Monday, September 28, 2026, Hoang-Kim Vu

  Theme: Words of Support.

17 Across. Words of support from an abacus?: YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.

29 Across. Words of support from a rideshare driver?: I'M HERE FOR YOU.

45 Across. Words of support from a crossbody bag?: I'M ON YOUR SIDE.

No!

Yes!

57 Across. Words of support from a broken elevator?: I WON'T LET YOU DOWN.

How the elevator got broken...

CE:D here, filling in. I don't know why all my cartoons seem so down in this fun, uplifting puzzle. Maybe because it's Monday... Hurry back NaomiZ! We need you to cheer us up!

Onward!

Across:
1. Game, __, match: SET.

4. Piece of cake: CINCH. Or, easy as pie! Use Granny Smiths!

9. Granny Smith, for one: APPLE.

14. The "A" of ETA: Abbr.: ARR. (Estimated Time of Arrival.)

15. Spanish form of Paul: PABLO.

16. "Get out of town!": NO WAY.

17. [Theme.]

20. Brainstorming outputs: IDEAS.

21. Epitome of slowness: SNAIL. Not Sloth?

22. Six years for a U.S. Senator, e.g.: TERM.

23. __ Arabia: SAUDI.

25. Pre-K basics: ABCS.

29. [Theme.]

32. Santa __, California: ANA.

35. Used a pair of sculls, say: OARED. More info here...

36. Chutzpah: NERVE.

37. Out that gets a runner home, for short: SAC FLY. Sacrifice Fly Ball.

39. Like some evening gowns: BEADED.

$991.00???

40. Invoice amount: TOTAL. (See above...)

41. Rebuff: SPURN. 

44. Sault __ Marie: STE. Oldest city in Michigan. Home of the Soo locks. More info here.

45. [Theme.]

48. Orange skin: RIND. (I wanted peel...)

49. Madrid museum: PRADO.

50. Quick inhalation: GASP.

54. Not united: APART.

56. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO.

57. [Theme.]

62. Around, in dates: CIRCA.

63. Phone notification: ALERT.

64. Tasseled hat that shares a name with a Moroccan city: FEZ.

Quite honestly, as a style choice, I just don't think it looks good on anybody.

(Unless your a Stoat.)

65. Leg joints: KNEES.

66. Smallest possible: LEAST.

67. Swim-bike-run race, informally: TRI. As such a long grueling race, why such a short name?

Down:
1. "Tell me already!": SAY IT.

2. Slowly wear away: ERODE.

3. More accurate: TRUER.

4. Pros who are busy in Apr.: CPAS. Certified Public Accountants.

5. Actor McKellen: IAN.

The one and only...

Would you believe? A young Gandalf?

6. "SNL" TV network: NBC. Saturday Night Live/National Broadcasting Company.

7. Sense of finality that may be needed after a breakup: CLOSURE. Hmm, after every breakup, I needed stitches...

8. Pursued doggedly: HOUNDED.

Musical interlude...

Would you believe, after all these years, the paper today said Frank Sinatra was disgusted by Elvis' dance moves... Jeez man, let it go...

9. Against: ANTI.

10. Location that may have "No running" and "No diving" signs: POOL AREA. Hmm, Monday clueing. I guess Wednesday would be no glass bottle area, and Friday would be "place to get a cue..."

11. Dominate, in gaming slang: PWN. (Pawn.) very grey area, could go on and on, (don't ask about teabagging...)

12. Go on the __: get out of town: LAM.

13. Organ with a retina: EYE.

18. Top that's useful in layering, for short: CAMI.

This is what happens when you spend too many hours doing crossword reviews...

19. Innocent one: NAIF. (Nope, I'm guilty..)

23. Mitchell of "Pretty Little Liars": SHAY.

24. __ Lingus: Irish carrier: AER.

26. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" band, with "The": BYRDS.

27. Desire: COVET.

28. Fuzzy fabric: SUEDE. When Michael Caine became famous, he was approached by John Wayne with some advice, I'll let Michael explain it...

When you're a star, don't wear suede shoes!

30. "Pretty in Pink" star Ringwald: MOLLY.

31. Sticking straight up, as hair: ON END.

32. Up and about: ASTIR. An A word!  Tell me, when did you last use this word!

33. Two-time Australian Open winner Osaka: NAOMI.

34. Follow, as a hunch: ACT ON.

38. Burlesque performance: FAN DANCE.

Due to complaints about pics degrading Women,

We are forced to downgrade the fan dance video...

39. Spirit: BRIO. It helps to know Italian...

41. Inexplicably weird: SURREAL.

42. Natter (on): PRATTLE.

43. Amer. capital: USD. U.S. Dollar.

46. Iridescent gem: OPAL.

47. "Good lord!": EGAD.

51. In midair: ALOFT. 

52. Underground waste line: SEWER.

53. __ scheme: PONZI.

55. School support orgs.: PTAS. (If I need to explain PTA's, you need to go back to school...)

56. Golf stroke near the hole: PUTT.

57. "How nasty": ICK.

58. Take first prize: WIN.

59. Mine lode: ORE.

60. Pro vote: YEA.

61. Surgery ctrs.: ORS. Operating Rooms.

The Grid.

*Just an Easter Egg for The Big Bang theory fans. Note: that when Leonard runs out with the smoking rocket fuel, Sheldon takes time to turn the refrigerator magnet upside down. It is explained in an earlier episode that Sheldon is obsessed with Flags. So much so that he created a Flag for the Apartment. A yellow lion on a field of blue. He turns the flag upside down as a sign that the apartment is in distress...

Oh! I almost forgot!

How the show ended 8 years later....

Some notes on my Monday solving experience:

26d birds b/4 byrds, can't remember if it was a fat fingered typo, or a brain fart...

32d up and about, awake before astir. Yes it was a rude awakening for a Monday...

44a soo b/4 ste, not quite awake yet, and old crosswords were seeping into my memory...

48a peel b/4 rind, reminds me why I gave up oranges for breakfast before having coffee...

60d pro vote, yes b/4 yea (it was my 66a least of my problems...)

And finally, since The Devil Wears Prada 2 recently came out, I put an A at the crossing of Prado and Brio...  (there are more Naticks in Europe than in Connecticut...)

Anywho, please leave some uplifting words in the comments. We all need them on a Monday...

CE:D out...

₍^ >⩊< ^₎Ⳋ

Saturday, April 12, 2025, Hoang-Kim Vu

  Saturday Themeless by Hoang-Kim Vu

 Posted in 2021: Hoang-Kim Vu works on a global malaria research project in Washington, D.C. His crosswords have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. When he's not solving or constructing, Kim enjoys collecting passport stamps, spending too much money on pet nats, and trying his best to raise a one-year-old daughter and a pitbull with bad knees with his wife/co-constructor/forever editor Jess.

The left half of the puzzle went very quickly and then I made the right side more difficult by misreading some clues and entering incorrect alternate fills. I really enjoyed the solve and to quote my friend Irish Miss: "The juice was worth the squeeze!"

Across:

1. Having the wrong profile, in a way: CATFISHING - Catfishing means someone is using a fake identity to trick you into believing you’re in a real online friendship or romance with them. 

11. Dark cloud: PALL - Omen looked good for a long time.

15. "Grateful that you'd think of me!": IT'S AN HONOR.

16. __ vera: ALOE - Don't you hate when you see versa and put in VICE? 🤨

17. Class of talking heads and pundits: CHATTERATI - I had never heard of it but I liked it and it became pretty obvi obvious.

18. A principal deity of Hinduism: SIVA.

19. __ Lingus: AER.

20. Like some hygiene: ORAL.

21. Where one might let sleeping dogs lie: PET BED - Sleep over!

23. Ideal location for speakers: DAIS.

25. Word in a Samin Nosrat title: ACID.

27. Hibachi part: GRATE - Not GRILL

28. Lucie who was an executive producer on the film "Being the Ricardos": ARNAZ - Lucie said she was glad that Nicole Kidman was not a doppelgänger for her mother as it would have too emotional for her.

Lucie ARNAZ     Nicole Kidman

30. Racer's boost: ENERGY BAR.

32. Warded (off): STAVED - I have managed to STAVE off maturity for quite a while

34. Spanish pronoun: ESA - "ESA casa es muy grande" I'll bet you can translate this by yourself but if you can't see it below *

35. Lids: CAPS.

36. Use a red pen, say: EDIT.

38. Kin kin: KITH - Origin

Friends                           Family

40. Assessment for many jrs.: PSAT.

43. Only defenseman to lead the NHL in points: ORR - Bobby first did this in 1969. His Bruins also won the The Stanley Cup that year and Bobby celebrated with his famous leap which is immortalized in this statue.

45. One cutting back: DIETER 😀

49. In transit: ON THE ROAD - How 'bout a sing-a-long...

52. Earlier, in the past: AFORE.

Afore the Storm

The sun, a weary, fading gold,

Afore the storm, the story's told.

The wind begins to softly sigh,

Afore the rain, the clouds roll nigh.

The world holds breath, a silent plea,

Afore the storm, wild and free.

53. Sauna amenity: TOWEL.

54. Just so cute: TWEE - I remember first seeing this word on the bottom line of a Sunday LA Puzzle many years ago.

56. Lend, as money: SPOT - "I'll SPOT you some money to get started"

57. Ma Rainey's "Louisiana __ Blues": HOO DOO.

59. Place for multiple outlets: MALL  😀

61. Stage name of South Korean rapper Park Jae-sang: PSY - His Gangnam Style made him fabulously wealthy. For what it's worth, Gangnam is a very stylish, hip part of Seoul. 

62. Staple of southern cuisine: OKRA.

63. Feature of some Gothic facades?: PIERCED LIP - Uh, not Gothic buildings.

66. "__ we forget": LEST.

67. First mates?: ADAM AND EVE 😀

68. Art Deco designer: ERTE - The Fashion illustrator Erté was originally named Roman Petrovich Tyrtov but went by Romain de Tirtoff in France. Erté was his pseudonym, the French phonetic spelling of his initials, R.T.

69. Parts of overdue explanations?: LATE PASSES - I've looked at thousands of these over my career.

Down:

1. Insects whose broods emerge at regular 13- or 17-year intervals: CICADAS.

2. Fundamentally: AT HEART.

3. Catherine the Great, e.g.: TSARINA.

4. Word in a Samin Nosrat title: FAT.

5. Getting a kick out of: INTO.

6. Cartoondom's "Princess of Power": SHE-RA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

7. "Carmen Saeculare" poet: HORACE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

8. Standing together: IN A LINE.

9. "__ for me": NOT.

10. Strong hold: GRIP.

11. Those who can provide the latest dish?: PASTRY CHEFS - Yes, a PASTRY is usually the last (latest) dish served. 😀

12. Chinese e-commerce giant: ALIBABA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

13. Little bump: LOVE TAP.

14. Up-front people: LEADERS.

22. Key ingredient in pastel de nata: EGG ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

24. Card with pre-assembly information: SAVE THE DATE - 😀 If you are going to tell people when they are to requested to assemble, you must tell them the date 

26. Computer platform?: DESK 😀

29. Feature of the London Zoo: ZED - In London zebra starts with the letter Z which they pronounce ZED and not ZEE. Also, in the London Zoo zebra is pronounced zeb ruh not zee buh.

31. Debugging agent?: RAID.

33. Designer Christian: DIOR.

37. Equestrian gait: TROT.

39. Spanish aunt: TIA.

40. Cause of some misalignment: POTHOLE 😀 

41. Hoodwink: SNOOKER - He SNOOKERED a lot of 'em

42. Under the poorest conditions: AT WORST.

44. Hot pot fodder: RAW MEAT.

46. Comes crashing down: TOPPLES.

47. Marked by decay: EROSIVE - Very visible from your gondola in Venice

48. Enters once more: RETYPES.

50. Jeff Lynne's gp.: ELO - A frequent visitor to the cwd bandstand 

51. "Oh my stars!": DEAR ME.

55. "Free Solo" locale, familiarly: EL CAP - EL CAPitan is in Yosemite 

58. Pearlescent shade: OPAL.

OPAL Craft Beads

60. Writer/producer Waithe: LENA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

64. Journalist Tarbell: IDA.

65. Canine care deg.: DDS - A veterinarian with a DVM might work on the canine teeth of an animal but a dentist with a DDS degree works on human canine teeth

*Translation - That house is very big

FWIW - Did anyone else catch that fact that PALL and MALL were in the same puzzle? The cigarettes were named for a famous street in London.