Tuesday, September 23, 2025 Ben Zimmer

Ode to Joy.  Ode to Joy is the fourth and final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

20-Across. *  Lines on a family tree: RELATION SHIPS.  Elation

36-Across. *  Treated unseriously: MADE LIGHT OF.  Delight

42-Across. *  App with layered satellite images: GOOGLE EARTH.  Glee

And the unifier:

57-Across. Feeling euphoric, and what the answers to the starred clues literally are: FILLED WITH JOY.   Each theme answer is filled with a synonym for Joy.

Too soon?  The stores don't seem to think so.

Across:

1. Material for a "No. 1" finger: FOAM.

5. Squarish: BOXY.

9. Maddow's channel: MSNBC.  The company will soon be changing its name to MS NOW.  Rachel Maddow (née Rachel Anne Maddow; b. Apr. 1, 1973) is a television news program host and liberal political commentator.

14. Give the __-over: ONCE.

15. Mountaineer's goal: ACME.

16. "Word has it ... ": I HEAR ...

17. What "vintage" often means: USED.

18. Perlman of "Barbie": RHEA.  Rhea Perlman (née Rhea Jo Perlman; b. Mar. 31, 1948) is probably best known for her role as Carla on Cheers.  She portrayed Ruth Handler (née Ruth Marianna Mosko; Nov. 4, 1916 ~ Apr. 27, 2002), the creator of the Barbie doll, in the 2023 movie, Barbie.

Ruth Handler on the left; Rhea Perlman on the right.

19. "Impossible!": NO WAY!

23. Grimm offerings: TALES.  Fairy Tales.  The Brothers Grimm [Jacob (1785 ~ 1863) and William (1786 ~ 1859)] collected German folk tales and compiled them into the stories we sort of know.  Disney sanitized the gory parts out of most of the tales.

24. Life hack, e.g.: TIP.

25. Far from festive: SAD.

28. Fills fully: SATES.

31. Having limits: FINITE.

33. Gift topper: BOW.

38. Cornell University's namesake: EZRA.  Ezra Cornell (Jan. 11, 1807 ~ Dec. 9, 1874) and Andrew Dickson White (Nov. 7, 1832 ~ Nov. 4, 1918) were the co-founders of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.  Ezra Cornell was also the founder of Western Union.

He looks charming.

40. NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells: IDA.  Ida B. Wells (née Ida Bell Wells; July 16, 1862 ~ Mar. 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist and civil rights activist.

41. Fallon predecessor: LENO.  Jimmy Fallon (né James Thomas Fallon; b. Sept. 1974) took over The Tonight Show after Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) retired.

47. Take a gander: SEE.

48. West Coast burger chain: IN-N-OUT.

49. Water nymph in Greek mythology: NAIAD.

51. Not pos.: NEG.  Not Positive, but Negative.

52. Setting for a mad scientist: LAB.

54. Writer's first effort: DRAFT.

62. British pop singer Lewis: LEONA.  I am not familiar with Leona Lewis (née Leona Louise Lewis; b. Apr. 3, 1985).

64. Get as a reward: EARN.

65. Unpartnered: LONE.

66. 2020 film about Shaggy's canine sidekick: SCOOB.

67. "The Star-Spangled Banner" topic: FLAG.

68. Really rankles: IRKS.  A crossword staple.

69. A little eccentric: DOTTY.

70. Doesn't gulp down: SIPS.

71. Driver on a movie set: ADAM.  Adam Driver (né Adam Douglas Driver; b. Nov. 19, 1983) is an American actor.  He portrayed Enzo Ferrari (né Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari; Feb. 18, 1898 ~ Aug. 14, 1988) in the 2023 movie Ferrari.

Down:

1. Final __: March Madness round: FOUR.  College Basketball.

2. First stage: ONSET.

3. Speedy Northeast Corridor train: ACELA.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

4. Olympian's haul: MEDALS.  A brief history of Olympic medals.

5. Worker with a daily grind?: BARISTA.

6. Nueve preceder: OCHO.  Today's Spanish math class.

7. Superheroes trained at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters: X-MEN.

8. Sourdough starter component: YEAST.

9. Little pet that may be pot-bellied: MINI PIG.  More than you ever wanted to know about Mini Pig varieties.

10. Boutique: SHOP.

11. Vox, Axios, Reuters, et al.: NEWS SITES.  I initially tried News Media.

12. Barnyard bleat: BAA.

13. React to a tearjerker: CRY.

21. Squad: TEAM.

22. Audiophile's apparatus: HI-FI.

26. Show remorse: ATONE.  The Day of Atonement is next Wednesday.

27. Crusoe creator: DeFOE.  Daniel Defoe (1660 ~ Apr. 24, 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy.  He is best known for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published in 1719.  This novel has been translated into over 100 languages!

29. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She portrayed Carmela Soprano in the HBO series The Sopranos.

30. Midsize car: SEDAN.

32. Org. with Kraken on ice: NHL.  The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in the National Hockey League.

33. Get the ball rolling: BEGIN.

34. Stratospheric shield: OZONE.

35. Metaphor for a bad start: WRONG FOOT.

37. Fictional archaeologist Croft: LARA.  Angelina Jolie (b. June 4, 1975) portrayed Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies.

39. In the past: AGO.

43. Newborn soother: LULLABY.

44. Citation abbr.: ET AL.  Today's Latin lesson.

45. Old news?: TIDINGS.  I bring Tidings of Joy.

46. Comedian Kevin: HART.  Kevin Darnell Hart (b. July 6, 1979) is also an actor.

50. Mexican flower: DAHLIA.  They are beautiful flowers.

53. Issues to gripe about: BEEFS.

55. Nordic cruise sight: FJORD.

56. Toy truck brand: TONKA.  We had a Tonka jeep when we were kids.

58. Playing to break a tie, briefly: IN OT.  As in In Over Time.

59. "Melting clocks" painter Salvador: DALI.  There is a Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, because a wealthy couple who were friends and patrons of Salvador Dalí (né Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí Doménech; b. May 11, 1904 ~ Jan. 23, 1989) donated their collection of his works to the city.

The Persistence of Memory

60. Lunch order in a wheat tortilla: WRAP.

61. Old-timey assent: YES'M.

62. Trippy drug: LSD.

63. Sustainability prefix: ECO-.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

And there you have it, Jeremiah:

L'Shanah Tovah to all who observe.  May you have a sweet year.

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin

Jump Jive an' Wail.  The circles all spell out synonyms for Jump.

17-Across. Sweet apple cultivar from Minnesota: HONEY CRISP.   HOP.  Everything you wanted to  know about Honey Crisp Apples.

25-Across. Enjoy a clothes-free swim: SKINNY DIP.  SKIP.

36-Across. Common Banksy technique: SPRAY PAINTING.  SPRING.  Banksy is a pseudonymous and controversial English street artist identity remains unconfirmed.  There was a Banksy in New Orleans.

Banksy in New Orleans.

48-Across. Buttery cookie made with citrus zest: LEMON SNAP.  LEAP.

And the Unifier:

59-Across. House of Pain hit that begins "Pack it up, pack it in," and a description of each set of circled letters: JUMP AROUND.

Here's the Grid so you can see the Circles:

Across:

1. Feel sore: ACHE.

5. Caution light color: AMBER.

10. Tuts: TSKS.

King Tuts

14. More than dampen: SOAK.

15. Ballet-inspired fitness class: BARRE.  Barre exercise is a low-impact workout that combines elements of ballet, Pilates, and yoga to build strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and core stability. The exercise uses a ballet barre, for support and features high repetitions of small, pulsing movements and isometric holds.

16. Mimics: APES.

19. "As __ on TV": SEEN.

20. TV series pts.: EPS.  Episodes, I presume.

21. Is inquisitive: ASKS.

22. Pedometer unit: STEP.

23. Seattle WNBA team: STORM.

29. Move stealthily: SNEAK.

31. Statler and Waldorf, e.g.: DUO.  Characters from The Muppets.

32. Short way to go?: RTE.  The abbreviation for Route.

33. "Omg, I just got it!": AHA!

34. Boca Raton's st.: FLA.

35. Chrysalis: PUPA.

40. Landlocked Asian country: LAOS.

41. Key in a keyboard combo: ALT.  Control-Alt.-Delete.

42. Laverne of "Orange Is the New Black": COX.  I never watched Orange Is the New Black, so was not familiar with Laverne Cox (b. May 29, 1972).  Apparently, she portrayed Sophia Burnet on the show.

43. Little trickster: IMP.

44. Letters before an alias: AKA.  Also Known As.

45. Really long stories: EPICS.

52. V-sign sentiment: PEACE.

54. Linus's sister: LUCY.  From the Peanuts cartoon.

55. Grain in 26-Down: RICE.  //  And 26-Down. Savory breakfast cake of South India: IDLI.  Definitely not a Tuesday word.  Idli or idly is a type of savory rice cake, originating from Southern India.  It is a popular breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-husked black lentils and rice.

57. Male offspring: SON.

58. Party thrower: HOST.

62. Pop singer Sands: EVIE.  I am not familiar name Evie Sands (b. July 18, 1946).  I recognize some of her music, but I think what I remember was another artist singing the songs.

63. Thin woodwinds: OBOES.

64. Go back and forth, in a way: PACE.

65. Religious offshoot: SECT.

66. Curt: TERSE.

67. Vehicle with runners: SLED.

Down:

1. Campfire residue: ASHES.

2. Takes over: COOPTS.

3. "MMMBop" boy band: HANSON.  Hanson is a pop rock band made up of three brothers Isaac Hanson (b. 1980), Taylor Hanson (b. 1983), and Zac Hanson (b. 1985).   They were big in the 1990 when they were still very young.  Hanson is best known for the 1997 hit song MMMBop was one of their big hits from 1997.  At the time the video was recorded, the brothers were only 16, 14, and 11 years old.

4. Scrape (by): EKE.

5. Pre-K song subject: ABCs.

6. Stains: MARKS.

7. Rapid: BRISK.

8. Hosp. areas: ERs.  As in Emergency Rooms.

9. Sales agt.: REP.

10. Delicious: TASTY.

11. Complete as fast as possible, as a video game: SPEED RUN.

12. "Young ears are listening": KEEP IT PG.

13. Fig. exposed in some data breaches: SSN.  As in Social Security Number.

18. World's largest manufacturer of musical instruments: YAMAHA.  When I think of Yamaha, my first thought is motorcycles.  Yamaha Corporation and Yamaha Motor are related but separate companies.

22. __-Caps candy: SNO.  Yummers!

24. Raises, as kids: REARS.

27. Subtle distinction: NUANCE.

28. Chicken pot pie vegetable: PEA.

30. Inuit boats: KAYAKS.  A brief history of the Kayak.

34. Avocado's abundance: FAT.  Yummers!  My favorite restaurant has stuffed avocados.

35. __ cut: cropped style: PIXIE.

36. Marriage equality anthem by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: SAME LOVE.

37. Taylor Swift genre: POP MUSIC.  I heard she just got engaged.

38. Make an itinerary, say: PLAN.

39. Tall hat: TOPPER.  Meh!  I wasn't keen on this clue.

40. Short, for short: L'IL.

44. "__ ideas?": ANY.

46. Like a situationship: CASUAL.  Also known as Friends with Benefits.

47. Light fixture on a wall: SCONCE.

49. Group of eight: OCTET.

50. "My knight in shining __!": ARMOR.

51. Singing ability, informally: PIPES.

53. Came to a close: ENDED.

56. Guitar protector: CASE.

58. "__ making a list ... ": HE'S.  I saw some Christmas decorations in a store over the weekend!  Way too early!!  Is it too soon for a Santa cartoon?

59. Scribble (down): JOT.

60. Purple yam: UBE.  This tuber appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

61. Photo __: OPs.

I'll Jump away for now.

חתולה