Monday July 28, 2025 Doug Peterson

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a fun, mid-summer puzzle.  

Theme:              Pool Your Resources

Let's dive right in with the reveal:

64 Across. Summertime backyard bash, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 25-, 40-, and 50-Across: POOL PARTY.

Late July is definitely the season for a swimming POOL PARTY here in the Northern Hemisphere; however, constructor Doug Peterson was thinking about a different type of POOL. He gave us these four themed answers with a billiards item at the end of each.

17 Across. Nonverbal signal during a conversation: SOCIAL CUE.  

25 Across. Falafel cart breads: PITA POCKETS.  

These are stuffed with falafel (deep-fried balls
filled with chickpeas and/or fava beans)
 and other healthy veggies.

40 Across. Whoppers, e.g.: MALTED MILK BALLS.  The simplicity of this clue can take a solver down a few roads:  fish, lies, Burger King hamburgers, etc.  

50 Across. Driver's two-wheeler carrier: BICYCLE RACK.  

Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard is followed by his team car during this year's
Tour de France during the individual time trials.
That BICYCLE RACK holds a lot of spare bikes for one rider!
As of this writing, Jonas is expected to finish this year's Tour in 2nd place.

Putting it all together, we have what we need for a POOL table PARTY:  

CUE, POCKETS, BALLS, RACK
I like how Doug found alternate meanings for each of these.
Nice shot, Doug!

Shall we play on?

Across:

1. "Oppenheimer" actor Damon: MATT.

5. Apple desktop: iMAC.

9. Hall of Fame Yankees shortstop Derek: JETER.  Jeter's Hall of Fame page

14. __ Eats: DoorDash rival: UBER.

15. Scottish water: LOCH. Scotland has over 30,000 fresh-water LOCHs.

16. Suspect's story: ALIBI.  awesome alliteration

19. Fan mags: ZINES.  magaZINES

20. Steve Harvey, for one: TV HOST.  Harvey was born on January 17, 1957 in Welch, West Virginia. He has been active in the entertainment industry since 1985. His IMDb page lists his various hosting gigs.

21. Tease playfully: RAZZ.  We had a fun little Z knot here.  

23. Test taken by some college srs.: GRE.  Some college seniors take the Graduate Records Examinations when applying to grad school.

24. "Correct": YES.

28. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" villain __ Squalor: ESME.  ESP for me.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. I like the surname "Squalor" for a children's book. It definitely gives off 'bad guy' vibes. This clue made me think of aptronyms then that made me think of my favorite cycling commentator, Bob Roll. "Roll" is a good last name for a former cyclist, don't you agree? 

Phil Liggett and Bob Roll are the main NBC commentators for the Tour de France.
Phil is from the UK and Bob was born in Oakland, CA.
(Bob often stands with his left arm akimbo when holding a microphone.)

29. Commercial suffix with Cray or Motor: -OLA.  

30. Opera solo: ARIA.

33. British noble: EARL.

36. Pressed (on): URGED.

43. Hatchling sound: CHEEP.  Last week we had hens clucking so this week I thought I would look for a sound bite of chicks CHEEPing. In doing so I learned something really cool. It turns out you can hear chicks CHEEPing inside the eggs before they hatch! Stay tuned to when he turns off the background fan noise. 

 44. Stretch across: SPAN.

45. Commuter's expense: TOLL.  Anyone else suddenly craving a chocolate-chip cookie?

46. Narrow inlet: RIA.

48. Source of creative inspiration: MUSE.

55. Core muscles: ABS.

58. Lille chum: AMI.  I like how the clue writer played with lil', a shortened form of little to possibly throw a solver off. Lille, France is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France, near the border with Belgium. It is also the location of Stage 1 of this year's Tour de France. When in France, one might use the French word for chum.

map of the 21 stages in the 2025 Tour de France

59. Prix __ menu: FIXE.  ...more French. Prix Fixe means "fixed price" and can sometimes be found on restaurant menus.

60. Snappable chocolate bar: KITKAT.  🎵Break me off a piece of that KitKat bar.🎵

62. __ Rae: Sally Field Oscar role: NORMA.  I used to know someone named Amron. Her mother's name was Norma. See what she did there?

66. Luxury Italian handbag brand: GUCCI.

67. Campaign staffer: AIDE.

68. Sickle or saw: TOOL.

69. One of 1,406 for Rickey Henderson: STEAL.  Even I know that Rickey Henderson (1958 - 2024) was known for stealing bases. He had 1,406 career STEALs. His nickname was the Man of STEAL. (Haha! Good one!)  Henderson's Hall of Fame page  

70. Letters before a summary: TLDR.  Too Long, Didn't Read

71. Novelist Rice: ANNE.

Down:

1. Damp-smelling: MUSTY.

2. __ and beyond: ABOVE.  While the cyclists compete on the roads in the Tour de France, there is another competition happening among the farmers along the route. These displays are meant to be captured from ABOVE by the helicopters covering the race.  

This 50 sec. video shows an entry from 

the 2011 Tour de France Field Art competition.

The bike frame is made from hay bales.

3. Computer troubleshooters: TECHS.

4. Set of three: TRIO.  

Vince Guaraldi Trio     ~     Linus and Lucy     ~     1964

5. Too early or too late: ILL-TIMED.  I liked this timely fill! Apparently the last TIME this answer appeared in an LA TIMEs crossword puzzle was in 2010.

6. Soft shoe, briefly: MOC.  I first had "tap" as in "tap dance". Now I think the clue is saying that a MOCcasin is a shoe made of soft materials.

7. Integra automaker: ACURA.

8. Like items on clearance: CHEAP.

9. Nightspot for cool cats: JAZZ CLUB.  I liked this fill and its symmetrical partner, 41-Down.

I'm one of those people who listens to a lot of JAZZ on my smart speaker but do not know anything about the artists or music. I do know I like Esperanza Spalding's music. She is from Portland, OR. Here is her 2012 song named for Portland's nickname, The City of Roses.  

10. Yale grad: ELI.

11. Trace of color: TINGE.  

12. Only movie critic with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: EBERT.  (1942 - 2013)

Back in the day, I used to watch Siskel & Ebert's TV show to get suggestions for which VHS to rent at the video store.  Ebert's Walk of Fame page  

13. Levitates: RISES.

18. Egyptian serpents: ASPS.

22. Menagerie: ZOO.  A menagerie is a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition.

26. Blue Jays and Blue Jackets: TEAMS.  Toronto's MLB TEAM and Columbus' NHL TEAM

27. Martial art featured on "Cobra Kai": KARATE.

28. Restaurant: EATERY.

30. "Mayfair Witches" cable network: AMC.  AMC+ is a subscription TV channel. Mayfair Withes first aired on January 8, 2023. I am not their target audience.

31. Cheer syllable: RAH.  

32. Suffix with infant: -ILE.  Does anyone else watch Resident Alien? Alan Tudyk is outstanding as an alien with superior intelligence but who is immature when it comes to human SOCIAL CUEs. He looks like a normal human to other humans except for the mayor's son, Max, who can see his true alien face. This 1:41 scene is an example of his infantILE nature when arguing with a child. (Warning: foul language used in a humorous way.) 

34. Tear roughly: RIP.

35. Woolly animal of Peru: LLAMA.  The annual average temperature in the Peruvian Andes varies from 64°F (18°C) in the low-lying valleys to an icy 32°F (0°C) at higher elevations. I'm glad the LLAMAs have wool coats!

37. Mop & __: GLO.  Here is a Mop & Glo TV commercial from 1973:  

38. Pipe bend shape: ELL.

39. Broadband inits.: DSL.  initials and Digital Subscriber Line

41. Magnificent blunder: EPIC FAIL.  

42. Pitch that moves unpredictably: KNUCKLER.  Is this a nickname for a KNUCKLE ball?

47. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.

49. Playlist option: SKIP.  You can SKIP to the next song on your playlist.

50. Across-the-forehead hairstyle: BANGS.  

51. "Catch ya later": I'M OUT.     and     61 Down. "Bye now!": TA TA.

52. "Odyssey" sorceress: CIRCE.  She is a powerful enchantress in Greek mythology.

53. One living overseas, for short: EXPAT.  EXPATriot, for long

54. Tend to a pesky squeak: RE-OIL.  Pesky implies the squeak has been tended to in the past but is persistent so another application is in order.

55. Ohio's "Rubber City": AKRON.  

6. __ Rouge: BATON.  

57. Fashion sense: STYLE.

63. Old record label: MCA.  MCA was established in 1972. MCA, Inc. became Universal Studios, Inc. in 1996 then that became Universal Music Group but Universal still uses the name for its branch, MCA Nashville.  Here is an artist from their roster:  

Lyle Lovett     ~     Stand By Your Man     ~     1989

65. Kind of weird: ODD.  Hearing Lyle Lovett cover that 1968 Tammy Wynette hit feels kind of weird.

The grid:  

What a nice coincidence to have so many Tour de France connections this week! 😜 If you are not a professional cycling fan, you might be happy to know that the three-week race concluded yesterday. Crossword puzzles reference the more popular sports all year long. Fair enough but cycling is my favorite.

Have a good week!

Thursday, July 17, 2025, Katie Hale, Doug Peterson

Theme:  Multiuse implements.

Alton Brown, the cook, TV personality, and food scientist, abhors a single use tool in the kitchen.  If it only does one job, it's wasting space.  Alton might approve of the multiuse implements in today's theme answers, which give second meanings to common phrases.

"The only unitasker allowed in my kitchen is a fire extinguisher."
-- Alton Brown

Katie Hale and Doug Peterson have constructed many crosswords, alone and in collaboration with others.  Their theme answers today are symmetrically placed in rows Across, with two answers spanning the width of the grid.  The reinterpreted phrases all involve implements of some kind.

The theme clues and answers are:

17. E-readers?: LITERARY DEVICES.  Literary devices are generally understood to be writing techniques like metaphor, symbolism, foreshadowing, alliteration, and irony.  But our clever crossword creators think that Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iPad, and similar electronic tablets used for reading literature can also be called literary devices.

30. Printing press?: TIME MACHINE.  H.G. Wells published The Time Machine in 1895, planting in our minds the idea of a machine that facilitates time travel.  But Katie and Doug think the big machine that prints the glossy bi-weekly issues of Time is also a Time machine.

47. Zambonis?: GARDEN TOOLS.  Zambonis are ice resurfacing machines used in skating rinks, like Madison Square Garden.  If they are used at the Garden, can't they also be thought of as Garden tools?

62. Magnifying glass?: INSPECTOR GADGET.  You're probably familiar with Inspector Gadget, the police inspector with thousands of high tech gadgets installed in his body.  But since inspectors of various kinds may use a magnifying glass in their work, isn't one of those an inspector gadget, too?

I'm curious to know whether you interpreted the theme the same way I did.  Meanwhile, here's how I solved the rest of it:

Across:

1. "Cabaret" star Minnelli: LIZA.  Liza Minnelli starred in the 1972 musical film about bohemian characters in Berlin against a background of rising Nazism.

5. Word with sweet or candy: CORN.

9. Bolivian city ESE of Lima: LA PAZ.  La Paz, Bolivia is ESE of Lima, Peru.

14. Long-horned goat: IBEX.

15. Part of a Hawaiian honeymoon, perhaps: LUAU.

16. Thumbnail, e.g.: IMAGE.  A thumbnail is a small image representation of a larger image, usually intended to make it easier and faster to look at or manage a group of larger images.

17. [Theme clue]

20. Beauty spot: SALON.

21. Something to build on: SITE.

22. Cost fig.: EST.  One type of cost figure (abbreviated) is an estimate.

23. Member of K-pop's BTS: SUGA.  Min Yoon-gi is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, record producer, and member of the K-pop group BTS. He uses the stage names Suga for BTS and Agust D for his solo work. He is BTS's lead rapper.  All perps (perpendicular entries) for me.  Any fans here?

Suga

25. Holds or saves, e.g.: STAT.  A hold or a save is a baseball statistic.  Usually, if the answer is abbreviated, the clue is also abbreviated.  Hold and save aren't abbreviations, but I suppose sports fans use "stat" so often, they might not think of it as an abbreviation.

27. Retro taper: VCR.  My first mental image for "taper" was of a tall candle, but this "taper" was used to tape TV shows and movies.

30. [Theme clue]

35. Component of many detergents: WHITENER.  A few years ago, I discovered Patric Richardson's show, The Laundry Guy, on HGTV, and then read his book, Laundry Love, when it was pubished in 2021.  He is a phenomenon.  I have retrained our adult children so that none of us buys bottled detergents or dryer sheets anymore.  For whites, all you need are soap flakes and oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate).  Life changing!

Patric Richardson

37. Wiped out: TIRED.

38. Tolerate, quaintly: BIDE.  Bide is an old fashioned word meaning to wait, to withstand, or to tolerate.  "He couldn't bide children on his property."

39. Contort: GNARL.  Gnarl as a verb can mean snarl or growl, or it can mean to twist into a state of deformity.  As a noun, a gnarl is a hard protruberance with twisted grain on a tree.

42. Spot for some Christmas decorations: EAVE.

43. Home of the Vols: U TENN.  A gimme for me!  DH is a UT grad and loyal vol.  During the war of 1812, Tennessee was called the Volunteer State, and the nickname was reinforced during Texas's 1836 War for Independence from Mexico, and again during the Mexican-American War of 1846.

45. More than is necessary: TOO OFTEN.

47. [Theme clue]

50. Filler syllables: ERS.  Er, um, uh, like ...

51. Wide band: SASH.

52. German woman: FRAU.

54. Item that's waxed: SKI.

57. Dabbling duck: TEAL.  Dabbling ducks feed mainly at the water's surface rather than by diving.

Look how tiny the Green-Winged Teal is compared to the Mallards!

59. Possible response to 41-Down: I KNOW.

62. [Theme clue]

66. Cast list: ROLES.

67. Move by small increments: INCH.  People inch forward in their cars when traffic is heavy, or they inch forward on tiptoes to sneak up on someone or something.

An inchworm shows us how it's done.

68. Messes up: ERRS.

69. Bring to bear: EXERT.

70. Take to a booth: SEAT.

71. Overdo the aftershave, say: REEK.

Down:

1. "Lip Gloss" rapper __ Mama: LIL.  "Lip Gloss" was the 2007 debut single by hip-hop artist Lil Mama. Rated G for all audiences.

Lil Mama -- Lip Gloss

2. African wading bird: IBIS.

3. Epsilon follower: ZETA.  Greek to me.

4. Rink moves: AXELS.

5. Ringing sounds from old trolley bells: CLANGING.

6. "__ Planet": David Attenborough series: OUR.  Our Planet is a 2019 nature documentary series made for Netflix, narrated by David Attenborough.  The series focuses on the wildlife and natural wonders of eight different ecosystems, and is noted for its focus on humans' impact on the environment, especially how climate change impacts all living creatures.

7. Bright beams: RAYS.

8. Revealing lifestyle choice?: NUDISM.

9. Magic show, for one: LIVE ACT.

10. "__ imagining things?": AM I.

11. Walk worriedly: PACE.  Pacing is underrated.  DH burns lots of calories this way while speaking with clients and associates on the phone.

12. Factors in baby clothing sizes: AGES.

13. Ingredient in marmalade: ZEST.

18. Map guidance: ROUTE.

19. "Tell Mama" singer James: ETTA.

24. Grace closer: AMEN.

26. Pincher: THIEF.

27. Beetle with brakes: VW BUG.  The Volkswagen Beetle (often called the VW Bug) was a small car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003.  My first husband had a barely functional VW Bug when we married.  We spent weekends "bleeding" the brakes in hopes that they'd stop the car when necessary.

1967 Volkswagen Beetle

28. Tony winner Rivera: CHITA.  Chita Rivera was an American actress, singer, and dancer.  She received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.  She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.  She passed away just after her 91st birthday last year.

Chita Rivera

29. Legislative addition: RIDER.  A legislative rider is a provision added to a bill that may not be directly related to the bill's main subject matter. These riders are often added to urgent legislation, like appropriations bills, to enact controversial policies that might not pass on their own.

31. Sister of Calliope: ERATO.  In Greek mythology, the Muses were the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts.  By the Classical period, the number of Muses was standardized to nine:  Calliope, Clio, Polyhymnia, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Melpomene, Thalia, and Urania.  Calliope is all about eloquence and epic poetry; she has a lovely voice.  Erato is the muse of erotic poetry, and she is quite seductive.

Roman statue of Erato (2nd century AD)

32. Likely to storm off: IRATE.

33. Unequivocal turndown: NEVER.

34. Perfect places: EDENS.

36. Watches over: TENDS.

40. Spot for some Christmas decorations: ROOF.

41. "Ha, so true": LOL RIGHT.  Text speak for: Laughing Out Loud, right?

44. Worthy of a handwriting award: NEATEST.

46. "Shogun" setting: OSAKA.  Shōgun is an historical drama television series broadcast on FX in 2024.  It is based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, which was previously adapted into a 1980 television miniseries.  

Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in Shogun

48. Fraction of a min.: NSEC.  A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one-billionth (10⁻⁹) of a second.

49. "To clarify ... ": THAT IS.

53. Supervised by: UNDER.

54. Kingly address: SIRE.

55. Fort guarded by the U.S. Mint Police: KNOX.

56. Shetland element: ISLE.  Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. 

58. Sole: LONE.

60. Large fantasy antagonist: OGRE.

61. Beyoncé's "If I __ a Boy": WERE.

63. On the authority of: PER.  I have almost completed this post as per C.C.'s request.

64. Classic TV brand: RCA.

65. "I expected better from you": TSK.

Here's the grid:

What did you think of Katie and Doug's crossword DEVICES today?  

Did they trick you TOO OFTEN?

Or did you call out I KNOW and end up with the NEATEST grid ever?

-- NaomiZ

P.S.  Today is my 70th birthday!  My mom and I celebrated earlier this week on her 94th.

Saturday, June 21, 2025, Alan Massengill, Doug Peterson

 Themeless Saturday by Alan Massengill & Doug Peterson

Today is the first full day of Summer as the Solstice occurred at 9;42 pm (CDT) last night when the sun was directly over the Tropic of Cancer. We will have the greatest amount of daylight and, as you see at the left, this is where you will see the sunrise on this day at Stonehenge. For us here in Nebraska, the grackles will soon be moving on from our feeders and will not be missed.

Today's puzzle by Alan (left below) and Doug has a nice wide-open grid with only 27 blocks and 102 open squares. The long grid-spanners were very "gettable" and clever fill added to the fun. Hanging on to LEGIT too long was a speed bump. My potential Natick was at _AVI/_ONCE and for some reason, NONCE made some sense for one-off and the Congratulations window came up.

 

Across:

1. Ocean spray?: SEA SALT.

8. Sings the blues: ACTS SAD - I chose Buck's version over Ringo's.

15. Flurry: HUSTLE AND BUSTLE.

17. Particulars from behind closed doors: INTIMATE DETAILS - She should know.

18. Capital of Cambodia: RIELS - A Big Mac in Phnom Penh, the uh, capital of Cambodia,  costs 23,938 REILS

19. States: AVERS 20. __ service: LIP - He AVERS that he will back me up but it turned out to be LIP service when I needed him.

21. Space that may be kind of a lot: ACRE 😀

22. Signs: OMENS - Get to the basement!

23. Numbers game: KENO.

24. Really chill: ZEN.

25. Highlands estate owner: LAIRD.

26. One duo and two trios: OCTET 😀 (1 x 2) + (2 x 3) = 2 + 6 = 8

27. Works from home?: BATS 😀

28. Command performances?: SALUTES - What a private has to do to a general or...

QEII and the lads
after a command performance

30. Nancy, to Fritzi Ritz: NIECE - 1944 edition

32. Surveyor's support: BIPOD.

33. Game for pick-y people: LOTTERY.

35. CLE team: CAVS.

36. Final challenge, perhaps: ESSAY 😀 I always liked multiple choices better but knew there would probably be an ESSAY question near the end

37. Spark joy in: ELATE.

39. NL players since 2022: DH'S - The National League finally started using it 49 years later.

42. Groks: GETS - We solvers grok and suss

43. No-hit performance?: B-SIDE 😀 - Hanging onto LEGIT too long and not knowing BRITE left me starting at _ S E D E for a while. Richie Valens' La Bamba was once a B-SIDE.

44. Drink choice: NEAT - We veterans here remember Tinbeni who refused to have ice in his scotch 

45. "How To Triumph Like a Girl" poet Limón: ADA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  The poem

46. New York minute: TRICE.

47. One-off: NONCE 

48. "It came back to me so easily!": LIKE RIDING A BIKE.

51. "Let me worry about that": I'VE GOT IT COVERED.

52. Signified: DENOTED.

53. Text-style workers: EDITORS - A fun play on the word textile

Down:

1. Red selection: SHIRAZ - I picked up on the clue for red wine but this wine naif needed a lot of help for this variety 

2. Carol Burnett character: EUNICE - Eunice and her Mama had issues

3. Toward a paddle wheel: ASTERN.

4. Steps over a wall: STILE.

5. Element of the Third Pillar of Islam: ALMS.

6. Green span: LEA.

7. Tea ceremony surfaces: TATAMIS.

The mat is called a TATAMI

8. Plus ones?: ADDENDS - This math teacher deserves a time out for trying to see this as someone who is taken as date to an event instead of...

9. Many semi pros: CBERS - I quickly saw semi as a tractor/trailer combo, good buddy!

10. Sounds of contempt: TUTS.

11. Retirement income org.: SSA.

12. Lift provider on a runway: STILETTO - I'll admit my first thought was of supportive underwear.

Can be hazardous

13. Only Top 40 hit for actor/singer Jack Wagner: ALL I NEED - It reached #2 behind Madonna's Like A Virgin

14. Tyrants: DESPOTS.

16. "Give up?" comeback: NEVER - General McAuliffe had a different way to respond to a German demand to give up in 1944.

22. Western: OATER.

23. Trademarked pods: K CUPS - I use them everyday but can't find any strong enough  

25. Chabert of "Mean Girls": LACEY - She's on the left below. I did not know her name but her face was instantly familiar as my lovely bride is a big fan of her much different persona as Hallmark's Queen Of Christmas.

 

26. Fruit in caponata: OLIVE - Yeah, I guess it is a fruit but I usually don't thionk of it as one.

Caponata 

27. Almost-ready versions: BETAS.

29. Ease up: ABATE.

30. Plummet: NOSEDIVE.

31. "Don't sit there": IT'S TAKEN - Not a pleasant chore

33. Passport, for one: LEGAL ID.

34. "Guilty as charged": YES I DID - Saying "Guilty as charged" can defuse a tense situation

35. Rhythmic flow: CADENCE - A fun way to keep it.

38. Permissible: LICIT - As I said, I had LEGAL here for way too long.

39. "Taxi Driver" Oscar nominee: DENIRO - His famous line from that movie

40. Cyberwarrior, sometimes: HACKER.

41. Lipizzans, e.g.: STEEDS - Horse lover General George Patton was instrumental in saving a large number of Lipizzans from the advancing Russians in 1945.

43. "Rainbow __": classic cartoon that inspired collectible dolls: BRITE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

44. "Check": NO BET - The player can either say "Check" or tap the table

46. Turkey __: TROT - A jerky dance of the 20's is now a name used for Thanksgiving Day fun races like this one in our town.

47. Blue species native to Pandora: NAVI - I have never seen the movie Avatar

49. Comedian Nwodim: EGO - I'm getting used to her name

50. Ragnarok figure: GOD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯