use mine nearly every day.

31. Book before Amos: JOEL.  Biblical books.

33. Basketball Hall of Famer Steve: NASH.  Stephen John Nash (b. Feb. 7, 1974) played professional basketball for 18 seasons.  

37. Lucy of "Elementary": LIU.  Lucy Liu (née Lucy Alexis Liu; b. Dec. 2, 1968) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She celebrated her 57th birthday last Tuesday.

Lucy is on the right.

41. __-pitch softball: SLO.

42. Enthusiastic about: INTO.

44. Sporty trucks, briefly: UTES.  A brief history.

45. Schindler of "Schindler's List": OSKAR.  Oskar Schindler (Apr. 28, 1908 ~ Oct. 9. 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian, and member of the Nazi Party.  He was credited with saving the lives over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

47. Tedious talker: BORE.

49. Reach: ATTAIN.

55. Stops on the road: INNS.

56. In the slightest: AT ALL.

57. Vein counterpart: ARTERY.  Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart under high pressure.  The veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart under low pressure.

59. Modest skirt: MAXI.

64. Lovers' god: EROS.  Eros is the Greek god and Cupid is its Roman counterpart.

65. Muppet with a sister named Daisy: ELMO.  Who knew Elmo had a sister?

66. Actress Mila: KUNIS.  Mila Kunis (née Milena Markovna Kunis; b. Aug. 14, 1983) had been married to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher since 2015.  She was born in Ukraine.  Her family moved to the United States in 1991.

67. "Click here" text: LINK.

68. "__ Diary ... ": DEAR.

69. Sprinter's asset: SPEED.

Down:

1. Enterprise captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC.  A reference to the fictional character in the Star Trek franchise.

2. Mex. neighbor: USA.

3. Neutralize: CANCEL OUT.

4. Acknowledgment of a screwup: I GOOFED.

5. Nimble-fingered: DEFT.

6. Face With Steam From Nose, for one: EMOJI.

7. 20 Mule Team laundry product: BORAX.

8. One-__ pushup: ARM.

9. "You guessed it!": YES.

10. Eat as a treat: SNACK ON.

11. Hooded serpent: COBRA.

12. Invent lines: AD LIB.

13. Requires: NEEDS.

18. Trace of smoke: WISP.

21. "__ du lieber!": ACH.  Good Heavens, it's today's German lesson.

22. Frito pie ingredient: CHILI.  It's corn chips.  What's not to like.

23. Uber driver's invitation: HOP IN.

25. Looks closely (at): PEERS.

26. Human rights org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union, a brief history.

28. Plug-and-play port: USB.  As in Universal Serial Bus.

31. Derek whose No. 2 was retired by the Yankees: JETER.  Shortstop Derek Sanderson Jetter (b. June 26, 1974) spent his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees.  His last appearance on the field was in September 2014.

32. Mined resource: ORE.  This is a crossword staple.

34. "Everybody will tell you the same!": ASK ANYONE.

35. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN.

36. Trio on a triceratops: HORNS.  The word Triceratops comes from the Greek words meaning “three-horned face” because of the two horns on its brow and smaller horn above its mouth.

39. French money: EURO.

40. "Kidding!": NOT!

43. Tall monument that comes to a point: OBELISK.  The most famous obelisk in the United States is the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.  It is a 555-foot-tall monument honoring the first President, George Washington. 

46. Saddle attachment: STIRRUP.

48. Hooting hunter: OWL.

49. Museo del Prado display: ARTE.  The Museo del Prado is an art museum in Madrid, Spain.

50. Humped oasis visitor: CAMEL.

51. Activision rival: ATARI.

52. Early invader of Britain: SAXON.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Saxon invasion of Britain.

53. "__ Chameleon": Culture Club hit: KARMA.  The song that made Boy George famous.

54. Screwup: ERROR.

58. Grand Lodge group: ELKS.

60. Spot for bulbs: BED.

62. Prevarication: LIE.

63. Trippy drug: LSD.

Here's the grid:

חתולה

Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Susan (Hahtoolah), our beautiful Tuesday Sherpa. Thank you for the time, attention, and warmth you pour into each of your posts.

Sunday October 12, 2025 Doug Peterson

Theme: "BUILT TO SCALE" - Different shoes climb up in the grid.

3. "Boom Boom" blues legend: JOHN LEE HOOKER. Heel.

7. Approach that emphasizes fundamentals: BACK TO BASICS. Sabot.

9. Group that can play a symphony: PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. Croc.

21. "What a shame": THAT'S TOO BAD. Boot.

62. Hygiene tool on a spool: DENTAL FLOSS. Flat.

65. "How many sugars?," quaintly: ONE LUMP OR TWO. Mule.

Reveal:

58. Footwear for boulderers, and what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters: CLIMBING SHOES.

We've seen quite a few shoes in the past, but never the climbing angle. Love this fresh approach from Doug. Notice all the shoe words span across two words? 

Doug is a brilliant constructor. He's also a super fast solver. This pic is from ACPT 2008.

Doug Peterson & Will Shortz

Across:

1. Sandos with two spreads: PBJS. Sando is Japanese for sandwich. White bread with no crust. 

5. Restaurant chain co-founded by chef Matsuhisa: NOBU. It's his given name.

9. Star's entourage: POSSE.

14. "You know you want to!": C'MON.

18. Floor plan unit: ROOM.

19. Country with a Persian-speaking majority: IRAN.

20. Operational launch time: H HOUR. And 24. Flanged support pieces: I BARS. 66. Govt. securities: T BILLS. 70. Powerful engine named for its shape: V TEN. 121. Sporty car roof: T TOP. 

21. Yours, in hymns: THINE. Next Thursday our class is "Seeking the Face of God".

22. Unoriginal reply: ECHO.

23. Checkbook no.: ACCT.

25. Actress Bailey: HALLE.

26. Big Apple team: YANKS.

28. Alpine course: SKI SLOPE.

30. Spoke like a boxer: BARKED. Not the boxer in the ring.

31. Explorer Erikson: LEIF.

33. Into the latest gadgets: TECHY.

34. Call made behind one's back?: BUTT DIAL. Lock your screen.

36. Stayed in line: OBEYED.

38. Div. of Labor: OSHA.

39. Williams with four Olympic gold medals: VENUS.

40. Holiday cusp: EVE.

41. Hoppy beer: ALE.

42. Snatch quickly: GRAB.

44. Specter: WRAITH.

46. Ready for a break: TIRED.

48. Lake near Carson City: TAHOE.

50. Charcuterie board selections: SALAMIS.

52. Retired record holder?: IPOD. Fun clue.

54. Production: SHOW.

55. Omega preceder: PSI.

56. Activist Yoko: ONO.

57. Stick on a pub wall: POOL CUE.

61. Multivolume ref.: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

63. Herb on a bánh mì sandwich: CILANTRO. I love the pickled daikon and carrots. 

67. Capacious craft: ARK.

69. Rescue op: EVAC. Evacuation. 

71. Knock, in slang: DIS.

72. Artemis org.: NASA.

74. "__ complicated": IT'S.

75. Can refuse to: NEEDN'T.

77. Treats flavored with syrup: SNO-CONES. 

80. River project: DAM.

82. Went in circles: GYRATED.

84. Siglo de __: era of El Greco and Cervantes: ORO.  Siglo de Oro means "Golden Century".  Spanish Golden Age. Learning moment for me.

85. Patterned after: ALA.

86. Long-legged wader: IBIS.
 
89. Billy of "Titanic": ZANE. He played the snobbish fiancé of Rose.

90. Fortnite Frenz 4 Ever Blaster, for one: NERF GUN. 

92. Select with a mouse: CLICK.

93. Milk source in the Sahara: CAMEL.

96. Mural on plaster: FRESCO.

98. Subject that includes set theory: MATH. And 108. Subject that includes gender theory: SEXOLOGY.

100. Prefix with natal: NEO.

101. USPS abbr.: AVE.

102. __ Loops: FROOT.

104. Court target: HOOP.

106. Barely sufficient: MEAGER.

110. Islanders' NHL division, familiarly: METRO. New York Islanders is one of the teams in the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The others are the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers.
 
111. Animation collectibles: CELS.

112. Stumble over: TRIP ON.

113. List of specialized terms: GLOSSARY.

116. "Dos Mujeres" painter: KAHLO. "Two Women",

119. Football features: LACES. On a baseball, the equivalent raised stitching is called seams.

120. Scrub, as a mission: ABORT.

123. Dish in a bowl: SOUP.

124. "My stars!": EGADS.

125. Episcopal figure: VICAR.

126. Stealthy flyers: OWLS.

127. Clark from Smallville: KENT.

128. Wildlife refuges: DENS.

129. Walled Spanish city: AVILA.

130. Dig like a pig: ROOT.

131. Seeks information: ASKS.

Down:

1. Salmon, to bears: PREY.

2. __ Raton: BOCA.

4. "__ and the Bandit": SMOKEY.

5. "Candyman" director DaCosta: NIA. She also directed "The Marvels".

6. Brutish Tolkien characters: ORCS.

8. Disentangles: UNTIES.

10. "I can't wait!": OH BOY.

11. Stuff in a pump bottle: SOAP.

12. Guaranteed winner: SURE BET.

13. Workplaces for triage nurses: Abbr.: ERS.

14. Leafy vegetable: CHARD. I just had stir-fried cabbage every day for the past 5 days.

15. More opalescent: MILKIER.

16. Ashore, perhaps: ON LEAVE.

17. Mocked playfully: NEEDLED.

27. Sustained attack: SIEGE.

29. Phonetic symbol: SCHWA.

30. Furnace meas.: BTU.

32. Pres. who created the "alphabet agencies": FDR.

35. Not cool: UNHIP.

36. Breakfast sometimes prepared overnight: OATS. So good in summer. 

37. Ho-hum: BLAH.

39. Helmet feature: VISOR.

43. Pet welfare org.: ASPCA.

45. "Yer lyin'!": AIN'T SO.

47. South Indian rice cake: IDLI.

49. "You __ it to yourself ... ": OWE.

51. Word rapper Bow Wow dropped from his stage name: LIL

53. Nursery containers: POTS.

59. Final: Abbr.: ULT.

60. Squiggly letter: ESS.

64. Loves to bits: ADORES.

67. Lee with two Best Director Oscars: ANG.

68. "West Coast" singer Lana Del __: REY. Stunning singer.

73. Mountain pose, for one: ASANA.

76. Stunned state: DAZE.

78. Baseball team's starting lineup, e.g.: NONET.

79. Pester: NAG.

81. Feel rotten: AIL.

83. Clear of condensation: DEFOG.

87. Drink with a domed lid: ICEE.

88. Toffee candy bar: SKOR.

91. __ the bill: FOOTS.

92. Sass: CHEEK.

93. Made a two-piece chess move: CASTLED.

94. Just OK: AVERAGE.

95. Like axolotls: MEXICAN. Salamander.

97. Colorful character?: ROY G. BIV.

99. Flix sister station: TMC.

103. Actor Funches of Apple TV+'s "Loot": RON.

105. One on the stump: ORATOR.

107. "North to the Future" state: ALASKA.

109. Persuasive columns: OP-EDS.

110. __ compass: MORAL.

114. Focal points: LOCI.

115. "Let's do it!" hashtag: YOLO.

117. Knucklehead: LUNK.

118. Decides: OPTS.

120. Gardner of "Show Boat": AVA.

122. LAX clock setting: PST.

C.C.