Sunday January 4, 2026 Doug Peterson

Theme: "CONFOUNDED" - CON is added to the start of each common phrase.

27. Bistro where diners rarely get what they order?: CONFUSION RESTAURANT. Fusion restaurant.

37. One who makes a huge profit in the gaming industry?: CONSOLE BENEFICIARY. Sole beneficiary. 

50. Museum employee who specializes in topographic maps?: CONTOUR GUIDE. Tour guide.

67. Well-secured garden vines?: CONSTRAINED PEAS. Strained peas.

89. Inflatables ridden in a river race?: CONTEST TUBES. Test tubes.

97. Inchworm with a successful YouTube channel?: CONTENT CATERPILLAR. Tent caterpillar. 

109. Remodel of a badly designed airport terminal?: CONCOURSE CORRECTION. Course correction. 

I think "Confound" works as a title too, right, as CON is FOUND.

Very consistent set, all the CON are inserted in the first word. And the theme entries are all quite long, occupying a total 113 squares. Super smooth fill, Doug is one of a kind. He can make easy Monday puzzles. And he can also make hard stumpers. He's also a test solvers for Patti. 

Across:

1. Geyser output: STEAM.

6. Cause to blush: ABASH.

11. Some Caribbean exports: RUMS. Ideal climate to grow sugarcane there.

15. "Goldberg Variations" composer: BACH.

19. Blender button: PULSE.

20. Marisa who plays Peter Parker's aunt: TOMEI. 

21. Cookie with six Thanksgiving-inspired flavors: OREO.

22. Crass: RUDE.

23. Dined at home: ATE IN.

24. Massage: KNEAD.

25. Annapolis sch.: USNA. 

26. "For All Mankind" side: Abbr.: USSR. Sci-fi drama for Apple TV. Wikipedia says "The series dramatizes an alternate history depicting "what would have happened if the global space race had never ended" after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States".

31. Bullpen stat: ERA.

32. Get into: DON.

33. Poke bowl choice: AHI.  Looks delicious. 

34. Vassals: SERFS.

44. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

47. Part to play: ROLE.

48. Give off: EXUDE.

49. Chaney of classic horror: LON.

55. Marvel superhero with martial arts expertise: IRON FIST. He knows Kung Fu too. 

57. Road beneath a freeway: UNDERPASS.

58. Uncomfortable spot: ZIT.

60. Layers: STRATA.

61. TV actress Susan: DEY.

62. Understood: GOT.

63. Parts of quotes: PRICES.

66. Black stone: ONYX.

72. Word in classic mystery novel titles: CASE.

75. Kumquat shade: ORANGE. It's called "golden orange" in Chinese.

76. Concert piece: AMP.

77. Long-running CBS drama: CSI.

80. Part of a vague threat: OR ELSE.

83. Nail art brand: OPI.

84. Row of stores: STRIP MALL. I also love this fill: 87. Sunday planning that makes weeknight dinners easier, say: MEAL PREP.

92. Shiba __: INU.

93. Maximum or minimum: LIMIT.

95. Shoddy: POOR.

96. The Hawkeye State: IOWA.

103. "Goosebumps" series writer: STINE (R. L.)

104. Retro hip beer, for short: PBR. Pabst Blue Ribbon.

105. Coconut __: OIL.

106. Hosts, for short: MCS.

117. Storyline: PLOT.

119. River of northern Spain: EBRO.

120. Made manageable: TAMED.

121. "The Studio" actress Catherine: O'HARA.

122. In short supply: RARE.

123. Corporate image: LOGO.

124. "Judge Mathis" event: TRIAL.

125. Election Day figure: VOTER. 

126. Doesn't rent: OWNS.

127. Abound (with): TEEM.

128. In a suitable way: APTLY.

129. Clear: ERASE.

Down:

1. __ bar: SPACE.

2. Teach privately: TUTOR.

3. Two-time WNBA MVP __ Delle Donne: ELENA.

4. "Ew! No!": AS IF.

5. Mexican soup made with tripe: MENUDO. Tripe and red chili.

6. Guitarist Chet who helped create the Nashville sound: ATKINS.

7. Pro __: at no charge: BONO.

8. "Right on!": AMEN.

9. Cook the surface of: SEAR.

10. Sleeper sofa: HIDE-A-BED.

11. Ordinary: ROUTINE.

12. __ Major: URSA.

13. OpenTable link: MENU.

14. Skyrocket: SOAR. As my health insurance did. Scary. 

15. Country surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak: BRUNEI. Fun trivia clue.

 

16. Like koalas: AUSTRALIAN.

17. IRA options: CDS.

18. See 29-Down: HER. 29. With 18-Down, pronoun pair: SHE.

28. Daughter's brother: SON.

30. Way up: ASCENT.

35. Extremely unfriendly: FROSTY.

36. Sentence structure: SYNTAX.

37. Blanchett with two Oscars: CATE.

38. Agcys.: ORGS.

39. Singers Reed and Rawls: LOUS.

40. Yale student: ELI.

41. Left: EXITED.

42. Dog coat: FUR.

43. Rite words: I DOS.

44. Skim along, as clouds: SCUD. Learned from doing crosswords.

45. Sharpen: HONE.

46. Memorial Day weekend race, casually: INDY.

51. Chem class for premeds: ORGO. Organic Chemistry.

52. "__ further reflection ... ": UPON.

53. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler: RATSO. Ratso Rizzo. "Hey, I'm walking here"

 

54. Online mag: E ZINE.

56. Curly hairstyles, informally: FROS.

59. Zamboni surface: ICE.

63. Freak out: PANIC.

64. Semi: RIG.

65. Trades barbs: SPARS.

67. Minesweeper unit: CELL.

68. Torrid Zone boundary: TROPIC. Guangzhou is near the Tropic. The week around the Chinese Spring Festival is often the coldest time of year. Even then, temperatures typically remain above 32F.

69. Sharp knock: RAP.

70. Give off: EMIT.

71. Spot on a sked: APPT.

72. Stand-up individuals?: COMICS. Stand-up comic. 

73. "We __ alone": ARE NOT.

74. Narwhal: SEA UNICORN. Because of its spiral tusk.

77. Baja resort, familiarly: CABO.

78. Whole lot: SLEW.

79. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid": ILSA.

81. Organ near the pancreas: SPLEEN.

82. CNN anchor Burnett: ERIN. And  86. ABC News anchor David: MUIR.

84. "Enough!": STOP.

85. Actress Polo: TERI.

88. First aid pro: EMT.

90. "The Mikado," for one: OPERETTA.

91. Scand. kingdom: NOR.

94. Place to make draft picks: TAP ROOM. Non-sports related.

98. IRA options: T NOTES.

99. Network that airs "TBBT" reruns: TBS. "The Big Bang Theory".

100. Imperious: LORDLY.

101. Tell tales: LIE.

102. Cozy spot: ALCOVE.

106. Mazda two-seater: MIATA.

107. Apple centers: CORES.

108. Drum kit piece: SNARE.

110. Saxon foe: CELT.

111. Wind with keys: OBOE.

112. Hankering: URGE.

113. Complain querulously: CARP.

114. Conveniently leave out, maybe: OMIT.

115. Word in some Spanish team names: REAL. Meaning "Royal". Real Madrid, e.g.

116. Hammer-wielding god: THOR.

117. __ rata: PRO.

118. Brief topic: LAW.

I made today's puzzle for Slate. Click here to give it a whirl! It was edited by the fantastic Quiara Vasquez, who added so much fun trivia and sparkle to the clues.

I'd love to hear about your solving experience. 

C.C. 

Monday December 15, 2025 Doug Peterson

  

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's puzzle comes to us from the prolific constructor Doug Peterson. The theme is:  

We'll begin with the themed clues and answers:

17 Across. *"Tennessee Waltz" singer: PATTI PAGE.  [1927-2013]  Patti's version was released in 1950. I like how the song itself is a waltz.

24 Across. *Bottoms worn as loungewear: PAJAMA PANTS.  

They're certainly cozy, but are they a smart choice for the airport?

40 Across. *Maneuvering into a tight curbside spot: PARALLEL PARKING.  This was not a requirement when I took my driving test. I can do it but it makes me nervous. I'd rather walk a couple of blocks. 

 51 Across. *Wide receiver's route: PASS PATTERN.  

Football fans already know this; but for those of you who do not ...
The guys with the yellow helmets are on offence.
The two guys I circled in red are wide receivers. 
The WRs will run their PASS PATTERNs (See the yellow and black arrows.)
 and the QB will throw the ball to whoever is open.
Did you catch that?

The unifier:

65 Across. Paul Reiser sitcom, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: MY TWO DADS.  My Two Dads was a TV sitcom that ran on NBC from 1987 to 1990. It is about a 12-year old girl whose mother dies and gives joint custody to two men whom she dated the summer she got pregnant. The girl's paternity was never revealed on the show. 

Paul Reiser is on the left.

I clocked the P* P* theme early -- or so I thought -- and eagerly looked forward to discovering what the unifier would be. As it turns out, I had failed to notice the A's next to the P's. The real gimmick is that all of the theme entries are in the pattern of PA*  PA*. 

PA is a synonym for "father". (Think of Laura Ingalls Wilder's father.) Putting together two PAs give us PA & PA or TWO DADS. Works for me!

Here are the remaining clues & answers:

Across:

1. First name of singers Levine and Lambert: ADAM.  

Levine (l.) [b. 1979] is known for being in the band Maroon 5
and for being a coach on The Voice.
Lambert (r.) [b. 1982] was a runner-up on Season 8 of American Idol.

5. Young fellows: LADS.  

Do you remember these LADS?
Hint:  That is Higgins in the middle.

9. Common merch table purchase: SHIRT.

14. Drop-down list: MENU.  Think "computers".

15. Many times: A LOT.

16. Brooklyn's __ Island: CONEY.  In 1867 Charles Feltman invented the hot dog at Coney Island. Learn more here:  Timeline of Coney Island (1609-1985)

This couple is riding the Brooklyn Flyer in Luna Park on Coney Island.

19. Open, as a vitamin bottle: UNCAP.  

20. Narrow openings: SLITS.

21. Shopping complex: MALL.  This time of year, it is where you can find Santa.  

23. Stack starter in solitaire: ACE.  I am particularly partial to alliterative clues.

28. "Quite possibly": IT MAY BE.  "Maybe" as one word, came easily. However, sussing the three-word answer took more thinking.

32. "Meant to tell you" shorthand: BTW.  By The Way

33. Honey liquor: MEAD.  Def.:  (noun) a fermented beverage made of water, honey, malt, and yeast.

34. In-flight figs.: ETAS.  figures and Estimated Times of Arrival

37. Island where "NCIS: Hawai'i" is set: O'AHU.  This is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands but it is also the most populated. The state's capital, Honolulu, is on O'AHU. About 70% of the state's population lives on this island.  

44. Brand that sells Braille Bricks: LEGO.  Braille Bricks are a play-based methodology that teaches braille to children who are blind or have a visual impairment. Cool beans!  

45. Paper quantity: REAM.

46. Finishes: ENDS.  

47. Source of sheep's milk: EWE.  

49. Put trust in: COUNT ON.  

Count von Count from Sesame Street 

56. Spigoted vessel: URN.  

This URN catches rainwater.

57. Cookie used in many desserts: OREO.  

recipe

58. Marisa of "The Big Short": TOMEI.  This is the trailer for that 2015 movie. Marisa did not make it into the trailer -- unless that is her at 1:35???  

63. Heat's home city: MIAMI.  I like this team's name because it suggests, "Bring on the heat," plus it fits the region's weather. As of this writing, the forecast for today is 78° F with a chance of rain.

68. "Evita" surname: PERON.

69. Bosc, for one: PEAR.  

(l. to r.)  Anjou, Asian, Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, and Seckel

70. Foreboding sign: OMEN.  Some of you know that I'm a fan of Rhett Miller's wordplay in his song lyrics. This one fits:

Old 97's     ~     Curtain Calls     ~     1997

"I don't believe in cards, I don't believe in signs.

But I'll be leavin' soon, I'm here tonight."  🎵🎵  

71. Dozed: SLEPT.

72. Avant-garde: EDGY.  

73. Monopoly payment: RENT.

Down:

1. Concert boosters: AMPS.  Not people raising money to support the event but equipment to boost up the noise level.

2. Hand out cards: DEAL.  Think "casino DEALer".

3. Not for: ANTI.

4. Mixed-breed pooch: MUTT.  National Mutt Day encourages us to embrace, save, and celebrate mixed breed dogs twice a year on July 31 and December 2. If you've ever known one then you know they are ready to be your best friend. 

5. Once around a skating rink, e.g.: LAP.

6. Pie __ mode: À LA.  

7. Religious doctrine: DOGMA.  This is sort of random, but I was trying to think of Avril Levigne for 1-Across, ___ Levine and I sometimes mix her up with Alanis Morrisette who played God in the 1999 Kevin Smith movie Dogma.  

8. "Full __ ahead!": STEAM.  This phrase means to move forward with as much speed or energy as possible.  

Titanic    ~    1997    ~    1:11 min.

9. Artist with a chisel: SCULPTOR.  

Michelangelo's David is 17 ft. (5.17 meters) tall.

10. Sweetie: HON.

11. Like Machu Picchu: INCAN.

12. Blink, say: REACT.  The blink reflex is an involuntary action to protect the eye.

13. Strikes keys: TYPES.

18. "__ with my little eye ... ": I SPY.  This is a children's guessing game.

22. Chemist's workplace: LAB.  

25. Eve's second son: ABEL.  

Cain was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd.
They had to work because their parents were expelled from 61-Down.

26. 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Derek: JETER.  [b. June 26, 1974]  his Hall of Fame page  

Side note:  I noticed that Doug also put JETER in his grid last Tuesday. (See Hahtoolah's helpful commentary for 31-Down.) I am wondering if this was a coincidence or if Doug is a fan and assigned JETER a high word score in his constructing dictionary. 🤔

27. Rouse from slumber: AWAKEN.  

28. Devilish kid: IMP.

29. Greenish-blue color: TEAL.

30. Stallion's mate: MARE.  A MARE is a female horse of breeding age.

31. Wise old sayings: ADAGES.  From the Grammar Girl podcast:  ADAGES are similar to maxims. Both are often metaphorical, and both are rooted in universal truth. But adages are primarily distinguished by their age and traditional quality. In fact, many people consider the phrase "an old adage" to be redundant since adages are, by definition, traditional sayings.

For those of you who want to do a deep dive into the difference between proverbs, maxims, adages, dictums, and truisms, this is the episode link. Start at 7:50.

35. Taproom drink: ALE.

36. The "S" of NASA: SPACE.  National Aeronautics and Space Administration  

NASA was established in 1958 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

38. Helpful suggestion: HINT.  

39. "Go back!" computer command: UNDO.     and     50 Across. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

41. Darkest hour: LOW POINT.  Also, Death Valley National Park is America's hottest, driest and lowest national park. Its LOW POINT in Badwater Basin is 282 ft, (85.5 meters) below sea level.

42. "__ Prohibido": 1994 Selena hit: AMOR.  [1971-1995]  Born Selena Quintailla, Selena was a Grammy-winning American performer who achieved huge success in the Latin music world before her tragic murder by the president of her fan club. I did not know the song but I did feel comfortable guessing the Spanish word for "love".

43. Channel with "Press Your Luck" reruns: GSN.  Game Show Network

48. Knack for music: EAR.  This definition of EAR is a sensitivity to musical tone and pitch.  

51. Machines at gas stations: PUMPS.  I overthought this one until a perp appeared.

52. Disney princess with red hair: ARIEL.  The font is spelled arial. Memory trick:  shE has an E.

53. Entrap: SNARE.

54. City near Phoenix: TEMPE.  Tempe is 10.3 mi. (6.4 km.) east of Phoenix.  some ideas for things to do in Tempe

55. Fiddled around (with): TOYED.

59. Scent: ODOR.

60. Broadway "Auntie": MAME.

61. Old Testament garden: EDEN.  Luckily for us, the internet never runs out of EDEN comics.

62. "My heart just __ in it": ISN'T.  ...said the Tin Man to Dorothy.

64. Messy head of hair: MOP.  From wikiHow (updated last week):

Also called the “mop top,” the wet mop haircut is a messy, medium-length cut with parted fringe. It was popularized by The Beatles and Justin Bieber, but it has recently resurfaced in popularity thanks to TikTok.  

66. Graffiti signature: TAG.  Perhaps one of the most famous graffiti artists is Banksy. This 1:03 min. video tells a fun Banksy story. In the TV show The Outlaws a major plot point in the finale involves Christopher Walken's character painting over an original Banksy artwork -- for real!!

 

67. Amusingly ironic: WRY.  See the Christopher Walken scene above.

The grid:  

Well, that was my two cents. You can add yours in the comments below.

Have a great week, everyone!

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.