Thursday, September 11, 2025, Dylan Schiff

Theme:  How shall I post thee?  Let me count the ways.

Dylan Shiff is a middle school science teacher and puzzle enthusiast who loves the quirks of the English language.  Today's puzzle plays with various meanings of the word POST.

The theme clues and answers are:

18-Across. *Online diary: PERSONAL BLOG.  When you self-publish on a website for others to read, you "post" an entry or article to the site, and the entry or article is itself a "post."

25-Across. *Means of sending legal documents: CERTIFIED MAIL.  "Post" can be a verb meaning to send a letter or package.

37-Across. *Item pinned to a bulletin board: PROMOTIONAL FLYER.  Anything tacked onto a bulletin board is said to be "posted" there.

49-Across. *Professional who stands watch: SECURITY GUARD.  A security guard is assigned to a specific location for a defined period; this assignment is his "post."

59-Across. "I want to stay informed!," or what might be said by the answers to the starred clues?: KEEP ME POSTED.  This is the big reveal, without which I would never have discerned the connection between the starred clues.  A personal blog wants to be kept posted.  So does certified mail, a promotional flyer, and a security guard.  Wonderful wordplay.

I asked ChatGPT to create an image of a security guard at his post who is writing a personal blog, sending a letter, and tacking a flyer to a bulletin board.  The result is the image at the top of this post.  AI technology is amazing and terrifying!

How did Dylan fill in the rest of the puzzle?  Let's take a look.

Across:

1. Chocolaty coffees: MOCHAS.  Yum.

7. Unearthed: DUG UP.

12. Silk formation: WEB.  Hummingbirds use spider silk to bind their tiny nests together.

15. Punctual: ON TIME.

16. Yoga pose: ASANA.

17. Top card in hearts: ACE.

18. [Theme clue]

20. "Neither fish __ fowl": NOR.

21. Class with pronunciation practice, briefly: ESL.  English as a Second Language.

22. Tomato used in tomato paste: ROMA.  Roma tomatoes have low water content and few seeds, which makes it easy to reduce them to a thick paste.

23. "It's peculiar ... ": ODDLY.

25. [Theme clue]

29. River mouth formations: DELTAS.

31. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS.  "How are you?" spoken informally, as to a friend or family member.  We discovered that in Spain, people leap right into informal address, whereas in Mexico, you can know someone for many years and always use the formal ¿Cómo está usted? depending on the relationship.

32. Jeweler's unit: CARAT.

33. WNBA great Leslie: LISA.  Lisa Leslie was a professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 2009. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medalist.  She's a local So Cal gal, but alas, my sports allergy prevented my knowing of her accomplishments.

Lisa Leslie

34. Took charge: LED.

37. [Theme clue]

42. Tags in a Google Doc: ATS.  I don't use Google Docs, but I read that typing the "at" symbol -- @ -- opens a menu to quickly insert links and other items.  It's a shortcut to the insert menu.

43. Border on: ABUT.

44. Ahead of schedule: EARLY.

45. Puts a spell on: HEXES.

47. Extra tires: SPARES.

49. [Theme clue]

53. Bowler's hangout: ALLEY.

54. Limbs symbolic of power in Hinduism: ARMS.  

55. "__ making myself clear?": AM I.

58. Moreover: TOO.  Also, besides, furthermore, and additionally wouldn't have fit.

59. [Theme clue]

64. PIN point: ATM.  One uses a Personal Identification Number at an Automated Teller Machine.

65. Reach a consensus: AGREE.

66. Dutch beer: AMSTEL.  The brewery was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam, taken over by Heineken in 1968, and closed in 1982, with production moving to the main Heineken plant at Zoeterwoude.

67. "Def!": YEP.  Definitely.

68. Stockpile: HOARD.

69. 100-seat chamber: SENATE.  The U.S. Senate has 100 members, with two senators representing each of the 50 states.

Down:

1. Brood: MOPE.

2. Single notes: ONES.  "Notes" can mean paper money.  Americans usually say "bills."

3. Corner PC key: CTRL.

4. The "H" of HMS: HIS.  His Majesty's Ship.  It used to be Her Majesty's Ship when His mama was queen.

5. Cherub in Italian art: AMORETTO.  I never heard this term!

6. Spanish title: SENORA.

7. __ Lama: DALAI.

8. __ port: USB.  Oh, that kind of port.

9. Gadot of "Wonder Woman": GAL.  I know this Gal.  Not personally!  I know of her.

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

10. "Last card!": UNO.  Uno is a card game developed in 1971, and produced since 1992 by Mattel.  A player who plays their next-to-last card must call "Uno" as a warning to the other players that they only have one card left.

11. East Asian temple: PAGODA.  A pagoda is a multi-story structure with overhanging roofs.  They often serve as Buddhist or Hindu temples or memorials.

12. Title fish in a 1988 heist comedy: WANDA.

13. Produce recall cause, often: E. COLI.  E. coli is a group of bacteria that can cause infections in your gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, and other parts of your body.

14. Mineral group for emerald and aquamarine: BERYL.  Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate, which forms hexagonal crystals.  Pure beryl is colorless, but it is frequently tinted by impurities.

Aquamarine beryl gets its color from iron.

19. Ozs. and lbs.: AMTS.  Ounces and pounds are amounts.

24. Private online convos: DMS.  Direct Messages.

25. Chowder protein: CLAM.

26. Distracting move: FEINT.

27. Rae who played the president of Barbieland: ISSA.  Issa Rae plays a number of roles in Crossword Land.

28. Bibliography abbr.: ET AL.

29. Projectile aimed at a bull's-eye: DART.  This kind of bull's eye.  It is not wise to throw darts at real bulls' eyes.

30. God of love: EROS.

32. IRS worker: CPA.

33. Crummy: LOUSY.

34. Harp kin: LYRE.

35. Morays or congers: EELS.

36. Like kindling, ideally: DRY.

38. "Cash Cab" car: TAXI.  Cash Cab is a game show that premiered U.S. and British versions in 2005.  A taxi picks up a customer, the host announces that they are on Cash Cab, and they are given the option to play or get out.  If they choose to play, they have to stay in the cab until they reach their destination or get three strkes when answering questions.  They earn cash for correct answers.  I've never heard of this.  Anyone here watch it?  What kinds of questions do they answer?  Do they have to know what an amoretto is?  

39. [Eye roll]: I BET.

40. Inspiring chills: FEARSOME.

41. Frying medium: LARD.

45. Shade: HUE.

46. "On & On" singer Badu: ERYKAH.  Erykah Badu is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.  "On & On" was a Grammy winning single from her first album, Baduizm, released in 1997.  We saw her in Chandi Deitmer's puzzle on Sunday 9/7/2025, and in many, many puzzles before that.  Time to remember this “Queen of Neo Soul.”

Erykah Badu

47. "Why not!": SURE.

48. Argentinian grasslands: PAMPAS.

49. Skewered dish with peanut sauce: SATAY.  Yum.

Thai tofu satay with peanut sauce.  Your skewered protein may vary.

50. Mexican corn dish: ELOTE.  Elote returns to our crossword menu!  Corn on the cob, charred on a grill, and then slathered with spicy mayonnaise, crumbled cheese, chili powder and a squeeze of lime.  We had this dish in Patti Varol's puzzle on Friday 9/5/2025 and in C.C.'s puzzle on 8/24/2024. Yum.

51. Walk noisily: CLOMP.

52. Played Elden Ring, say: GAMED.  Elden Ring is a 2022 role-playing game for PlayStation, Windows, and Xbox.  

55. Roti base: ATTA.  Roti is an Indian flatbread made of atta flour and water.  It is frequently on our crossword menu.  DH and I are usually offered naan in Indian restaurants.  I'm sure roti is also yummy.

56. Come across: MEET.  Hmm.  This comes across as odd to me.  

57. Running in place: IDLE.

60. Barrier to teamwork: EGO.

61. Important chapter of history: ERA.

62. A pop: PER.  

63. Digits often hidden by x's: SSN.  In online forms and databases, SSNs are often replaced by x's so that bad folks can't look over your shoulder and steal your numbers.

Here's the grid:

Well, solvers, did you finish this puzzle ON TIME?  Did you DART from one clue to the next?

Or did you find it FEARSOME?

KEEP ME POSTED in the comments below!

-- NaomiZ 

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

Happy birthday to dear Husker Gary, our caring and creative Saturday Sherpa. I remember you once shared that you spent a birthday apple-picking with your grandchildren some years back. Such a sweet image. Do you still keep up that tradition?

Wishing you a beautiful day filled with family, joy, and maybe even a crisp apple or two!

Left to Right: Boomer, Gary, C.C. & Joann (August 2014)

 

Wednesday, Jun 11th, 2025 ~ Dylan Schiff

 Once Upon a Time....Happily Everafter

The End...

Continues~!??

I am unsure how to call this crossword puzzle; on the one hand, it was a solid mid-week challenge for me; on the other, it took a cheat peek to find out why I did not get the "ta-DA~!".  Then, after staring at the theme answers for longer than I care to admit, I finally figured out the common thread ( only due to the fact that I recognized the first two as titles ) and it left me feeling less than pleased / satisfied; sorta disappointed it was not "more", I guess.  YMMV.  I did a count; 191 letters, and with the three spanners, a whopping 65 dedicated to the theme; that's 34%.  Impressive, but - too many names again, even if they are fairly familair - I am not even going to bother linking to them this week; no circles,  a balance of 21/22 3LW& 4LWs, and two unique fills (*); 

17. Australia's unofficial national anthem: WALTZING MATILDA - Matilda, the book

23. Bite-sized treats: DONUT HOLES* - Holes, the book

37. Wide-eyed awe: CHILDLIKE WONDER - Wonder, the book

52. Cares: GIVES A HOOT* - Hoot, the book

61. Perfect resolution, or a feature of 17-, 23-, 37-, and 52-Across: STORYBOOK ENDING - the four theme fills END with the title of a story/book - yet the fill itself was in a crossword 30yrs ago.  BTW, I "wrote" the "book" that is the title of this blog post, so don't make me enforce ©opywright infringement 😁

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Play mates?: CAST - I do the Down clues first, and I never saw my errors here in the NW . . . .Sigh

5. "31 Days of Oscar" cable network: TCM - Turner Classic Movies

8. Electric current unit: AMPERE

The "naughty" version on my blog page

14. "The Traitors" host Cumming: ALAN- name #1

15. __ Speedwagon: REO - name #2, getting tired of this clue/answer - don't like the band, either....

16. Folk medicine figure: HEALER - I had _ E A _ _R, pondered "REAPER" - hey, technically, death is a "medical" thing 

20. Punk subgenre: EMO - seems like every week now we get this fill

21. Debate topic: ISSUE

22. Obi-Wan portrayer Guinness: ALEC - name #3

26. Took a dip: SWAM

28. Former Russian ruler: TSAR - music interlude; here's an instrumental from Black Sabbath

They would open their show with "Supertzar" playing in the background

29. Bout ruling, briefly: TKO - Technical Knock-Out

31. Dug-out material?: ORE - yeah, I figured this was the common O-R-E fill, trying a different approach  on the cluing - I'll admit, it's not bad

32. Overture follower: ACT I

35. Sign of things to come: OMEN

36. Go (for): OPT

42. Protein in a Monte Cristo: HAM

Now I'm in the mood for a sa'mich

43. Sisters in habits: NUNS

44. Analogy phrase: IS TO

45. Afore: ERE

46. "Your point?": "AND....~?"

47. Tried to buzz: RANG - a bit Meh.

50. Onetime Volvo rival: SAAB - two Swedish automakers

57. Highlands family unit: CLAN

59. "Barbie" director Gerwig: GRETA - name #4

60. Lucy of "Elementary": LIU - name #5

64. Sore: TENDER - my feet are sore - I have walked my neighborhood every day but one since I joined the gym; I need to get me some comfortable hiking footwear - suggestions~?

65. "__ the fields we go ... ": "O'ER"

66. "Diana" singer Paul: ANKA - name #6

67. "Voilà!": "PRESTO~!"

68. Hosp. workers: MDs

69. Outperform: BEST


DOWN:

1. Imitated a crow: CAWED - bleery-eyed, I read this as "imitated a COW", so I put in MOOED; that didn't work with "Waltzing...", so I switched to LOWED, and never checked my Across; hence my black marks in the grid below....

2. San Antonio field trip destination: ALAMO - name(ish)

3. Place to find high rollers?: SALON - high on one's head kind of rollers

4. Red block in Minecraft: TNT - good WAG on my part, but then again, three letters . . . .

5. "How Do I Live" singer Yearwood: TRISHA - I did recall this was spelled "SHA", not "CIA" - still, name #7

6. One who may remove a curse?: CENSOR - Think bloopers

7. Tycoon: MOGUL

8. "Now I've got it!": "A-HA~!"

9. Social media parent company: META - 'they' own Facebook and other social media outlets, I think, and the company is going with "Social Technology" for a title, promoting "virtual reality" goggles - I have tried a set with a model I built in Revit of a church pipe organ; I was impressed, but it made my modeling skills look lame by comparison.  The webpage

10. Equipment for building sand castles: PAILS - what about the shovels~?

Methinks this is called "cheating"

11. "Legally Blonde" protagonist: ELLE WOODS - full name #8

12. Place to see stars: RED CARPET - the kind of stars whose NAMES appear too often in crosswords these days...

13. Historical span: ERA - the most over-used crossword fill

18. Comic strip about a teenager: ZITS - name(ish)

19. "I'd like to see you": "MEET ME."

24. Gas or elec.: UTILity - there's no gas lines in my area; I have to buy oil this week; my water heater is on the furnace

25. Distort, as data: SKEW

Don McMillan, Technically funny

27. Paris subway: METRO - another WAG on my part

30. Creative mind behind the Imagine Peace Tower: ONO - name #9

32. Feels yesterday's workout: ACHES - just in my legs

33. Thespian's role: CHARACTER - ah, good fill

34. Chance for an introvert to recharge: TIME ALONE - I am all for time alone - my ex-wife once called me "anti-social", which was a bonus - it meant I was diagnosed with a disability, and didn't have to participate - 😜

35. Says "Go ahead," say: OKs

38. Genetic material in Rosalind Franklin's "Photo 51": DNA - a "pivotal diffraction X-ray image" of the strand in 1952 - the story here

39. Source of inspiration?: LUNG - Breathe in~!

40. Rainbow band: INDIGO - I toyed with "ROY G BIV", but once I had some crossings, I see it was just ONE band of color

41. Nearby: NIGH - Ah, that kind of nearby, like the end is NIGH~!

( the second guy's sign has the definition of nigh )

47. Made a big stink?: REEKED - I once managed a nightclub that had live bands on the weekends, and one of the groups was called "REEKING HAVOC" - I tried to explain that it's WREAKING, but they're heavy metal, so their name was "better" 🤘

48. Daisylike blooms: ASTERS

49. Side with tandoori chicken: NAAN

51. Medieval poets: BARDS

53. Revved engine sound: VROOM

54. QB protectors, in football lingo: O-LINE - The offensive group of  five (~) guys in front of the quarterback in the NFL

55. Pen sounds: OINKS - That kind of pen

56. Gently pull on: TUG AT

58. Opposite of da: NYET - Tsar-speak for yes and no

61. Valvoline rival: STP - another common crossword fill

62. "Dude ... ": "BRO..."

63. Smidgen: DAB - hey, at least it was not 'A DAB'

Splynter

Here's a picture of me with Picard at the UCONN sign, a mere five mins from my home in CT.

Here's the link to Ginger Roots to see some more pictures

Friday, April 25, 2025, Dylan Schiff

 Theme:  Incidentally ...

[note, this cartoon is totally unrelated to the puzzle]

Puzzling thoughts:

I thought the name Dylan Schiff looked familiar.  I discovered that I was the blogger of his January 8, 2021 LA Times debut crossword puzzle; a collaboration between he and Mark McClain

BTW, yesterday we had a puzzle from Zachary Schiff.  Might they be related?

I digress ...   

After completing today's puzzle I kept thinking, "is there more to this that I am missing?"  So, with Mark McClain's help, I was able to reach out to Dylan and ask him about his thought process in coming up with today's puzzle.  And no, I didn't miss anything. [phew!] 

BTW, Dylan promises to stop by today and see what you all have to say about this, and answer any questions, so be nice!! 😀

Here are the entries:

17-across. Homeland, nation, or state?: ALT-COUNTRY.  Three different (alternative) synonyms for the word "country"

The thesaurus-saurus agrees, in part

25-across. Soapstone, shale, or mudstone?: SOFT ROCK.  Three different kinds of "rocks" that have a Moh's Scale rating of 2 or less.  Remember when Chairman Moe used the scale below to rate puzzles??

50-across. Cheerwine, Maine Root, or Jones Soda?: INDIE POP.  Not familiar with Cheerwine?  How about Maine Root? Does Jones Soda come to mind when you think of a soft drink?  As those who live or grew up in the Midwest/western PA area know, the word "pop" is the term used to describe a carbonated beverage.  Other parts of the country refer to it as "soda", and "Coke" (see map in the video below).  And for those in the deep South, you know that the word "Coke" refers to any carbonated beverage. 

Here is an example of ordering a soft drink at a drive-through in Mobile, AL: 

[you] "I'd like a Big Mac, Fries, and a Coke." 

[voice in the drive-thru]: "What kind of Coke do you want?" 

[you]: "I'd like a Pepsi, if you have it. If not, make it a Mr. Pibb"  

Fun Fact:  The term "indie" refers to independent (as in the term "indie" films which are produced by smaller companies not called "MGM", "Universal", "Disney", et al) Here, the examples of "indies" are the three independent bottlers 

[note, the video also contains other terms besides carbonated beverages]

62-across. Mercury, bismuth, or lead?: HEAVY METAL.  Once again, three types of metals that are "heavy" as it refers to their weight.  Here is a link to how Wikipedia defines "heavy metals".  As for the musical connection, heavy metal is not what I first think of when defining incidental music.  But hey, it's fun to listen to!  Here is one of my favorites from a band that arguably planted the seed for all heavy metal bands to follow

 

And the reveal: 

38-across. Score that sets the mood, and an apt description of 17-, 25-, 50-, and 62-across?: INCIDENTAL MUSIC.  From Dylan's e-mail reply to me: "This puzzle takes four music subgenres and clues them in non-music contexts by providing 3 examples. The revealer INCIDENTAL MUSIC points to how each of them also "happens to be" a music subgenre when put back in the musical context" ... so don't look for another, hidden meaning!! 😁

I've enclosed the finished grid to help you find the other answers ... since this puzzle featured an incidental reference to hardness, I will use the Moh's Scale Rating today instead of assigning ⭐'s.  Given that it took me just 6:33 to solve (more like my time for solving a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday puzzle) I have to rate it less than a "5", as it barely "whet my apatite" (pun, intended - go back and look at the Moh's Scale)

The completed grid

Across:

1. Food in red paraffin wax: EDAM.  Moe-ku #1:

        Judi Dench started

        Cheese biz.  Anagrammed headline:

        "The Dame made Edam"

        

5. Luxuriate in the great outdoors: GLAMP.  Glamp (see also, glamper and glamping) is a portmanteau of the words "glorious and camping", put into its verb form

What bears might think about glampers

And in a similar vein:

😂

10. Bird of prey: HAWK.  

14. Flatbread made with 3-Down: ROTI.  Here is a DIY recipe for ROTI 

15. Bay Area NFLer: NINER.  As in "Forty-Niner" - the nickname (singular) of the SF area pro football team

16. DOL division: OSHA.

17. [entry]

19. Fix, as a pet: SPAY.  Of course, I doubt that the pet would agree to be "fixed" if they had a say in it 😀

20. Beatles drummer: STARR.  Moe-ku #2:

        Quarterback Bart and

        His Center, Jim, had a child;

        Named him Ringo Starr

21. Unagi roll protein: EEL.  One of 19 three-letter-words in today's puzzle.  Hard to avoid that many when you have 4 entries (36 letters, total) and 1 reveal (15 letters) taking up so much real estate

22. Brand sold at Mattress Firm: SERTA.

23. Gondola propeller: OAR.  "Gondolier" was too big to fit

25. [entry]

27. Without stopping: AT A CLIP.

31. With 30-Down, accessory that may coordinate with cuff links: TIE. (30-down. See 31-Across: PIN.)

  

And then, as if being a spoonerism of sorts, Dylan found a way of including this: (45-down). Baking pan that inspired the Frisbee: PIE TIN.

32. More, in Mexico: MAS.  I kind of prefer this as an actual word (mas = Spanish for "more") as opposed to a clue that might read "Pa's companions"

33. __ out: discuss in detail: HASH.  Moe-ku #3

        I'm ticked off because

        Number sign's (#) meaning's been changed.  

        Let's HASH(tag) this out

34. Falsehood: LIE.  Fib also fits

36. Like many legal terms: LATIN.

38. [reveal]

42. French military caps: KEPIS.  Also worn during the US Civil War/War Between the States

43. Movie SFX: CGI.  Imagine that!

44. Insta- kin: REDI.  OK, I know that this is not the "redi" that Dylan was after, but I much prefer videos ... this video dates back to 2009.  I hope the plant in Pensacola is now able to meet demand for this fun-to-use product

45. Writing tool: PEN.

46. Baby hyena: CUB.  My first choice was pup.  Yours?

48. Without stopping: ON AND ON.  Kind of like my sentences when I write a blog ...

50. [entry]

53. "Shameless" network, for short: SHO.  Not a subscriber

54. "My goodness!": EGADS.  For all of the solvers here that are members of the "Silent Generation"

55. Media center?: DEE.  The "?" in the clue gave this away.  The letter D is in the center of the word, media

57. Flattens (out): EVENS.  I chose irons - anyone else make that mistake?

61. "Bob's Burgers" daughter: TINA.  This solved by perps as I never watched this sitcom

62. [entry]

64. Part of a foot: INCH.  Heel/sole/arch also fit, but I measured my choice precisely ... 

65. See eye to eye: AGREE.  Kind of an easy Friday clue

66. Assign stars to: RATE.  So, if I did assign ⭐'s to this puzzle I would give it a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐

67. "Because of You" R&B singer: NE-YO.  Total perps.  [internet info] "Shaffer Chimere Smith, known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards. He gained recognition for his songwriting abilities following the success of his first major credit, Mario's 2004 single "Let Me Love You"

68. __ verde: SALSA.  Mi favorito!

Salsa = sauce; Verde = green

69. Approach bumper-to-bumper traffic, say: SLOW.  I tried using the word "cuss" ... which is what I might have done once or twice back in my commuting days ... 

Down:

1. Notable times: ERAS.  We are currently in the Chairman Moe/Malodorous Manatee ERA of Crossword blogging.  I am coming up on my fifth year here at the Corner as your co-Friday blogger; MalMan is close behind ... 

2. Numbskull: DOLT.

3. Flour ground in a chakki: ATTA. Not familiar with the word "chakki". The "Silent Generation" (and this "Boomer") would prefer this clue: " ___ girl!"

4. Aid in locating a lost pet: MICROCHIP.

5. Serengeti grazer: GNU.  Moe-ku #4:

        Serengeti Times

        Deletes antelope stories.

        No GNUS is good news

6. Actor's "What am I supposed to say?": LINE.  Very clever clue for this word

7. Chips in?: ANTES.  How many different ways has this word been clued?

8. Bordeaux grape: MERLOT.  In my former life as a wine rep/sommelier, the "casual" wine drinker was still focused on the line from the movie "Sideways" and the popularity of merlot plummeted.  I can honestly say that the best ever wine I drank was a bottle of 2001 Paloma Merlot (ok, it was a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was f***ing awesome!)

Here is a clip of the movie and Paul Giamatti's utterance (NSFW).  BTW, the character, Miles, loves Merlot.  The problem is, so did his ex-wife; and every time he encounters that grape varietal it reminds him (negatively) of her 

9. Be nosy: PRY.  I reached out to Dylan for his thoughts about this puzzle before I finished my blog.  Hope he didn't think I was pry-ing

10. Canadian lout: HOSER.  Not sure that I would ever call this a CSO ... but maybe our resident Canadian, "Canadian, Eh!" can chirp in here and give us the true explanation for this 😉

11. "Just like we discussed ... ": AS PROMISED. I confirmed [@Crossword Tracker] that this entry phrase is seldom used; just twice (2019 and 2020)

12. "Tell me how to help": WHAT CAN I DO?.  Another in-the-language phrase that is seldom used in crossword puzzles 

13. Whitewater vessels: KAYAKS. 

18. Like many a thesis defense: ORAL. Just throw in a bunch of Latin words to impress and defend!

22. Cook over boiling water: STEAM.  

24. Maddens: RILES UP.  If the clue had read "Madden's", the answer would have had a far different meaning (sports gamers will get this!)

26. Temps: FILL-INS.  Moe-ku #5:

        The dentist was out

        Of amalgam, so he used

        Gum for his fill-ins 

27. Steak choice: AHI.  The only kind of steak (tuna) that offers a three-letter answer - unless you count the word "RAW" as a steak choice (har har! Tartare!) 😂

28. Thomas, for one: TANK ENGINE. Congratulations, Dylan, this is a first use for the phrase tank engine in a major crossword publication! For those unaware of who this is ...

29. Dominance: ASCENDANCY.  Congratulations, Dylan, this is also a first use entry ... you're on a roll today!

30. [see in the across comments]

35. List-shortening abbr.: ETC. and its clecho @ (58-down. List-shortening abbr.): ET. AL..

37. Fruit-filled pastries: TURNOVERS.  

39. Chops finely: DICES.

40. In the past: AGO.

41. NL Central team: CIN.  STL/MIL/PIT/CHI all fit, so I waited until a few perps came to the rescue

45. [see in the across section]

47. Corner store: BODEGA.  I also thought about using the word "tienda" ... does anyone here know the difference between bodega and tienda?

49. [Your attention, please!]: AHEM.

51. The Gem State: IDAHO. Immediately following is (52-down. Gem from a mollusk): PEARL

52. [see above]

56. Holiday lead-ins: EVES.

59. __ phonetic alphabet: NATO. *Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Unicorn, Victor, Whiskey, X-Ray, Yankee, and Zulu 

(*Who can spot the mistake?)

60. Whole bunch: SLEW.

62. Holds: HAS.

63. Assenting vote: YEA.

That's a wrap, folks.  See you in a couple of weeks.  A personal "ps" from the Chairman, today is my little big sister's birthday.  I know she won't be stopping by but as my only sibling, it is more than worth giving her a shout out. Happy Birthday, sis! 🎂

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, Dylan Schiff

 OPUS

J.S. Bach - "Dorian" Toccata (no Fugue), Opus #538

This puzzle was "on my wavelength", and it takes us on a musical journey.  Two 15-letter spanners, two 10-letter, and one centered 11-letter theme answers, each starting with a synonym for "song", and revealed in the, well, reveal. ALAS, we're missing "ditty" - but that's a 51D.

17. *Rainforest Cafe, for one: THEME RESTAURANT - I did not know about this place; the closest one to me now is in New Jersey - the Wiki; the décor seems too overbearing for dining, IMHO

23. *Depiction of integers at regular intervals: NUMBER LINE

34. *Imperial reign of China ended by Kublai Khan: SONG DYNASTY

44. *Florence Henderson sitcom role: CAROL BRADY - "NOEL" could be a theme answer, too

"The Brady Bunch"

And the reveal

50. Starts looking at things differently, as demonstrated by the first words of the answers to the starred clues?: CHANGES ONES TUNE - and I get the pleasure of looking for "compositions" that match some puzzle answers; I'll try to be diverse....

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Greenlights: OKs

4. Dish that may or may not contain beans: CHILI - my chili contains red & black beans

9. Time at a job: STINT - I am hoping that my "stint" with the Pipe Organ company is my last career

14. Feline pet: CAT

Meow

15. Brief mission?: RECONnaissance - Frawnche~!

16. Wobbly craft: CANOE

20. Portion out: ALLOT

21. Deciduous tree with oblong leaves: ELM

22. God, to Rastafarians: JAH - the first word of this "ode"

The Outernationalist - Thievery Corporation

Ambient Electronica, my preferred music genre now that I am "older"

27. Guacamole fruit: LIME

28. "__ Te Ching": Laotzu text: TAO

29. Casual contraction: AIN'T - and the first word of this "ballad", too

 

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

30. Direct elsewhere: REFER

31. Like a zebra: MANED - if you hear the thunder of hoofs....

 

he's sporting a "Mohawk" mane

33. Big fans: BUFFS

36. "Summer of My German Soldier" novelist Greene: BETTE - needed perps for this author

37. Shrewd: CAGEY - some obscure Blue Öyster Cult for your ears

 

Cagey Cretins from the Secret Treaties Album

38. Breeze (through): WALTZ - more music, this clue/answer hinting that one "rolled" through ( in 3/4 time~? )

39. Wax counterpart: WANE

 

There's a Solar Eclipse Monday, 8Apr

40. Grab a chair: SIT

43. The 411: INFO

47. Situation Room gp.: NSC - no clue; I tried NSA first

48. Spicy tuna roll tuna: AHI - becoming a crossword staple

49. Totally buy: EAT UP - I don't eat up sushi

55. Unsettling: EERIE

56. Unexpected ending: TWIST - as found in this "melody"

Hole in the Sky - Black Sabbath

57. Single-stranded genetic molecule: RNA

58. Specs dished in a gossip sesh: DEETS - Text/Gen Z-speak for a 'session' and the 'details'

59. Zipper alternative: SNAPS

60. Noggin: NOB


DOWN:

1. One-eighth of a circle: OCTANT - overthought this; I was trying to come up with a clever pizza slice reference

2. Ingredient in a white or black Russian: KAHLUA - plus vodka, and milk makes it 'white'

3. Sailor's patron: ST. ELMO - there was a "coming-of-age" movie "St. Elmo's Fire" during my high school years, but I cringe at the "see 24D." of similar films in the decade - I was more "Raiders of the Lost Ark" & "Ghostbusters" kind of fan

4. "Zorba the Greek" island: CRETE - it's all Greek to me - perps

5. She/__ pronouns: HER

She's A Lady - Tom Jones

6. Curling surface: ICE - I'd like to try this "sport"

7. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS - of the WNBA

8. Aim: INTENT

9. Bathtub buildup: SCUM

10. Roofer's sealant: TAR

11. Right away: IN A JIFFY

12. Total randos: NO-NAMES - heard in this Glam "rocker"

 

Wild Side, Mötley Crüe - Lyric at 2:36, after the spinning drum cage stunt

13. Tie: TETHER - this looked weird in the 'down'; I had "TET_E" from perps

18. Horde: MOB

19. Bass beer: ALE

24. Gamut: RANGE

25. Served up a whopper: LIED

26. Race-sanctioning body since 1994: INDYCAR - this did not make sense until I cut and pasted the clue into Google, and got the Wiki; I was wondering if it referred to the race car's 'open wheel' body style at first

27. Southpaw: LEFTY - I am one - we have several at the Pipe Organ company; "Sinister" types make up about 17% of the population, and let me tell you, it's really frustrating to see how much of the world "assumes" everyone is right-handed, e.g. all vending machines, ever

See~? You'll look at them differently from now on....

30. Bit of deception: RUSE

31. Words on a family banner: MOTTO

32. Animated film with talking bugs: ANTZ - I thought "A Bugs Life" was better

33. Bialy kin: BAGEL

34. Practices for personal well-being: SELF-CARE

35. Prefix with tech: NANO

36. Wailing spirit of Irish folklore: BANSHEE - there's Siouxie and the Banshees, and another band called Banshee as well - not a fan of either, TBH

38. Showed vicarious embarrassment, in a way: WINCED

39. Midriffs: WAISTS

40. Body with notable rings: SATURN - oh, right, the, um, planet

A midriff with a ring

41. "Search me": "I DUNNO"

42. Universal blood recipient's designation: TYPE AB

44. Jost's "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE - Saturday Night Live members Colin and Michael

45. Outperforms: BESTS - Not beAts, the first "S" being my last fill

46. Snitch: RAT - we already had an 80's Hair Band, but how can I pass this up~?

Round and Round - Ratt -  AND -  Milton Berle

48. Long time: AGES

51. Minor quibble: NIT

52. Hold title to: OWN

53. Actress/director Vardalos: NIA - all "Greek" to me here, too; her IMDb

54. Psychic's letters: ESP

Splynter