Monday September 15, 2025 Freddie Cheng

And just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…ba-dum…ba-dum…it’s RustyBrain!
Sumdaze is taking some well-deserved time off, so you’re stuck with me for a month of Mondays. It’ll be difficult, but I’ll try to be as charming as she is.

Freddie Cheng has been constructing professionally for fifteen years. In this, his 8th puzzle in the LAT, he has the confidence to dare us to rank his puzzle.

17. Half expecting a terrible outcome: FEARING THE WORST. 

28. "What a pity": THAT'S TOO BAD.

39. Demographic statistical standard: NATIONAL AVERAGE.

46. "No problems yet": SO FAR, SO GOOD.

63. Classic family sitcom starring Robert Young: FATHER KNOWS BEST.

Freddie squeezes in five themers, three of which go wall to wall. I zoomed right through to the end as one would expect on a Monday. No revealer, so once I finished I had to backtrack to discover the secret. I found he's incorporated a basic rating system which could apply to almost anything such as star reviews, with 1 star being the worst and 5 stars being the best. The answers are also in proper order, so I give it *****.

Across:

1. "Darn!": RATS. I guess you could darn these?

5. Bubble tea "bubbles": BOBA. BOBA balls are made from tapioca starch and are designed to clog your straw.

9. Subside, as rain: LET UP.

14. Otherwise: ELSE.

15. Many a Dubai resident: ARAB.

16. Clean thoroughly: ERASE. As a reward (?) for being a good student in elementary school (I was an angel *blush*) I was chosen for the privilege of clapping the chalkboard erasers, sometimes creating works of art on the brick walls outside. Sadly, my path to being a pre-Banksy was blocked by teachers unimpressed with my genius.

17.[theme]

20. Clean thoroughly: SCRUB. I'm calling a clue like this (duplicating 16A) a reclusive (re-clue-sive).

21. "In all probability ... ": ODDS ARE. "I don't think you have a royal flush, so..."

22. Ran into: MET. 

24. __ Lanka: SRI.

25. "That's the fellow!": HIM. Sounds British, like "He's the chap!" A lot of clues today seem to evoke the UK.

28. [theme]

35. Japanese noodle: UDON.

37. Cookbook writer Garten: INA. She grows her herbs in a garden.

38. Mario Kart brother: LUIGI.

39. [theme]

43. Yours, once: THINE.

44. Promos: ADS.

45. Small opening: SLIT. 

46. [theme]

50. "Certainly!": YES. (and the obligatory album cover)

51. "__ the season ... ": TIS. Certainly looks like it already in the big box stores.

52. Pinterest pin: PIC.

54. Spiraling: IN A SPIN.

59. Dads: PAPAS.

63. [theme]

67. "The X Factor" judge Cowell: SIMON. British TV personality and record producer.

68. Architectural overhang: EAVE.

69. "By Jove!": I SAY. Something SIMON says.

70. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. "WandaVision" is a surrealistic miniseries by Marvel Comics where each episode is a decade newer than the last, starting with the 50s in black & white and on up through full-color present day. OLSEN plays Wanda, a woman with telepathic powers. 

71. Audition (for): READ.

72. Casual denial: NOPE.

Down:

1. Game officials: REFS. Now you can play at home! For the sanity of your family, a whistle is not included.

2. Oscar winner Guinness: ALEC.

3. Ruler of Imperial Russia: TSAR. Rule of xwords: Russian rulers are TSARs while government policy wonks are czars. Ideally.

4. Clear component of blood: SERUM.

5. Exile: BAN. Expel underarm odor!

6. URL ending for nonprofits: ORG. Short for ORGanists, I think. Ask Splynter.

7. Cricket club: BAT. I couldn't find a cricket bat, so I settled for one with a grasshopper.

8. Detests: ABHORS.

9. Off-color or blue: LEWD.

10. God with a bow and arrow: EROS. The Greek god made people fall in love by striking them with EROS.

11. Actress Reid: TARA.

12. Sputnik power, briefly: USSR. Sputnik was actually powered by three zinc-silver batteries designed to last two weeks, but they made it 22 days and kicked off the space race. Amazing something so small had such a huge impact.

13. Cubs slugger __ Crow-Armstrong: PETE.

18. Skeptical reply: I BET. "I don't believe you have a royal flush, so I BET it all."

19. Amend: EDIT. 

23. Slender: THIN. "I'd like a half pound of salami cut slender, please."

24. German prison camps: STALAGS. The popular 60s TV sitcom, Hogan's Heros, was set at fictional STALAG 13. It took until 1992 for reruns of the anti-Nazi satire to air in Germany. It failed to connect with audiences until scripts were rewritten to make the Nazi characters seem even more foolish.

25. Chases game: HUNTS. Unless the hunter simply sits in a blind and waits for the game to come to him.

26. Boise's state: IDAHO.

27. Recurring theme: MOTIF.

29. "SNL" alum Gasteyer: ANA. She's' more popular in xwords than she was on Saturday Night Live.

30. Flamenco cry: OLE. Flamingo cry: HONK! (They are very noisy birds.)

31. Yours and mine: OURS. Different from "yours, mine and ours."

32. Bagel alternative: BIALY.

33. A&M student, familiarly: AGGIE. Texas A&M is the AGGIEs, but Florida A&M is the Rattlers (rattlesnakes). There are several other A&Ms, including ones in Alabama and Louisiana, so this clue doesn't hold up.

34. Intake guidelines: DIETS. 

36. Totenberg of NPR: NINA.

40. "__ the ramparts we watched ... ": OER. According to my national park guide, Francis Scott Key used the term spangled in his poem "Defense of Fort McHenry" to mean the stars were tilted or askew on the garrison flag. His work was later set to music and re-titled "The Star-Spangled Banner."

41. Brouhaha: ADO.

42. Abbr. on a brandy label: VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale indicates that it has been aged for a minimum of four years in oak barrels for a smoother, more complex flavor.

47. Use a swizzle stick: STIR. British spy 007 would probably kill you with one of those little swords if you did this to his martini. He's very particular.

48. Pig, cutely: OINKER. Meh. This one's a stinker.

49. Quick swims: DIPS.

53. Airplane seating area: CABIN. This one is preparing for takeoff.

54. "Assuming that's true ... ": IF SO.

55. Emery board target: NAIL. 

56. Casino cash dispensers: ATMS. Automated Teller Machines were an early (1960s) volley in the battle to replace human jobs. And the war continues...

57. Casino card dispenser: SHOE. Almost another reclusive! 

58. Teller's partner in magic: PENN. Now celebrating 50 years together, I saw them with my family in Las Vegas around the turn of the century. Great show, but most impressive was afterwards when they both did a meet and greet in the hallway. They hung around chatting (yes, even Teller) and taking selfies until everyone in the audience had a chance to meet them. Class act.

60. Money in the Philippines: PESO.

61. "Now!" letters: ASAP. As Soon As Possible doesn't necessarily mean right now...unless it's my wife saying it.

62. Eye affliction: STYE. My STYE in my little eye...I'm fun on road trips, too!

64. Scottish refusal: NAE. Something James Bond would say if asked, "Should I use a swizzle stick?"

65. Lab eggs: OVA.

66. Tie the knot: WED. "Tying the knot" harkens back to the ancient ritual of handfasting, where a couple's  hands were tied together with ribbons or cords.

So, was this the best of times, or the worst of times? (Ain't I a Dickens?)

Thursday, January 25, 2024 ~ Freddie Cheng

Pump Up The Jam

Click if you don't know the song

Ok, I concede, you can't make jam out of a pump but "plum up jam" isn't a thing -- though, you can plumb UP a [door] jamb :-).

Anyone with a better title? Fortified Foods?

Today, Freddie adds the word UP to intensify our foods / FARE. Let's see what I mean.

20. Add bulk to cured meat?: BEEF UP JERKY. BEEF UP: Make it stronger, better, more interesting.

25. Treat haricot verts to extra plant food?: BUTTER UP BEANS. Haricot verts are French green beans [Google]. BUTTER UP: Praise or flatter in order to get someone to do something

42. Give some oomph to pot stickers?: SOUP UP DUMPLINGS. SOUP UP: Make more powerful such as an engine.

Yummers!

52. Concerns for commuters, or an apt title for this puzzle: FARE HIKES.

I, for one, liked the theme and thought the wordplay in the themers fun. The only downside (or upside depending on your solving experience) is you knew UP was after the verb / before the food.

Across:
1. Element of ecclesiastical architecture: APSE.

5. Pave over: RETAR.

10. Business magnate: CZAR.

14. Tailless cat: MANX. The Manx cat is a breed of domestic cat originating on the Isle of Man, with a mutation that shortens the tail. Many Manx have a small stub of a tail, but Manx cats are best known as being entirely tailless; this is the most distinguishing characteristic of the breed, along with elongated hind legs and a rounded head. [WikiP]
 

Manx Cat

15. "Same here," more formally: AS AM I. Not "ditto?"

16. Gold element of some religious paintings: HALO.
 

History of the World Part I

17. Thing that may have twists and turns: PLOT. Cute.

18. Capacitance unit: FARAD. A capacitor holds a charge between two plates. The Farad was named for Michael Faraday.

19. Penny-__: ANTE. Small stakes poker

20. [See: theme]

23. Pro Bowl org.: NFL. National Football League holds a Pro Bowl (all star) every year the week before the Super Bowl.

24. California's Big __: SUR. Let's check in with the Chamber of Commerce.

25. [See: theme]

32. Longtime "Dancing With the Stars" judge Goodman: LEN.

Len passed last year of pancreatic cancer.

33. "My bad": SORRY.

34. Zelenskyy's country: Abbr.: UKR. Ukraine's president is Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

There lots of deep-fakes of him dancing but one account is real.

36. Range units: ACRES. "Home, Home, Home on the Acres" just isn't the same.

39. Hubbub: ADO.

40. __ del Carmen, Mexico: PLAYA.

Playa del Carmen in relation to...

42. [See: theme]

45. "No time to talk!": I'M LATE.

Alice in Wonderland's Rabbit

46. Half of an interrogation pair: BAD COP.

Maya Rudolph and Jason Bateman Play Good Cop/Bad Cop 

French Cop / Italian Cop #Improv

47. Decryption need: KEY. Two types of keys - symetric and asymetric. A semetric key is used to encrypt and decrypt. Asymetric keys are two related keys - one is used to encrypt and the other is used to decrypt (read more). Asymetric encryption is what makes online shopping possible.

48. Highway sign no.: RTE.

50. WWII carrier: LST. World War II's "Landing Ship, Tank", 1ea.

51. Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY. Crossworddom's favorite frozen treat; presumably the OREOs & cream variety.

52. [See: theme]

55. Corn Belt state: IOWA.

58. Shiraz resident: IRANI.

Pretty much 9 hrs. due south of Tehran

59. Milton setting: EDEN. John Milton's poem Paradise Lost.

63. Pub contest: QUIZ.

64. Disciplined, in a way: FINED.

65. Roof overhang: EAVE.

Eave

66. Place to build: SITE.

67. Months and months: YEARS.

68. Was positive: KNEW.

Down:
1. Band aid: AMP. Cute.

2. Sidekick: PAL. Not Tonto nor Robin.

3. Stuffed shirt: SNOB.

4. Length: EXTENT.

5. Some drawings: RAFFLES. Pastels fit.

6. Biblical birthright seller: ESAU.

7. Renovator's protective cover: TARP.

8. Key of Beethoven's Sym. No. 7: A MAJ. Even if you don't know, you can count on an M and wait for perps.

9. Rolls past: RIDES BY.

10. Yogic spiritual center: CHAKRA. Did you know it's also another Stan Lee superhero?

11. Off-the-wall: ZANY.

12. PC key near Z: ALT. Left side of your keyboard.

13. Sturgeon delicacy: ROE.

21. Young salamander: EFT.

22. Have regrets about: RUE.

25. Turn into: BECOME.

26. Disorderly: UNRULY.

27. Thing that may have twists and turns: ROAD. Cute Clecho with 17a.

28. Pakistani language: URDU.

29. Dance with a queen: PROM.

ABBA's Dancing Queen

30. Fine point: NUANCE.

31. Heavenly body?: SKY GOD.

32. Shortsighted solution?: LASIK. Cute.

35. Rough, in a way: RASPY. RASPY wasn't a ROUGH START Monday.

37. Org. concerned with plastic pollution: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

38. Buddhist teaching: SUTRA.

40. One in a buffet stack: PLATE.

41. Starbucks top: LID.

43. Paralyze with fear: PETRIFY.

44. "The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo" airer: PBS KIDS.

49. Strange and scary: EERIE.

50. Hard-hit baseball: LINER.

52. Throw for a loop: FAZE.

53. Mandlikova in the International Tennis Hall of Fame: HANA.

Her Wiki

54. Try to find: SEEK.

55. Sharpness figs.: IQS. Intelligence Quotient. Its a measure against others your age on a test designed to measure intelligence / problem solving. The average is 100, one sigma is 85 to 115. If you're three-sigmas from the mean, you're either a genius or a moron (or both!)

56. "Absolument!": OUI.  Is the clue really a word? Or even French??

57. One with a knack for snappy comebacks: WIT.

60. Auerbach of the Black Keys: DAN.

61. "House of the Dragon" actress Best: EVE.

62. Word in four state names: NEW.

The Grid

The Grid

WOs: mask->TARP, Lts->LST (untie!), dAZE->FAZE
ESPs: PLAYA, DAN
Fav: Penny-ANTE. FIL used to say "Penny-ANTE lollipop bullsh**" for the small stuff.

What foods can you UP? My Angel Editor came up with four (4) in short-order.

Cheers, -T

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024, Freddie Cheng

 EEK~!

 OR

 - where to find a common rodent -

Today's puzzle consists of three theme fills of two 12- and one 13-letter spanners, with a 'broken' reveal of 9-letters across the bottom line.  Two 10-letter DOWN answers as well.  Not so many names today, but lots of abbreviations.  Some "meh" answers, IMHO, and an unusually longer than normal Tuesday solve time for me, but we FIR, so....

19. Home of Cinderella Castle: MAGIC KINGDOM - here's the "home" of a certain M. Mouse

Ominous

36. Unpretentious business: HOLE IN THE WALL - like a local bar, say

Thanks Hahtoolah~!

54. Pizza/arcade chain founded by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell: CHUCK E. CHEESE - HuskerG showed us how "Chuck" used to be a RAT; now he's a MOUSE~?

65. With 67-Across, desktop accessories, and a description of 19-, 36-, and 54-Across?: MOUSE
67. See 65-Across: PADS - PADS in the colloquial sense of home, crib, abode, castle, etc. - here's my blogging spot and desktop mouse pad....

And Away We Go~! ( see 39D.)

ACROSS:

1. Swimmer's exercise: LAPS - C.C. and I have a friendly challenge to push each other by Easter to an accomplishment - I would like to lose 10+lbs, and she would like to do a butterfly LAP in the pool without the aid of flippers - I hope we both succeed~!

5. __ shift: DAY

8. Venomous African snake: MAMBA

13. "Just doing my best": "I TRY"

14. Rough cut: DEMO - meh.  I suppose a raw recording of one's music~? And a  semi-abbr.

15. Is in neutral: IDLES

16. Eye lubricant: TEAR

17. Diamond dynasty: ALOU - baseball diamond....knew this from doing crosswords

18. Earns: MAKES

22. Standard: USUAL

23. Matches, in fashion: GOES - as in "that bag GOES well with that dress"

the shoes, too

24. __ green: PEA - I painted my "home office" in a shade of green called "Aquamarine" - what I really wanted was the official name/formula for the shade of green that the NY Bridge & Tunnel Authority paints their spans, e.g., the Throgs Neck Bridge, which the internet calls "grey green"; I wrote to them, and was told that they are "not allowed" to disclose that information....Really~?  I asked some friends who work for NY DOT, and one suggested finding the contractor who does the painting, and my brother said to go through FOIL - it's not that important  :7))

Two mile span between Long Island and the Bronx

27. "Get it?": SEE - so I suppose this paint color hassle could be called "GREEN TAPE"  - Get it~?

28. Gambling initials: OTB - Off-Track Betting - abbr. #1

31. Dollhouse dishes: TEA SETS - oh, those doll house dishes....uh, never mind....

33. Captivated: ENRAPT - yeah, Spellcheck is not happy about this, either....

35. Top out: PEAK - think hit songs; this one PEAKed at #1 the year I was born

 

Jeremiah was a bullfrog~!

40. Veal __: Italian entree, briefly: PARMesan - abbr. #2

41. "The way things stand ... ": "AS IT IS..."

42. From Moscow: RUSSIAN - I blogged the Nov 1st, 2023 puzzle with Moscow, IDAHO - not Russian

45. Did not get up: SAT - meh.  Stayed Seated, maybe

46. Orchestra home: PIT

49. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" gp.: ELO - Electric Light Orchestra - abbr. #3

50. Wharton degs.: MBAs - Master of Business Administration - abbr. #4

52. Computer problem: CRASH - meh - I think a problem could cause a crash...

57. Arctic dome: IGLOO - I once did a presentation for an architect with this massive build-up of the 'greatest piece of building engineering since the dawn of man, using local building materials to reduce its carbon footprint', then revealed a picture of an igloo - his partner praised me for my clever deception

60. Lie low: HIDE

61. One of 14 in a pro's golf bag: CLUB - oops, I had IRON - can you imagine the pitch on a 14-iron~?

These go to "eleven" ( 12, actually )

62. __ buddy: BOSOM -  TV show with Tom Hanks, way back in 1980

63. Passport fig.: ID No. - meh. - abbr. #5

64. Sheltered at sea: ALEE - crossword staple

66. Ad Council ad: PSA - Public Service Announcement - abbr. #6


DOWN:

1. Acid or base indicator: LITMUS - Dah~!  I tried Ph TEST first

2. "Relax, soldier": AT EASE

3. European capital with a medieval astronomical clock: PRAGUE - I knew this, but hesitated to fill in; I worked on a TV movie set back in 1997, and we used shots the director got of the ornate clock for some dramatic interludes

4. Aleppo's land: SYRIA - I nailed this one

5. Sandwich shop: DELI

6. "__ Us": multiplayer logic and deduction game: AMONG - 3/5ths perps, 2/5s WAG

7. Encouraging message: YOU GOT THIS

8. Brunch drink: MIMOSA

9. "House of Gucci" actor Driver: ADAM - he played Darth Vader's grandson, Kylo Ren

10. Civil rights monogram: MLK - abbr. #7

11. Spelling meet: BEE

12. Braying animal: ASS

14. Terr. that became two states: DAKota - abbr. #8

20. Replicant: CLONE - two blogging puzzles in a row with this word

21. Poor grade: DEE

24. Come off like old paint: PEEL - I had CHIP

25. Listing abbr.: ET. AL. - abbr. #9

26. "Go find out!": ASK

29. Tetra- minus one: TRI - four, less uni = three

30. Dried fruit in trail mix, perhaps: BANANA CHIP

32. Facial spots: SPAS - Dah~! I had ACNE; a clever clue

33. Targets of some bark beetles: ELMS - WAG; up here in CT, several of my ASH trees were killed by a beetle, and now I have a lot of firewood

my backyard on Sunday

34. FG's three: PTs - American Football, Field goal points - abbr. #10

He hits the post~!

36. Carry with effort: HAUL - TOTE, DRAG, HUMP, HEFT, etc.

37. Thereabouts: OR SO

38. Lyft status: ETA -abbr. #11

39. Glinda or Elphaba of "Wicked": WITCH  - the cartoon from which I get "And Away We Go"

40. Kin of ante-: PRE-

43. "Just got back from work!": "I'M HOME~!"

44. __ Dhabi: ABU

46. Rice dish from Valencia: PAELLA

47. Put into circulation: ISSUED

48. Ancient city whose ruins are in Luxor: THEBES

51. Overcomes friction: SKIDS - ah, in the negative sort of way....

53. Sum up: RECAP

54. Sounds like a dove: COOS

55. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay: EDNA

56. Org chart topper, typically: CEO - the Chief Executive Officer - abbr. #12

57. Watsonx's maker: IBM - technically, an abbr.

58. Sludge: GOO

59. Sch. with a Shreveport campus: LSU - Louisiana State University - abbr. #13

Splynter