Tuesday, May 5, 2026 David Farthing

An Apple A Day ...

17-Across. Total hunk: STUD MUFFIN.  Apple Muffins.  My favorite muffins were the white chocolate apricot muffins that Central Market used to make.  The store no longer makes them.  What are your favorite muffins?

23-Across. Overdo and then some in the oven: BURN TO A CRISP.  Apple Crisp.  Yummers!

37-Across. Advantages for dealmakers: BARGAINING CHIPS.  Apple Chips.  Apple chips billed as a healthy snack.  They are thinly sliced, dehydrated apples generally seasoned with cinnamon.   Not what I typically reach for when I want a snack.

And the unifier:

48-Across. With 59-Across, rhetorical taunt, or a question answered by the ends of 17-, 23-, and 37-Across: HOW DO YOU LIKE.  //  And 59-Across: See 48-Across: THEM APPLES.  When combined, we get the phrase:  How Do You Like Them Apples?  This is a a rhetorical, sarcastic phrase used to mock or taunt someone after outperforming them, delivering an unexpected surprise, or turning the tables on a situation.  Did you know this phrase became popular after the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting?

You can find the apple treats in the grid.

Across:

1. Hip-hop trio that covered Aerosmith's "Walk This Way": RUN-DMC.  Run-DMC is / was an American hip-hop group formed 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell.  Run-DMC was one of the most famous Hip-Hop acts of the 1980s.

14. Plenty: ENOUGH.

15. Fall Out Boy genre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

16. Foot part: ARCH.

19. Greek cheese: FETA.  Feta is a brined curd cheese from Greece.  It has a salty, tangy flavor and crumbly texture.  It is traditionally made from sheep's milk or a sheep/goat milk blend.  It's a staple in Greek cuisine.  Authentic Greek feta is aged in brine for weeks. 

20. Weigh station unit: TON.

21. Destroy: RUIN.

22. Storm-tracking aid: RADAR.

26. "The Irishman" star Robert: DE NIRO.  The Irishman is a 2019 movie set in the 1950s and portrays a Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro (né Robert Anthony De Niro; b. Aug. 17, 1943), who becomes a hitman and goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa (Feb. 14, 1913 ~ disappeared July 30, 1975).

29. Walking pace: GAIT.

30. Chris of "Knives Out": EVANS.  Knives Out was also a 2019 film, but was a comedy-mystery.  Chris Evans (né Christopher Robert Evans; b. June 13, 1981) was one of many actors in the film.

31. Nothing to write home about: SO-SO.

34. Sch. whose colors are purple and gold: LSU.  Geaux Tigers!

41. Camera letters: SLR.  SLR stands for Single-Lens Reflex.  It is a type of camera design that uses a mirror system to allow photographers to view the exact image through the lens that will be captured on film or a digital sensor.

42. FasTrak payment: TOLL.

43. Pound fraction: OUNCE.

44. Sculler's pair: OARS.  //  And 46. Use 44-Across: ROW.

47. Simple bookmark: DOG EAR.

53. Statutes that protect inventions and works of art, for short: IP LAW.  As in Intellectual Property Law.

54. Iridescent gem: OPAL.  These gems from Australia make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

55. Oral health org.: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

58. "__ the change": KEEP.

62. QED center: ERAT.  Today's Latin lesson.  QED is an abbreviation the phrase quod erat demonstrandum, which translates to that which was to be demonstrated.

63. London's Big __: BEN.  Did you know that Big Ben is actually the 13.7-ton Great Bell and not the tower?  The bell is named after Sir Benjamin Hall (Nov. 8, 1802 ~ 1867), the politician who oversaw its installation in 1859.  The tower is the Elizabeth Tower.

64. "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity" org.: THE FBI.

65. Fathers: DADS.

66. Do some sums: ADD.

67. U.S. citizens living abroad: EXPATS.  Short for expatriate.

Down:

1. Take a breather: REST.

2. "And I say __ you ... ": UNTO.

3. Subject of a sentence, typically: NOUN.

4. Total bust: DUD.

5. __ Grand Las Vegas: MGM.

6. Fried cinnamon-sugar pastry: CHURRO.  Yummers!

7. Are appropriate for: BEFIT.

8. __ acids: AMINO.  Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins.  They are needed for repairing tissues, breaking down food, producing energy, and supporting immune function. There are 20 common amino acids, classified into essential (must be eaten) and non-essential (made by the body).

9. Mattingly who was the Yankees starting first baseman for 12 seasons: DON.  Don Mattingly (né Donald Arthur Mattingly; b. Apr. 20, 1961) played his entire baseball career with the Yankees.  He played from 1982 until 1995.  I thought he was much older than he actually is.

10. Excursion in the Serengeti: SAFARI.  The Serengeti is a vast, 12,000 square-mile ecosystem in East Africa, spanning northern Tanzania and southwestern Kenya.  It is home  the world’s largest, most spectacular wildlife migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebras, along with one of the highest concentrations of large predators,

11. Borrower's limit: CREDIT LINE.

12. Stand in for: ACT AS.

13. "Movin' Out" choreographer Twyla: THARP.  Twyla Tharp (b. July 1, 1941) is an American dancer and choreographer.  In 1965 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance, which merged with American Ballet Theatre in 1988.  Her work often uses classical, jazz, and contemporary pop music.  The music for Moving' Out was by Billy Joel (né William Martin Joel; b. May 9, 1949).

18. Lots of laughs: FUN.

22. Color TV pioneer: RCA.

23. Microsoft search engine: BING.

24. Latin for "bear": URSA.  You can see the Ursae (that the plural of ursa) in the sky at night if you use your imagination.

25. Eagerly excited: AGOG.

26. New socialites, familiarly: DEBS.  Short for Debutants.

27. Test: Abbr.: EVAL.  As in Evaluate.

28. One-point advantage, say: NARROW LEAD.

31. __-cone: icy treat: SNO.  Yummers!

32. Vinaigrette ingredient: OIL.

33. Weekly sketch show, briefly: SNL.  Saturday Night Live is a crossword staple.

35. "Adopt, don't shop" org.: SPCA.  The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals began in England in 1824.  It was the world's first animal welfare organization, founded to prevent the abuse of carriage horses.  The first American SPCA was began in 1866 in New York City.

36. __-friendly: USER.

38. "The __-bitsy spider ... ": ITSY.

39. Diner employee: COOK.

40. Massive: HUGE.

45. Learns to fit in: ADAPTS.

47. Enlarge, as a pupil: DILATE.

48. Walked in the woods, say: HIKED.

49. Puccini work: OPERA.  Giacomo Puccini (néAntonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini; Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas.  He is regarded as one of the the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera.  Some of his operas include Madame Butterfly and La Bohème.

 

50. __ and aahed: OOHED.

51. Flip over: UPEND.

52. On the __: fleeing: LAM.

55. Letter before Bravo: ALFA.  Letters of the NATO phonetic alphabet.

56. Financial liability: DEBT.

57. Yard sale tag warning: AS IS.

59. "More details soon" letters: TBA.  To Be Determined.

60. The Suns, on scoreboards: PHX.  The Phoenix Suns, the professional basket ball team.

61. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

חתולה

I will be taking a hiatus for the next couple of months.  I know you will be in good hands during my absence.

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Robert E L Morris

A Little Dab Will Do You!  Today we have a puzzle filled with homophones.  The last word or syllable of each theme has the same sound.

17-Across. Total left to pay: BALANCE DUE.

26-Across.  Farmer's wake-up call: COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO.

45-Across. "Any suggestions for my next move?": WHAT AM I GONNA DO?

59-Across. Water on the grass at dawn: MORNING DEW.

Here's the Grid:

How will we DO with the rest of the puzzle?

Across:

1. Minty cocktail associated with the Kentucky Derby: JULEP.  Yummers!

6. FedEx competitor: UPS.  Both companies have been delivering packages to the wrong addresses.  I get daily notices on NextNeighbor from people trying to locate a package that has been misplaced.  

9. No longer happening: PAST.

13. Pioneering gaming company: ATARI.  Atari has been in the gaming business since 1972!

14. The two of them: BOTH.

16. Palo __, California: ALTO.

19. Decisive victory: ROUT.  The largest rout in college football took place in 1916 when Georgia Tech beat Cumberland University in a score of 222 to Zero.  John Heisman, later honored by having a trophy named after him, was the coach of Georgia Tech.

20. __ Na Na: SHA.  Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll and doo-wop revival group formed in the late 1960s.

21. Rower's blade: OAR.

22. Anxious fellow in the maternity ward: DAD-TO-BE.

24. James Bond creator Fleming: IAN.  In addition to writing the James Bond series, Ian Fleming (né Ian Lancaster Fleming; May 28, 1908 ~ Aug. 12, 1964)  also wrote children's book, notably Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

25. Mineral in hemoglobin: IRON.

33. Weighty volume: TOME.

34. Golf course standard: PAR.

35. Sends sprawling: TRIPS.

36. Color wheel segment: HUE.

37. Stirs memories in: REMINDS.

40. To the __ degree: NTH.

41. Athlete from College Station, Texas, familiarly: AGGIE.  The school was founded in 1871 and opened in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, hence the A&M in its name.  Texas A&M was the state's first public institution of higher education.  It was established under the Morrill Land-Grant Act. It began as an all-male military academy, then evolved into a major research university.  In the 1960s, the school began admitting women and minorities.  In 1963, the name officially became Texas A&M University.

43. Wedding announcement word: NÉE.  We see this French word often in the puzzles.

44. Anti-fur gp.: PETA.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

49. Slender: SLIM.

50. Early ISP: AOL.  America On Line.

51. Infuriated: MADE MAD.

54. PC key on either side of the space bar: ALT.

55. Angst-filled musical genre: EMO.

58. Region: AREA.

62. Fibs: LIES.

63. Victorious cry: I WIN!

64. Deliver a speech: ORATE.

65. Gentle whirlpool: EDDY.

66. Hoops org.: NBA.  The National Basketball Association has been around since 1947.

67. Louisa May Alcott's "Little __": WOMEN.  Little Women is the 1869 novel by Louisa May Alcott.  It was based on Alcott's live and follows the lives of the four March sisters ~ Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy~ as they grow from childhood to womanhood during the American Civil War.

Down:

1. Quick punches: JABS.

2. Arches National Park state: UTAH.  Arches National Park was established to protect over 2,000 natural sandstone arches,  It was originally designated as a National Monument in 1929 before it became a National Park in 1971.

3. "__ Land": Emma Stone/Ryan Gosling musical film: LA LA.  La La Land is a movie that starred Ryan Gosling (b. Nov. 12, 1980) and Emma Stone (b. Nov. 6, 1988) as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles.

4. Chapter in history: ERA.

5. Acorn producer with a pyramid-shaped crown: PIN OAK.  A Pin Oak is a fast-growing, deciduous tree in the red oak family known for its distinctive pyramidal shape, drooping lower branches, and tolerance for wet, heavy soils.  Native to the eastern and central US, it is popular in landscaping for its russet-red fall color, though it requires acidic soil to prevent yellowing.

6. Taxi alternative: UBER.

7. Group of whales: POD.

8. Recording venue: STUDIO.

9. Significant other: PARTNER.

10. __ gobi: vegetarian curry dish: ALOO.  Aloo gobi is a flavorful Indian curry made from potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi) cooked with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and a blend of aromatic spices like turmeric, cumin, and coriander. It is generally served over a bed of rice.  The key to a good aloo gobi is cooking the potatoes and cauliflower to a tender consistency, which means adding them at different stages or cooking them separately before combining. 

11. Ticket remnant: STUB.  Most of my tickets are now electronic, so I no longer have ticket stub souvenirs.

12. Lug (around): TOTE.

15. Gathered through the grapevine: HEARD.

18. Party snack: CANAPÉ.  Yummers!

23. Dunderheads: DOLTS.

24. Raw bar surface: ICE.

26. Cold symptom: COUGH.

27. Final Greek letter: OMEGA.  It's all Greek to me.

28. Beaver construction: DAM.

29. Round rubber gasket: O-RING.  Sadly, the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was caused by the failure of rubber O-ring seals in the right Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), which became brittle and failed to seal in cold temperatures

30. Enjoyed an elegant supper: DINED.

31. Decide one will: OPT TO.

32. Workplace std. setter: OSHA.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration often finds it way into the puzzles.  

33. Melt: THAW.

37. Dominion: REALM.

38. "The Matrix" protagonist: NEO.  Neo was portrayed by Keanu Charles Reeves (b. Sept. 2, 1964).

39. Alaska national park with the tallest peak in North America: DENALI.  So beautiful and majestic.

42. "Piece of cake": IT'S EASY.

44. Friend: PAL.

46. Florida setting of some Carl Hiaasen novels: MIAMI.  Carl Hiassen (b. Mar. 12, 1953) is a Floridian journalist and novelist. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and in his spare time he began writing novels.  His novels are humorous crime stories.  I haven't read any of books, but I did watch his adapted-for-television show Bad Monkey.

47. "Works for me": I'M DOWN.

48. "Maybe later": NOT NOW.

51. Like tomcats: MALE.

52. Bone-dry: ARID.

53. Monopoly card: DEED.

54. Actress Kendrick: ANNA.  Anna Cooke Kendrick (b. Aug. 9, 1985) is known for her comedic timing and endearing characters in musicals and comedies.

55. Mild Dutch cheese: EDAM.  Yummers!  Edam is a semi-hard Dutch cheese traditionally sold in spheres with a red wax rind.

56. Dole (out): METE.

57. Wilson of "Stick": OWEN.  Owen Wilson (b. Nov. 18, 1958) is also known for his comedic roles in movies and television.  In Stick, Wilson portrayed a has-been golf pro.

60. Part of a celery stalk: RIB.  It's the chewy part of the celery.

61. Miracle-__: garden brand: GRO.

I'm sure you all DID well on today's puzzle.

חתולה