Tuesday February 18, 2025 Kyle Dolan

The Doors:  The circles spell out the word Door.

16-Across. Student with twice the usual level of concentration?: DOUBLE MAJOR.

28-Across. Bridal shower planner, typically: MAID OF HONOR.

43-Across. "We need medical help here!": CALL A DOCTOR.

58-Across. Common minivan feature, or a "closing" feature of this puzzle?: SLIDING DOOR.  Notice how the letters "DO" slowly "Slide" towards the letters "OR" until the DOOR has Slid shut.

Here's the Grid showing the Sliding Door.

Across:

1. Adoptathon adoptees: PETS.

5. Makes less wild: TAMES.

10. Contented sigh: AHH!

13. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.  Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

14. Find: LOCATE.

15. Fish eggs: ROE.

18. Mo. after Mar.: APR.

19. Metal marble: STEELIE.

20. Pestered: NAGGED.

22. Farm vehicle: TRACTOR.

25. Counterpart of poetry: PROSE.

26. Powdery residue from a volcanic eruption: ASH.

30. Gala headpiece: TIARA.  In British royalty, there are very specific rules about who can wear a tiara, and when it can be worn.

32. Small-time celebs: D-LIST.

33. "G'day, __!": MATE.

34. Tree used in traditional Native American medicine: ALDER.  The Alder tree has many medicinal usages.

36. Quaint contraction: 'TWAS.  This makes me think of Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll.

40. Parting word: ADIEU.

42. One may begin, "Who's got two thumbs and ... ": BOAST.

48. Shakespearean denial: NAY.

49. Crush an exam: ACE IT.

50. Way up a snowy mountain: SKI LIFT.

52. Hot fudge dish: SUNDAE.  Yummers!

54. 29-Down goo: PINE SAP.  //  And 29-Down:  29. Evergreen tree: FIR.

57. Qty.: AMT.  Quantity vs Amount

61. Floral garland: LEI.

62. Julia's "Seinfeld" role: ELAINE.  Elaine Benes was the fictional character from Seinfeld portrayed by  Julia Louis-Dreyfus (b. Jan. 13, 1961).

63. "Yeah, I'll pass": UM, NO.

64. Comedy show with Michael Che and Colin Jost, for short: SNL.  Saturday Night Live makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  This show just celebrated its 50th Anniversary!

65. Short-term employees: TEMPS.

66. Barnyard baby's sound: PEEP.

Down:

1. Goalie's protective gear: PADS.

2. Award quartet first completed by Richard Rodgers: EGOT.  The Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony is becoming a crossword staple.  We saw it just last Tuesday (See 50-Down).

3. "No argument here!": TRUE THAT!

4. Civil War sword: SABER.

5. Black Lives Matter co-founder Ayo __: TOMETI.  Black Lives Matter was formed in 2013 by several woman including Ayọ Tometi (born August 15, 1984), who was known then as Opal Tometi.

6. Fed. health law: ACA.  As in the Affordable Care Act.

7. Min. opposite: MAJ.  Major and Minor.

8. School founded by Henry VI: ETON.  Eton College was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as “Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore”.  Henry wanted his subjects to have the opportunities of gaining knowledge that he had enjoyed, and he made provision for 70 poor boys, known as King's Scholars, to be housed and educated at Eton free of charge.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) are both alums of Eton.

9. High-ranking angels: SERAPHS.  Hierarchy of Angels.

10. Catherine of __: first wife of Henry VIII: ARAGON.  The musical Six is about the six wives of King Henry VIII in their own voices.  Divorced (Catherine of Aragon), beheaded (Anne Boleyn), died (Jane Seymour), divorced (Anne of Cleves), beheaded (Catherine Howard), survived (Catherine Parr).

11. "Fingers crossed": HOPE SO!

12. Border collie, e.g.: HERDER.

14. German camera brand: LEICA.  The Leica company has been around since the mid-1800s.  It began as an optical company and manufactured lenses and microscopes.  Ernst Leitz (1843 ~ 1920) joined the company in the 1860s.  The camera got its name from the first three letters of Leitz, and the first two letters of the word Camera.

17. Andes pack animal: LLAMA.

21. Underground recess: GROTTO.

23. Quirky one: ODD DUCK.

24. Auditioner's aim: ROLE.

26. Drive-thru convenience: ATM.  The Automatic Teller Machine used to be a crossword staple.  We haven't seen it in a while.

27. "Cheap Thrills" singer: SIA.  Sia, whose given name is Sia Kate Isobelle Furler (b. Dec. 18, 1975), is an Australian singer and songwriter.  She is known for not showing her face during her performances, instead hiding behind big bows or wigs.  As we learned from yesterday (24-Across), she is also the One-named Chandelier singer.

31. Req. for domestic air travel starting in 2025: REAL ID.  The deadline to use a non-REAL ID to board domestic flights and access federal facilities is May 7, 2025.  I have had a Real ID since 2016.

34. Help: AID.

35. Some July babies: LEOs.

37. Sharer's offer: WANT SOME?

38. Cool __ cucumber: AS A.

39. Pigpen: STY.

41. Collection of numbers for crunching: DATA SET.

42. "__ it on!": bold challenge: BRING.

43. Cellist Pablo: CASALS.  Pabla Casals (né Pau Casals i Defilló; Dec. 29, 1876 ~ Oct. 22, 1973), was a Spanish and Puerto Rican cellist, composer, and conductor.

44. Keen insight: ACUMEN.

45. Dal legume: LENTIL.  Dal is an Indian dish of lentils, that's often served with rice. The word "dal" refers to the dried, split seeds of legumes, which are a rich source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

46. Baskets scored off rebounds: TIP INS.

47. QB-protecting gp.: O-LINE.  Football season is over.  The offensive line (O-line) in football is a group of five players who block the opposing defensive line and create openings for the running back.

51. Out of patience: FED UP.

53. Fashion monthly: ELLE.

55. First-rate: A-ONE.

56. Stage accessory: PROP.  The playwright Anton Chekhov (Jan. 29, 1860 ~ July 15, 1904) is credited with the quote, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.  Otherwise don't put it there". 

59. Billie Eilish's "Therefore __": I AM.

60. Quick swim: DIP.

That's all for this Tuesday.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

חתולה

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 Justin Werfel

I'm in Charge Here.  The circles cross two words, and when Merged, form a head or ruler of a realm/Empire.

17-Across. Serialized daytime dramas: SOAP OPERAS.  The POPE is the head of the Catholic Church.  The word Pope is derived from the Greek πάππας (páppas), which was an affectionate term meaning "father", but now refers to a bishop or patriarch.

26-Across. "Anything could happen": ALL BETS ARE OFF.  The TSAR was the head of the Russian Empire.  The word TSAR is a form of the ancient Roman imperial title Caesar.  Ivan IV Vasilyevich, better known as Ivan the Terrible, was the first Russian tsar.  He gave himself that title.  Prior to becoming Tsar, he was the Grand Prince of Moscow.  I discussed him recently.

43-Across. Writer and illustrator of Caldecott Medal winner "The Snowy Day": EZRA JACK KEATS.  Hand up if you knew this writer and illustrator.  The RAJA was a monarch in India.  Depending upon the region, the Raja was a prince or a king.  Chandragupta Maurya (340 BCE ~ 297 BCE) is considered as the first emperor of India. He ascended the throne in 321 BCE.

And the unifier:

58-Across. "Road narrows" sign, or when read as three words, an apt description of what 17-, 26-, and 43-Across do: MERGE AHEAD.  And when read as three words, we get: Merge A Head.

And a related theme clue and answer:

52-Across. Realm: EMPIRE.

Across:

1. Calamine lotion target: ITCH.  Calamine is a zinc carbonate mineral. It's a mixture of zinc oxide and a small amount of iron oxide. Calamine is commonly used in lotions and dusting powders to treat skin irritations. 

5. __ Peace Prize: NOBEL.  The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five prizes specified in Alfred Nobel's will.  (The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences wasn't established until 1968.)  The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway because, according to Alfred Nobel's will, the Norwegian Parliament is responsible for selecting the Peace Prize laureate, and the committee responsible for this selection is based in Oslo.  The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901 to Frédéric Passy (May 20, 1822 ~ June 12, 1912) and Henry Dunant (May 8, 1828 ~ Oct. 30, 1910).  Passy was a prominent international pacifist, and Dunant was the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

10. Internet destination: SITE.

14. City fooled by a wooden horse: TROY.  Greek mythology.

15. Jazz singer Adams who toured with Tears for Fears: OLETA.  Oleta Adams (née Oleta Angela Adams; b. May 4, 1953) gained her fame when she toured with Tears for Fears in the late 1980s.

16. Approximate location: AREA.

19. At sea: LOST.

20. Balderdash: UTTER ROT.

21. Needles: TAUNTS.

23. Sound in a library: SHH!

24. Early web portal: AOL.  As in America On Line.

25. Pound or ounce: UNIT.

32. Choreographer de Mille: AGNES.  Agnes George de Mille (Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Oct. 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer.  She was also the niece of film director Cecil B. DeMille (Aug. 12, 1881 ~ Jan. 21, 1959).

34. Bottom lines?: HEMS.

35. Miss Piggy's favorite pronoun: MOI.

36. Implores: BEGS.

37. Word after Cha-Cha and Electric, in dance songs: SLIDE.

39. Drawer pull: KNOB.

40. Director Ang: LEE.  Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker.  During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim.  Lee received 2 Oscars for Best Director for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Life of Pi (2012).

41. Heaps: A TON.

42. Cleaning staff members: MAIDS.  If you haven't read The Maid, by Nita Prose, I highly recommend this murder mystery novel.  

47. Shower alternative: BATH.

48. Managed: RAN.

49. Midwest city with two MLB teams, for short: CHI.  Chicago, Illinois is home to both the Chicago White Sox (American League) and the Chicago Cubs (National League).

55. Job: POSITION.

57. Laundry batch: LOAD.  I had 41-Across of laundry after returning from our vacation.

60. Levelheaded: SANE.

61. Disney princess with a mermaid tail: ARIEL.  //  And 52-Down. Disney princess with icy powers: ELSA.

62. Memo phrase: IN RE.

63. Picnic pests: ANTS.

64. Social equals: PEERS.

65. Mythical river of the underworld: STYX.

Down:

1. "We're here!": IT'S US.

2. Pledge of fidelity: TROTH.

3. Cloakroom accessory: COAT HANGER.

4. Promote aggressively: HYPE.

5. Casual reply to "Thanks": NO PROB.

6. World Cup chant: OLÉ OLÉ!

7. Ernie's best pal: BERT.  Think of Sesame Street.

8. GPS projection: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

9. First entry on many applications: LAST NAME.  The Customs Declaration forms request the Family Name before listing the first name.

10. Sign of military respect: SALUTE.

11. Waffle __: IRON.

12. Skills evaluation: TEST.

13. Grub: EATS.  //  And: 30-Down. Grub: FOOD.

18. Hurdles for would-be doctors: ORALS.

22. Broadcasts: AIRS.

25. Employed: USED.

27. "__ Misérables": LES.  Les Misérables is a historical novel by Victor Hugo.  It was first published in 1862 and was inspired by the French June Rebellion of 1832.  Les Misérables has been adapted into a Broadway musical and a movie.   I read the novel in my French class years ago.

28. Cogitate: THINK.

29. All-knowing: OMNISCIENT.

31. Little white lies: FIBS.

32. Competent: ABLE.

33. "Oh, c'mon!": GEEZ.

37. Local meteorologist's backdrop, perhaps: STATE MAP.

38. __ Ness Monster: LOCH.

39. Actress Dennings: KAT.  Kat Dennings (née Katherine Victoria Litwack; b. June 13, 1986), is an American actress best  known for her portraying Max Black in the television sitcom 2 Broke Girls.

41. Somewhat open: AJAR.  When is a door not a door ...

42. Short-lived obsession: MANIA.

44. Puts up with: ABIDES.

45. Grocery store chain: KROGER.  The first Kroger Grocery store opened in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

46. Art studio stands: EASELS.

50. White with age: HOARY.

51. Back-of-the-book reference section: INDEX.

53. Haunted house sound: MOAN.

54. Act like a hot dog: PANT.  Cute clue!

55. "Je vous en __": French "You're welcome": PRIE.  Today's French lesson.

56. Not that: THIS.

59. Afore: ERE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה