Guilherme Gilioli is a Brazilian constructor who mostly creates puzzles in Portuguese. I'm always impressed by people who can do this when English is not their mother tongue (hi CC!). As you know, crosswords involve many idioms and word-play, and that's hard enough to do even when being born here!
16A. *Wham! hit on "Make It Big": CARELESS WHISPER. Written by George Michael, this song sold more than eleven million copies so I've probably heard it.
26A. *No Doubt hit on "Tragic Kingdom": DON'T SPEAK. This one was big in 1996 for the alternative/indie/punk rock band. It didn't sell as well as the Wham song, but at least I recognize the title.
50A. *The Beatles hit on "Please Please Me": TWIST AND SHOUT. The only one of the three that I knew right off the bat. What I didn't know was that it originally was recorded by The Top Notes, and later covered by the Isley Brothers before the Fab Four got a hold of it. It's the only Top Ten Beatles song not written by them.
39D. NBC singing competition that completed its 29th season in 2026, or what appears to get louder at the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: THE VOICE. The theme answers all contain a tone of VOICE that build to a crescendo: WHISPER, SPEAK, then SHOUT. And since THE VOICE is a music competition, song titles are very appropriate.
It's interesting that Guilherme chose left-right symmetry with a downward reveal. And even if you didn't know the songs, this still was a pretty straightforward puzzle. BTW, I rarely include external links to things like these songs because I feel they take you away from the core of what's happening here. I like to pick a fun fact or two, and if that piques your interest, then Google is just a click away.
Let's see what else he's talking about:
Across:
1. "Shoot!": ASK.
4. Greek vowel: ALPHA. Part of a complete breakfast!
9. Watermelon keg need: TAP. I didn't know about watermelon kegs, but they are simply a hollowed out watermelon with the top sliced off to use as a dispenser. You can buy a special TAP made for these.
12. Wander: ROAM. Had to wait to see if it could be ROVE.
14. __ butter: COCOA.
15. Greek vowel: IOTA. They're in that cereal bowl somewhere.
16. [theme]
4. Greek vowel: ALPHA. Part of a complete breakfast!
9. Watermelon keg need: TAP. I didn't know about watermelon kegs, but they are simply a hollowed out watermelon with the top sliced off to use as a dispenser. You can buy a special TAP made for these.
12. Wander: ROAM. Had to wait to see if it could be ROVE.
14. __ butter: COCOA.
15. Greek vowel: IOTA. They're in that cereal bowl somewhere.
16. [theme]
19. Hockey gear: SKATES.
20. Get testy with: SNAP AT.
21. Flute part: STEM. A little misdirect. Not the instrument but a tall, narrow champagne glass.
22. Blue area on a map: SEA. The blue used to go right to the edge where you'd fall off.
25. Go the distance: LAST.
26. [theme]
29. "Shark Tank" airer: ABC. The American Broadcasting Company. Shark Tank is a reality TV series where panelists decide whether to invest in products being pitched by contestant entrepreneurs. It is the American franchise for BBC's Dragons' Den, which itself is a remake of the Japanese television show The Tigers of Money.
32. __ rhyme: NURSERY.
33. __ worker: GIG. Many in the labor force don't work full time, or augment their regular job with a GIG. A GIG economy is a labor market characterized by short-term contracts, freelance work, and independent contracting rather than permanent, traditional employment. Unfortunately, that also means no benefits.
36. Foot-to-thigh yoga pose: TREE. Occasionally, the arms are held upward like branches.
38. Angels and Devils: TEAMS. Baseball's Los Angeles Angels vs. hockey's New Jersey Devils would be an epic battle of biblical proportions!
39. Big addition to a to-be-read pile: TOME. Now that's heavy reading.
40. Food from heaven: MANNA.
42. Potato spot: EYE.
43. Self-storage and self-moving company based in Phoenix, Arizona: UHAUL. I once helped a cousin move from Arkansas to Florida. Our old UHAUL van had an early version of cruise control - a brick on the accelerator. We rarely reached 55 mph. except downhill with a tail wind.
44. Thingamabob: GADGET. I had WIDGET at first, but that was NO HELP.
46. Totally useless: NO HELP. Like a WIDGET.
48. Countdown start: TEN.
49. Spacious ride: SUV. I still prefer a station wagon over a Sport Utility Vehicle, but that class of vehicle has been virtually wiped out by families who also need to traverse a canyon on the way to soccer practice.
50. [theme]
57. Appear to be: SEEM.
58. Smiling face with heart-eyes, for one: EMOJI. This one expresses feelings of love.
59. Fruity frozen treats: ICES.
61. Iron-rich vegetable: KALE.
62. "Judy" star Zellweger: RENEE. She won the 2020 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Judy Garland. RENEE also sang all the songs. Quite a talent!
63. Pat-a-cake motion: CLAP.
64. Part of MMA: ARTS. Mixed Martial Arts is a fighting sport akin to boxing.
65. Glum: SAD.
66. "Child's play!": EASY. This puzzle was EASY peasy.
Down:
1. Story trajectories: ARCS.
2. Long baths: SOAKS.
3. Gold standard: KARAT. A KARAT is a unit used to measure the purity of gold. It is measured on a 24-part scale, meaning 1 karat represents 1/24 of pure gold in alloy. Thus 24 KARAT is 100% pure.
4. High cards in bridge: ACES.
5. __ Angeles Dodgers: LOS. As much as the LOS Angeles Angels love to fight the Devil, it's more likely they will face the Dodgers in a Freeway Series.
6. Some HPs: PCS. Hewlett-Packard was founded in 1939 in a Palo Alto garage. They make Personal Computers, among many other electronics.
7. "By what means?": HOW. HOW did a multi-billion dollar corporation rise from this garage?
8. Satisfied sighs: AAHS.
9. Big name in trading cards: TOPPS.
10. Seriously annoyed: ATE AT. This one ATE AT me.
11. Divide: PART.
13. Dished (out): METED.
15. "Stuck in the Middle" actor Presley: ISAAK. He's no Elvis, apparently, just a Middle-of-the-road actor. If you're his agent, then I meant he's really great. Really.
17. Dish soap scent: LEMON.
18. Dental filling: INLAY. It may be 16 KARAT gold (24 KARAT is too soft).
22. Wall in Manhattan, e.g.: STREET.
23. Writing assignment: ESSAY.
24. Primitive bipeds, informally: APEMEN. Unlike modern humans who are obligate (permanent) bipeds. That's why your mom told you to stand up straight.
27. Snack mix morsel: NUT.
28. Backpedaling sounds: ERS.
29. PIN point?: ATM. Winner: Best Clue. You may enter your Personal Identification Number at an Automate Teller Machine.
30. Toot one's own horn: BRAG.
31. John of "Peacemaker": CENA. I like John CENA because he isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, in spite of all his accomplishments in wrestling and movies.
33. Striker's target: GOAL.
34. "My turn!": I'M UP. Last Thursday, this was the answer to, "Are you awake?" This clue fits better.
35. Product often used to create a wet look: GEL.
37. Meeting scheduler's concerns: END TIMES. In spite of this, meetings always run long.
39. [theme]
41. Matures, as whiskey: AGES.
43. "Forget about it": UH UH.
45. Host's invitation: ENTER. UH OH. This sounds rather ominous.
47. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE. OSSIE Davis was an award-winning actor and activist. He appeared in over 50 movies, 50 TV shows and 30 plays. Quite the career.
50. Sign of sorrow: TEAR.
51. Paintball injury: WELT.
52. Home of Iowa State: AMES. A common crossword town populated with useful letters.
53. Deca- minus one: NONA. Greek numerical prefixes. Deca (10) -1 = NONA (9).
54. Worked a wedding reception, say: DJED. This abbreviation for Disc Jockeyed looks wrong somehow.
55. Campus near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California at Los Angeles was originally called the Southern Branch. The first UC campus was in Oakland before moving to Berkeley.
56. Socials with cucumber sandwiches: TEAS.
57. Reggae kin: SKA.
60. Intelligence agent: SPY.
Be good. RB
2. Long baths: SOAKS.
3. Gold standard: KARAT. A KARAT is a unit used to measure the purity of gold. It is measured on a 24-part scale, meaning 1 karat represents 1/24 of pure gold in alloy. Thus 24 KARAT is 100% pure.
4. High cards in bridge: ACES.
5. __ Angeles Dodgers: LOS. As much as the LOS Angeles Angels love to fight the Devil, it's more likely they will face the Dodgers in a Freeway Series.
6. Some HPs: PCS. Hewlett-Packard was founded in 1939 in a Palo Alto garage. They make Personal Computers, among many other electronics.
7. "By what means?": HOW. HOW did a multi-billion dollar corporation rise from this garage?
8. Satisfied sighs: AAHS.
9. Big name in trading cards: TOPPS.
10. Seriously annoyed: ATE AT. This one ATE AT me.
11. Divide: PART.
13. Dished (out): METED.
15. "Stuck in the Middle" actor Presley: ISAAK. He's no Elvis, apparently, just a Middle-of-the-road actor. If you're his agent, then I meant he's really great. Really.
17. Dish soap scent: LEMON.
18. Dental filling: INLAY. It may be 16 KARAT gold (24 KARAT is too soft).
22. Wall in Manhattan, e.g.: STREET.
23. Writing assignment: ESSAY.
24. Primitive bipeds, informally: APEMEN. Unlike modern humans who are obligate (permanent) bipeds. That's why your mom told you to stand up straight.
27. Snack mix morsel: NUT.
28. Backpedaling sounds: ERS.
29. PIN point?: ATM. Winner: Best Clue. You may enter your Personal Identification Number at an Automate Teller Machine.
30. Toot one's own horn: BRAG.
31. John of "Peacemaker": CENA. I like John CENA because he isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, in spite of all his accomplishments in wrestling and movies.
33. Striker's target: GOAL.
34. "My turn!": I'M UP. Last Thursday, this was the answer to, "Are you awake?" This clue fits better.
35. Product often used to create a wet look: GEL.
37. Meeting scheduler's concerns: END TIMES. In spite of this, meetings always run long.
39. [theme]
41. Matures, as whiskey: AGES.
43. "Forget about it": UH UH.
45. Host's invitation: ENTER. UH OH. This sounds rather ominous.
 |
| You may ENTER... |
47. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE. OSSIE Davis was an award-winning actor and activist. He appeared in over 50 movies, 50 TV shows and 30 plays. Quite the career.
50. Sign of sorrow: TEAR.
51. Paintball injury: WELT.
52. Home of Iowa State: AMES. A common crossword town populated with useful letters.
53. Deca- minus one: NONA. Greek numerical prefixes. Deca (10) -1 = NONA (9).
54. Worked a wedding reception, say: DJED. This abbreviation for Disc Jockeyed looks wrong somehow.
55. Campus near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California at Los Angeles was originally called the Southern Branch. The first UC campus was in Oakland before moving to Berkeley.
56. Socials with cucumber sandwiches: TEAS.
57. Reggae kin: SKA.
60. Intelligence agent: SPY.
Be good. RB
