Tuesday July 15, 2025 Dan Kammann, Zhouqin Burnikel

The Teddy Bear's Picnic.  Today's puzzle provides lots of elements needed for a successful summertime picnic.

17-Across. Vague catchall expression: BLANKET TERM.

27-Across. Folks who hopefully prevail in a tense situation: COOLER HEADS.

47. Outfield grab perfected by Willie Mays: BASKET CATCH.

And the unifier:

61-Across. Outside eating spots, and where to find the starts of 17-, 27-, and 47-Across: PICNIC AREAS.

Across:

1. Network with pledge drives: PBS.  As in the Public Broadcasting Service.  The logo is a silhouetted human face that is supposed to represent "everyone".

4. __ insult to injury: ADD.

7. Fragrance: AROMA.

12. Perky agent in Progressive ads: FLO.

13. Skylit courtyards: ATRIA.

Oops, wrong atria.

15. Defame in print: LIBEL.

16. At a distance: FAR.

19. Angle symbol in geometry: THETA.  It's Greek to me.

21. Cross a welcome mat: GO IN.

22. Organs shielded by goggles: EYES.

23. Seated yoga pose: LOTUS.

25. Spanish aunts: TIAs.  Today's Spanish lesson.

30. Keeps in the email loop: CCs.  A shout out to our Blog Mistress.

33. Deceptive ploy: RUSE.

34. Arcing toss: LOB.

35. Yawn-inducing: HO HUM.

37. Like fine wine: AGED.

38. Dive like an eagle: SWOOP.

41. Singer McEntire: REBA.  Reba Nell McEntier (b. Mar. 28, 1955) is sometimes referred to as the Queen of Country Music.

42. Pulsate: THROB.

44. Egg cells: OVA.

45. Stand for a speaker: DAIS.

46. UFO navigators: ETs.  As in ExtraTerrestrials. 

51. Rights advocacy org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  The organization was founded over 100 years ago ~ on January 19, 1920.

52. Artifact: RELIC.

53. Move like a dreidel: SPIN.

56. Obstacles to teamwork: EGOS.

58. Battery terminal: ANODE.

64. Apply gently: DAB.

65. For all to hear: ALOUD.

66. Some Instagram videos: REELS.

67. Timeline division: ERA.

68. The Wizard of __ Park: Edison nickname: MENLO.  Thomas Alva Edison (b. Feb. 11, 1847 ~ October. 18, 1931) established a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

69. Unicorn's horn count: ONE.

70. Pen for pigs: STY.

Down:

1. Sound of a fizzling firecracker: PFFT.

2. Far from thrilling: BLAH.

3. People who can't handle defeat: SORE LOSERS.

4. Delta HQ: ATL.  Delta Airlines Headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.

5. Event with diva impersonators: DRAG SHOW.

6. Flintstone pet: DINO.

7. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.

8. Rituals such as wudu and baptism: RITES.  Wudu is an Islamic ritual purification practice involving the washing of specific body parts before prayer and other acts of worship.

9. Do as one is told: OBEY.

10. No more than: MERE.

11. Charitable relief: ALMS.

13. Taper off: ABATE.

14. Muscular Japanese dog: AKITA.

18. City west of Tulsa: ENID.  Enid is a crossword staple.  The name of the town might have been inspired by Alfred Tennyson's Idles of the King.

20. Lake Erie port: TOLEDO.  Hi, JazzBumpa!  Is there a relationship between the town in Ohio and the one in Spain?  You decide.

24. Bookmarked links: URLs.  As in the Uniform Resource Locator.

26. Fireplace residue: ASH.

27. Shipping container: CRATE.

28. "You __ to know better": OUGHT.

29. Kindle purchase: E-BOOK.

30. Hacks that help video gamers win: CHEAT CODES.

31. Three-dimensional: CUBIC.

32. Break to pieces: SMASH.

36. Invest with priestly authority: ORDAIN.

39. Supervised: OVERSEEN.

40. Hors d'oeuvres spread: PÂTÉ.  Yummers!

43. U.K. TV network: BBC.  As in the British Broadcasting Corporation.

48. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  For a certain generation, Sir Alex Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000) is best known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Yesterday we learned that in 1952, he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai.  I am not quite of that generation to have remembered that.

49. Sweetie: SUGAR.

50. Group of students: CLASS.

51. Declare invalid: ANNUL.

53. Email incessantly: SPAM.  We had the canned meat yesterday.

54. Heap on laundry day: PILE.

55. Clickable picture: ICON.

57. Cookie that created the Dunk Club: OREO.  A crossword staple.

59. Pub projectile: DART.

60. Online auction giant: EBAY.

62. Vow renewal vow: I DO.

63. Foamy drink in a stein: ALE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Noel Griskey

It's All Fun and Games Until ...  The last word of each theme answer is the name of a card game, unlike Chess, which is a board game.

17-Across. *   Wrestling contest where opponents hold hands: THUMB WAR.

25-Across. *   Homemade liquor during Prohibition: BATHTUB GIN.

39-Across. *  Marinated antipasto items: ARTICHOKE HEARTS.

51-Across. *   Isthmus: LAND BRIDGE.

And the unifier:

64-Across. Chess finales, and what the answers to the starred clues have: ENDGAMES.  The END word of each theme answer is a Card GAME.

Across:

1. Scoffer's laugh: HAH(toolah).

4. Shapes of some annexes: ELLs.

8. No longer feral: TAMED.

13. Kerfuffle: ADO.

14. Roll of fabric: BOLT.

15. Open declaration: AVOWAL.

19. Replace outdated connections, perhaps: REWIRE.

20. Sprinkler hookups: HOSES.

21. Georgia home of the Allman Brothers: MACON.

23. Poetry Out Loud org.: NEA.  As in the National Endowment for the Arts.

24. Top poker cards: ACES.

27. Fatherly nickname: PAPA.

29. __-friendly: USER.

30. Quilters' gathering: BEE.

32. Positive quality: ASSET.

35. "It's a cinch!": EASY.

43. [OMG!]: GASP.

44. Sticky pine product: RESIN.

45. Long, slithery fish: EEL.

46. "Humpty Dumpty" rhyme scheme: AABB.

49. Thompson who won four NBA championships with the Warriors: KLAY.  Klay Alexander Thompson (b. Feb. 8, 1990) currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.  He previously played for the Golden State Warriors for 13 seasons.

56. Money to repay: LOAN.

59. Reproductive cells: OVA.

60. __-Coeur Basilica: Paris tourist spot: SACRÉ.  Today's French lesson.  Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a minor basilica in Paris and is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

61. Pianist's practice piece: ÉTUDE.  More of today's French lesson.

62. Cocktail garnishes: OLIVES.

66. Experts: MAVENS.

67. Rum quaff: GROG.  There are several "origin" stories of how Grog came to be.  Here is one version.

68. Not mainstream, informally: ALT.  As in Alternative.

69. White of "The Golden Girls": BETTY.  Betty Marion White (Jan. 17, 1922 ~ Dec. 31, 2021) was a wonderful comedian and actress.  She also starred in the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

70. Filming locations: SETS.

71. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.  Anyone here from Iowa?  

Down:

1. Gentle yoga style: HATHA.  Everything you wanted to know about Hatha yoga but didn't know to ask.

2. Like some committees: AD HOC.  Today's Latin lesson.

3. Indoor cats, e.g.: HOUSE PETS.  //  And 63-Down. 3-Down doc: VET.

4. Flows out, as the tide: EBBS.

5. Close to the ground: LOW.

6. Camel kin in Peru: LLAMA.

7. Classic Fender, familiarly: STRAT.  Everything you wanted to know about Fender guitars.

8. Fortunetelling decks: TAROTS.

9. Utah or Maine, in Washington, D.C.: AVENUE.

10. Make a path in a field, say: MOW.

11. Former Knicks center Patrick: EWING.  Although Patrick Ewing (né Patrick Aloysius Ewing; b. Aug. 5, 1962) was born in Jamaica, he lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts during his childhood before being recruited by Georgetown, where he played college basketball.

12. "Is it worth the risk?": DARE I?

16. Like turkey chili: LEAN.

18. Flat-topped landform: MESA.

22. Skydivers' needs: CHUTES.

25. Wild party: BASH.

26. La __ Tar Pits: BREA.

28. Ms. __-Man: arcade classic: PAC.

30. Tote or duffel: BAG.

31. Pitching stat: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

33. Food preservative acid: SORBIC.

34. Scrape (by): EKE.

36. "Did I do something wrong?": ARE YOU MAD?

37. Fr. holy woman: STE.  A continuation of today's French lesson.

38. Fr. fashion brand: YSL.  More of today's French theme.  The company is a luxury fashion house founded 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent (né Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; Aug. 1, 1936 ~ June 1, 2008) and Pierre Bergé (né Pierre Vital Georges Bergé; Nov. 14, 1930 ~ Sept. 8, 2017)

40. Apple Pencil device: iPAD.

41. Mountain trail activity: HIKE.

42. Made a JPEG bigger, briefly: ENL.  As in Enlarge.

47. Not at school: ABSENT.

48. Loud and shrill, as a trumpet: BRASSY.

50. Ski town in Utah's Wasatch Mountains: ALTA.

51. Weaver's device: LOOM.

52. Space for tech-savvy HS kids: AV LAB.

53. Clueless: NAÏVE.

54. Wine residue: DREGS.

55. Artistic category: GENRE.

57. "Skyfall" vocalist: ADELE.  Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) English singer-songwriter known for her soulful ballads and mezzo-soprano vocals.  Yesterday she was drinking wine.

58. Cozy spots: NESTS.

61. Soufflé ingredients: EGGS.  Yummers!

65. Part of a URL: DOT.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה