Tuesday, March 25, 2025 Michael B Berg

Double Double, Boil and Trouble ...  Does food with a double name taste better?

17-Across. * Japanese hot-pot meal: SHABU SHABU.  Shabu-shabu is a Japanese hot pot dish featuring thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water, served with dipping sauces, and cooked tableside, similar to fondue.  The name "shabu-shabu" means "swish-swish" in Japanese, referring to the sound of the ingredients being stirred in the pot.  Although I have never heard of Shabu Shabu, it sounds very similar to Chinese Hot Pot, which I have enjoyed.

26-Across. * French chocolate confection: BONBON.  Bonbon is a French chocolate candy which is round on top, flat at the bottom.  The outside shell is harder and made of chocolate, with few decorations. Inside is a softer filling.  I am familiar with Bonbons.

28-Across. * North African dish made with semolina: COUSCOUS.  Couscous is a traditional North African dish made small steamed granules of semolina that's typically steamed and served with stews or as a side dish.  It's a staple food in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and countries in the Middle East.  I am familiar with, and eaten, couscous.

48-Across. * Portuguese hot pepper sauce: PERI PERI.  The term "Peri Peri" refers to a type of chili pepper used in these sauces, originating from Portuguese-African culinary traditions, especially in Mozambique and Angola. The primary ingredient in these sauces is the Peri Peri chili, also known as the African bird's eye chili.  This is not a food I am familiar with.

50-Across. * Sichuan noodles: DAN DAN.  "Dan Dan" refers to Dan Dan Noodles, a spicy Sichuan noodle dish that translates to "carrying-pole noodles" because of the street vendors who once sold it from poles balanced on their shoulders.   I am not familiar with this dish.

And the unifier:

64. Event with two headliners, or a description of a restaurant check that includes any of the answers to the starred clues?: DOUBLE BILL.

I found today's puzzle had some extra crunch for a Tuesday.

Across:

1. Seven Sisters attendees, historically: WOMEN.  The Seven Sisters are a consortium of seven prestigious, historically women's colleges in the northeastern United States: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, Radcliffe, and Wellesley.  The Seven Sisters were formed in 1926 to address the difficulties in women's colleges faced in raising endowment money and to served as female counterparts to the male Ivy League colleges.  the name, Seven Sisters, refers to the Pleiades, a constellation of seven sisters from Greek mythology.  Barnard College is affiliated with Columbia University.  Vassar College became co-ed in 1969.  Radcliffe College merged with Harvard University in 1999.

6. A third of the UAE?: ARAB.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

10. Rock blasters: AMPS.

14. Fast Amtrak train: ACELA.  This train (or 49-Down) appears with some frequency in the puzzles.  //  68.-Across Philadelphia commuter org.: SEPTA.  The latter stands for SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.  //  And 49-Down. 14-Across line: RAIL.

15. Song for a single voice: SOLO.

She should sing SOLO that no one can hear her.

16. Bruise: HURT.

19. Gobi Desert locale: ASIA.  The Gobi Desert is in northern China and southern Mongolia.  It's known for its dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards and Bactrian camels. The sand dunes are said to sing when the wind blows. Many dinosaur fossils have been found in the Gobi.

20. Hash brown base: POTATO.

21. Planet simulated by NASA on Mauna Loa: MARS.  Everything you wanted to know about Life on Mars while still on earth.

23. Brief "Spare me the details": TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.

24. "Sorta": -ISH.  This i also becoming a crossword staple.

33. Bassoon cousin: OBOE.

34. Sleep lab study: APNEA.  Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses, called apneas, can last for several seconds to minutes.

35. Subj. for a business major: ECON.  As in Economics.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

37. Like a swaddled baby: SNUG.

40. Window sticker: DECAL.

41. Pledge: VOW.

42. Grace under pressure: POISE.

43. Minor issue: SNAG.

44. Bit of good fortune: BOON.

45. One who is often on track?: RACER.

46. Nabe in L.A. and NYC: NOHO.  If you are in Los Angeles, the Neighborhood is North of Hollywood.  If you are in New York City, the neighborhood is North of Houston (Street).

52. Entered an election: RAN.

53. Medical pen prefix: EPI-.  Another crossword staple.

54. Antarctic floater: BERG.

57. Son of Daedalus: ICARUS.  He's Greek to me.  Icarus famous for his tragic death after flying too close to the sun on wax-and-feather wings, ignoring his father's warnings.

62. Baloney: LIES.  I think of the term Baloney as meaning more of foolishness than of lies.

66. Duty: TASK.

67. Crowd sound: ROAR.

69. Opposed to: ANTI.

70. JCC alternative: YMCA.  The Jewish Community Center might an alternative to the Young Men's Christian Association.

71. Kettle emanation: STEAM.

Down:

1. Ant-Man partner: WASP.  Comic super-heroes.

2. Diez menos dos: OCHO.  Spanish math.  10 - 2 = 8.

3. Charcuterie staple: MEAT.  Charcuterie is a branch of French cuisine devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork.  It's really just a fancy word for cold cuts.

4. Idris of "The Wire": ELBA.  Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1972) is a British actor who portrayed Stringer Bell in The Wire.

5. Like sextants and tide charts: NAUTICAL.

6. Bonfire residue: ASH.

7. Wander freely: ROAM.

8. Actress Jessica who co-founded The Honest Company: ALBA.  The Honest Company is known for its safe, eco-friendly products, particularly for babies.  The company was founded in 2012.  Jessica Alba (née Jessica Marie Alba; b. Apr. 28, 1981) was one of the co-founders.

9. Mint julep liquor: BOURBON.  Yummers!

10. "That's the answer!": AHA!

11. "How lovely for you": MUST BE NICE.  Said sarcastically.

12. Of the utmost quality: PRIMO.  This makes me think of Primo Levy (July 31, 1919 ~ Apr. 11, 1987), a Jewish-Italian chemist and Holocaust survivor.  He also wrote The Periodic Table, a collection of short stories based on elements in the periodic table.

13. Darken, as wood: STAIN.

18. Meh-worthy: SO-SO.  Another Double, but not a food.

22. Bawl: SOB.

25. Egg, in Ecuador: HUEVO.  More of today's Spanish lesson, but this time in the kitchen, not the math lab.

27. "Out of the question": NO SOAP.  I think of this as being an old-timey expression, although its origin is not clear.

28. Scoundrels: CADS.

29. Kick off: OPEN.

30. Most mysterious: UNCANNIEST.

31. Poseidon, for one: SEAGOD.

32. Rocky road serving: SCOOP.

36. Pet's human: OWNER.  It's actually the other way around.  The Pet is the human owner.

38. Library patron, e.g.: USER.   I couldn't live without my fabulous public library.

39. Mel B and Mel C bandmate: GERI.  Members of The Spice Girls.

42. Leia Organa title: PRINCESS.  Hand up if you knew Princess Leia's surname.

44. More than parched: BONE DRY.

47. Montreal NHLer, to fans: HAB.  The Montreal Canadiens, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League, are also known as the "Habs", which is short for "Habitants".

50. Follower of Charlie?: DELTA.  Letters in the NATO Alphabet.

51. Bee-related: APIAN.

55. Word with bed or head: ROOM.  Anyone remember Max Headroom?

56. Tostada topping, briefly: GUAC.  Yummers!

58. Plan a getaway for, perhaps: ABET.

59. Malodorous: RIPE.

60. Skin and hair care chain: ULTA.

61. Shut loudly: SLAM.

63. Enjoy Vail: SKI.

65. Bikini top: BRA.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Caroline Hand

Fifty Shades of Gray.  or maybe just 4 shades today.

17-Across. Extremely good-looking person, slangily: SMOKE SHOW.  I am not familiar with the term Smoke Show to describe an attractive person.  I guess it refers to someone who is so hot they are on fire.

23-Across. Actress who played Rollergirl in "Boogie Nights": HEATHER GRAHAM.

40-Across. Treat that can help a dog with indigestion: CHARCOAL BISCUIT.

53-Across. Online publication founded in 1996 by Michael Kinsley: SLATE MAGAZINE.  Slate is an online magazine that features stories on politics, the arts, and business.

And the unifier:

65-Across. Range between white and black, and where the starts of 17-, 23-, 40-, and 53-Across can be found: GRAY SCALE.  Is it spelled Gray or Grey?  On this side of the Pond (unless you're Canadian), the color generally spelled with an "A".  On the other side of the Pond, the colour is generally spelled with an "E".  An easy way to remember this is in American, use the "A"; in England use the "E".  Hi, CanadianEh!

Across:

1. Sleep outdoors: CAMP.

5. Salad topped with blue cheese and bacon: COBB.  Robert H Cobb is said to have created the Cobb Salad.  It's made with lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, crisp bacon, roasted chicken, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese and a touch of French dressing.

9. __ Sketch: drawing toy: E-TCHA.

14. Spiny succulent: ALOE.  As we learned from yesterday, it's a sunburn soother (See. 2-Down).

You knew I was going to include this cartoon.

15. Major producer of pineapples and bananas: DOLE.  Everything you wanted to know about the Dole Company.

16. Dubbed: NAMED.

19. Peruvian pack animal: LLAMA.

20. Cantina fare: TACOS.

21. Oahu neighbor: KAUAI.

29. Fury: IRE.

30. Quiche need: EGG.

31. __ Jima: IWO.

32. Inquires: ASKS.

36. April 15 agcy.: IRS.  Tax day is coming up soon!

38. Bother terribly: EAT AT.

44. "Access Hollywood" host Lopez: MARIO.  Mario Lopez (b. October 10, 1973) is an actor who has also appeared on Broadway as well as television.

45. Hither and __: YON.

46. Residential units, briefly: APTs.  As in Apartments.

47. Horror movie street: ELM.

48. Mallon in the World Golf Hall of Fame: MEG.  I don't follow golf, so I was not familiar with Meg Mallon (b. Apr. 14, 1963).  She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

51. Sleeping place: BED.

58. __ Island: New England state: RHODE.  Rhode Island is the smallest state in the Union.  Supposedly, the state got it name from the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, who called the island "Roodt Eylandt" (meaning "Red Island") in 1614, referring to the red clay lining the shores of Aquidneck Island, an island in Narragansett Bay.

59. Flatbreads for gyros: PITAS.

62. Belly button type: OUTIE.

68. Monastery member: FRIAR.

69. Jane Austen heroine: EMMA.  Emma is the 1815 novel written by English author Jane Austen (Dec. 16, 1775 ~ July 18, 1817).  It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and is about the relationships among people from a small number of families.  I have never read it.

70. Sledding spot: HILL.

71. Lower leg joint: ANKLE.

72. Proofreader's catch: TYPO.

73. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL.  I always fly El Al when I go to Israel.

 

Down:

1. Performers in a play: CAST.

2. __ mater: ALMA.   Today's Latin lesson.  Alma mater literally means Nourishing Mother, but it is a phrase used to indicate where one went to college.

3. Freeloader: MOOCH.

4. Tea option: PEKOE.  The gradation and classification of tea is very complicated.  Pekoe tea actually refers to a grade of black tea, specifically referring to the size and quality of the leaves, and not a specific flavor or type of tea.

5. LP successors: CDs.  As in a Compact Disc.

6. __ and aah: OOH.

7. British fellow: BLOKE.

8. Word of caution: BEWARE.

9. Makes bigger: ENLARGES.

10. Actress Shire: TALIA.  Talia Rose Shire (b. Apr. 25, 1946) is probably best known for portraying Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series of movies.  She is also the sister of film director Francis Ford Coppola (b. Apr. 7, 1939).

Francis Ford Coppola and Talis Shire

11. Nashville-based awards org.: CMA.  As in the Country Music Association.

12. Skirt edge: HEM.

13. Tooth care org.: ADA.

18. "La Bamba" actor Morales: ESAI.  Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  Did you know that his name, Esai, is a Spanish name that derives from the Hebrew root "Yesha'yahu" (יְשָׁעְיָהוּ), which means "God is salvation"?

22. Brand of fluffy slippers: UGG.  The UGG company began in Australia and got its name because the sheepskin boots are ugly.

24. Group of three: TRIO.

25. Queen of Mount Olympus: HERA.  In Greek mythology, Hera, the goddess of marriage, women, and family, is considered the Queen of Mount Olympus.

26. Seek a loan from: HIT UP.

27. Anticipate: AWAIT.

28. Apple juice brand: MOTT'S.  It's more than just apple juice.

32. Zeniths: ACMES.

33. "__ we dance?": SHALL.

34. Cosmic payback: KARMA.

35. Indian honorific: SRI.

37. __ as a fox: SLY.

39. 2010 health law, for short: ACA.  As in the Affordable Care Act.

41. Summoning words: COME HERE.

42. Tea option: BOBA.  Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese tea drink with chewy tapioca pearls (boba).   The drink is also frequently sweetened and combined with milk or fruit flavorings.

43. Spanish spelling of Agnes: INEZ. 

49. Angsty music genre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

50. Gizmo: GADGET.  A gizmo is defined as any device that gets the job done, but it often means an unknown object. 

52. Hummus and salsa: DIPS.

54. Dry run: TRIAL.

55. Bacteria-ridden: GERMY.

56. For a very specific audience: NICHE.

57. Online sales: E-TAIL.

60. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  Yummers!  Penne alla vodka is a popular pasta dish, made with penne pasta, tossed in a creamy, tomato-based sauce that includes vodka, and sometimes chili flakes and other ingredients.

61. Vend: SELL.

62. Birds __ feather: OF A.

63. Self-serve coffee server: URN.

64. "__ Tok": No. 1 hit for Kesha: TIK.

66. Gear for a roadie: AMP.

67. Basketball star Ming: YAO.  Yao Ming (b. Sept. 12, 1980) played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 until 2011.  He is 7 ft 6 in.  In 2007, he married Ye Li, who, at 6 ft 3 in, is also a former professional basketball player.  She played for the Shanghai Octopus team in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

 

Here's the Grid:

חתולה