Tuesday, September 29, 2026 Kelly Morenus

Rollin' Down the Highway.  The last word of each theme answer is another name for a Street.

18-Across. "Show us how it's done": PAVE THE WAY.

24-Across. "Quit interfering": STAY IN YOUR LANE.

40-Across. "Don't stoop to their level": TAKE THE HIGH ROAD.

52-Across. "Perfect for me": RIGHT UP MY ALLEY.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Informal language, or what 18-, 24-, 40-, and 52-Across are examples of?: STREET TALK.

Here's the grid:

Across:

1. Liquefy: MELT.

5. Lima's country: PERU.  Peru is a South American country that bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile.  It's home to a section of Amazon rainforest.  Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city, is located high in the Peruvian Andes mountains.

9. Pokes (around): NOSES.

14. Fruit with wrinkled skin: UGLI.  Ugli fruit is a Jamaican tangelo.  It is a natural citrus hybrid created from a cross between a grapefruit (or pomelo), an orange, and a tangerine.  It is larger than a grapefruit with a thick peel that fits loosely around the pulpy orange flesh inside.  Green patches on the skin do not mean it is unripe.  Did you know that it is also the registered trademark for a brand of Jamaican tangelo?

15. Greek Cupid: EROS.

16. Disconnected: APART.

17. Mouse catcher: TRAP.

20. Some office subs: TEMPS.

22. Wedding declaration: I DO.

23. Ascend: RISE.

28. Britches, informally: TROU.  The last time I heard this word was back in college when the frat boys would joke about dropping trou.

29. Pod filler: PEA.

30. Part in four-part harmony: ALTO.

33. __ carte menu: À LA.  A crossword staple.

35. Car in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun": T-BIRD.

44. Large deer: MOOSE.  I never thought of a moose as a deer, but apparently they ar the largest living species in the deer family, known scientifically as Cervidae.

45. Contraction that's typically followed by "be": IT'D.  Followed by another contraction: 46-Across. Fails to be: ISN'T.

47. Corp. VIP: CEO.  As in Chief Executive Officer.

50. House of Lords title: EARL.

59. Junior staffer: AIDE.

60. Charcoal grill residue: ASH.

61. City with the Heat and the Hurricanes: MIAMI.  A sports reference:  Basketball and Football.

66. Out of control: AMOK.

67. "Money __": Netflix crime series: HEIST.  In this series, a criminal mastermind (The Professor) developed a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history ~ to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain.  To help him carry out the plan, he recruited eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose. The group of thieves took hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities.

68. Actor Morales: ESAI.  Esai Morales (né Esai Manuel Morales Jr.; b. Oct. 1, 1962) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He will be celebrating his 64th birthday on Thursday.

69. "Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE.  Nate the Great is a children's chapter book series featuring a young boy detective and his dog, Sludge.  There are 31 books in the series, which was initially created in 1972.

70. Donkeys: ASSES.

71. Credit report category: DEBT.

72. Uno y dos: TRES.  Spanish math.

Down:

1. Mixed-breed dogs: MUTTS.

2. Everglades wader: EGRET.  Egrets aren't limited to the Florida Everglades.  There are many egrets that hang out near my house.

3. Woolly pack animal of 5-Across: LLAMA.

My encounter with a Llama in Peru.

4. What a child might stand on to watch a parade: TIPPY-TOES.

5. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

6. Chapter of history: ERA.

7. Finnish game developer that created Angry Birds: ROVIO.

8. Depleted: USED UP.

9. Casual refusal: NAH.

10. "Tosca," for one: OPERA.  Tosca is an opera by Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924).  It is sometimes billed as a political thriller that takes place in Rome during the Napoleonic Wars.

11. Welcomed at the door: SAW IN.

12. Delete: ERASE.

13. Eyelid irritation: STYE.

19. Dashed: TORE.

21. Title for Paul McCartney: SIR.  Paul McCartney (b. June 18, 1942) was knighted in 1997.  He was the first Beatle to be awarded this honor.

25. "Hurt Somebody" singer-songwriter Kahan: NOAH.  I am not familiar with this singer-songwriter.

26. Christmas season: YULE.

27. Lattice strip: LATH.

30. Convenience in many cash-only establishments: ATM.  This used to be a crossword staple.

31. Thai neighbor: LAO.

32. Boxing ref's ruling, for short: TKO.  As in Technical Knock-Out.

34. Tropical tuna: AHI.  Yummers!

36. Sparkling: BRILLIANT.

37. iPhone platform: iOS.  As in iPhone Operating System.

38. Tried to get elected: RAN.

39. Pesticide in Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," for short: DDT.  Silent Spring was first published in 1962.  The book exposed the hazards of indiscriminate pesticide use, particularly DDT, and launched the modern environmental movement.  Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 ~ April 14, 1964) named the book Silent Spring because it envisioned a future spring morning where no birds sang due to the devastation of wildlife from chemical pesticides.

41. __ support: TECH.

42. Thing: ITEM.

43. Aussie greeting: G'DAY.

48. Coup d'__: ÉTAT.  Today's French lesson.  A coup d'état is a sudden, illegal overthrow of an existing government by a small group, usually backed by the military or internal state forces.

49. Removed from power: OUSTED.  Probably ousted due to a coup d'état.

51. Smash (into): RAM.

52. Ceremonial acts: RITES.

53. Elba of "Cats": IDRIS.

54. Grown goslings: GEESE.

55. Lunar cycle part: PHASE.

56. Rapper Kendrick: LAMAR. 

Kendrick Lamar (b. June 17, 1987)

57. Act with passion: EMOTE.

58. Expression of surprise: YIKES.

59. Girl who befriends a magical star in Disney's "Wish": ASHA.

63. Sci-fi figures: ETS.  As in ExtraTerrestrials.  

64. Chem class site: LAB.

65. Hobby shop purchase: KIT.

חתולה

Tuesday September 22, 2026 Zachary David Levy

Old MacDonald Had a Farm ...  Today provides us with common phrases that contain farm animals.

20-Across. Exhibit A: That awful handwriting: CHICKEN SCRAWL.

26-Across. Exhibit B: That loud guffaw: HORSE LAUGH.

35.-Across Exhibit C: That unruly hair: COWLICK.  A cowlick is a section of hair that grows in a different direction from the rest of the hair.  The hair often stands straight up or sticks out in a stubborn swirl.

44-Across. Exhibit D: That goofy stare: SHEEP'S EYES.  Did you know that sheep have horizontal, rectangular pupils?  The sharpen horizontal contours and give them an incredible field of peripheral vision.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Lacking all refinement, facetiously, or like the person described in 20-, 26-, 35-, and 44-Across?: RAISED IN A BARN.

Here's the Grid so you can see all the farm animals:

Across:

1. Percussion instruments with taut tops: DRUMS.

6. Highest mountain in Japan: FUJI.  Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano.  At 12,389 feet, it is the highest mountain in Japan.  At the top of the mountain there is a vending machine, so hikers can get a cold or hod drink when they reach the top.  The prices of drinks reflect the high altitude, too.  Mt. Fuji was in the news recently when a father left his 7-year-old son part-way up the mountain.  Apparently, the young boy got tired, but the father wanted to continue up the mountain.

10. Use a needle and thread: SEW.

13. Superficial layer: VENEER.

15. Guy known for his first-person perspective?: ADAM.  A Biblical reference.

16. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

17. Composer Shostakovich: DMITRI.  Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Sept. 25, 1906 ~ Aug. 9, 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist.  He became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926.

18. Harlem Renaissance writer __ Neale Hurston: ZORA.  Zora Neale Hurston (Jan. 7, 1891 ~ Jan. 28, 1960) was an African-American writer and folklorist.  Although she was born in the South, by 1925, she was living in New York City when the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing.  She only lived in NYC for a short time, but quickly became associated with the movement.  She is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.

19. Bikini top: BRA.

23. "Little Bunny __": FOO FOO.  Apparently, Little Bunny Foo Foo is a children's book about a rabbit who bullies field mice.  It is supposed to teach children about consequences and the importance of being nice to others.

24. Lit __: English major's course: CRIT.  As in Literary Criticism.  It is the reasoned analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works.

25. Arduous: HARD.

31. Belarus capital: MINSK.  Minsk is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

33. Cars: AUTOS. 

34. "__ Doubtfire": MRS.  Mrs. Doubtfire was a 1993 comedy that starred Robin Williams.

38. Position: JOB.

41. Student: PUPIL.

42. "With any luck": I HOPE.

49. Gave approval to: OK'ED.

50. Out-of-pocket amount: COST.

51. Area of influence: DOMAIN.

58. Omelet ingredient: EGG.

59. Dental exam image: X-RAY.

60. Mystery: ENIGMA.

63. Come out on top: WIN.  //  As opposed to 62-Down. "It's __-win situation": A NO.

64. Snub-nosed dogs: PUGS.

65. Catch, as a fish: REEL IN.

66. Triumphant cry: YES!

67. High-pitched wind instrument: OBOE.  This wind instrument is becoming a crossword staple.

68. "Give it a go": TRY TO.

Down:

1. Netflix format, originally: DVD.  As in Digital Versatile Disc.  They can still be checked out at our public library.

2. Sleep cycle letters: REM.  As in Rapid Eye Movement.  REM is one of the phases of sleep.

3. Horned equines of mythology: UNICORNS.  These mythical creatures were probably never raised in a barn.

4. Procedures: METHODS.

5. Typeface line: SERIF.

6. Unnerve: FAZE.

7. Japanese noodle: UDON.  Yummers!  These noodles often find themselves in the crossword puzzles.

8. Jam holders: JARS.

9. Apple all-in-one computer: iMAC.

The Mac Mini.  Monitor is sold separately.

10. Forester carmaker: SUBARU.

11. Pincered insect: EARWIG.

12. Riches: WEALTH.

14. Canon competitor: RICOH.

21. "Kitchy-kitchy-__": KOO.

22. Some old radios: RCAs.

23. County event with lots of fried food: FAIR.

25. "I wonder ... ": HMM ...

27. Tennis sequence after a serve: RALLY.

28. __ generis: unique: SUI.  Today's Latin lesson.  Sui generis is a Latin phrase that means in a class by itself, in others words: something unique.

29. And so on: Abbr.: ETC.  More of today's Latin lesson.  Etc. is short for the Latin phrase et cetera, which means: and so forth.

30. Norse god of mischief: LOKI.  Loki makes frequent appearances in the puzzle.  Loki is a shape-shifting god who likes to cause trouble.

32. Disposable coffee pod: K-CUP.  The K-Cup, or K-Pod, is the trademarked term, originally designed for the Keurig single-serving coffee maker.

36. Word after photo or special: OPS.

37. Golfer Michelle __ West: WIE.  Michelle Sung Wie West (b. October. 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer. When she was only 10-years-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.

38. In a playful manner: JOKINGLY.

39. Like an unlocked door: OPEN.  When is a door not a door ...

40. Place to sleep: BED.

41. Furry companions: PETS.

43. Whiter with age: HOARIER.

44. Off-the-wall: SCREWY.

45. Sandwich also known as a grinder: HOAGIE.  How did this sandwich get its name?  We ate Hoagies in a puzzle last week.

46. Endorses digitally: E-SIGNS.

47. Childcare expert LeShan: EDA.  I learned about Eda LaShan (June 6, 1922 ~ Mar. 3, 2002) from doing the puzzles.  She was an American writer, television host, counselor, educator, and playwright. She hosted How Do Your Children Grow? on PBS in the 1970s

48. Clearheaded: SOBER.

52. Impressionist painter …douard: MANET.  Édouard Manet (Jan. 23, 1832 ~ Apr. 30, 1883) was a French modernist painter.  He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.  Not to be confused with Oscar-Claude Monet (Nov. 114, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926), who was a French painter and founder of Impressionism.  Both were French painters with similar sounding names.

54. Trade show: EXPO.

55. Defeat soundly: DRUB.

56. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  A reverence to the play by Willie the Shakes.

57. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.  As in the New York Stock Exchange.

61. Cambridge sch.: MIT.  As in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

חתולה