Saturday, September 20, 2025, Zhouqin Burnikel

Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel

The only really hard name for me was a soaper star but C.C. gave me every letter I needed. C.C.'s penchant for clever word play definitely was part of this fun puzzle.

As you can see in the grid, the center of the puzzle was dense with unique fill. Very impressive! C.C. told me this is his lowest themeless word count she has ever achieved. She aims to have only 70 - 72 words and this one only has 62!! WOW!

Across:

1. Dress to impress: GLAM UP - We've seen GLAMPING and GLAM ROCK and this phrase fits that pattern. 

                 

7. Hit up quickly: PINGED.

13. Muralist on some Mexican 500-peso notes: RIVERA - $26.74 in Nebraska! The Rivera mural shown hangs in The Mexican National Palace.

                                                                                 

14. Citrus hybrid: TANGELO - A tangelo is a hybrid citrus fruit that is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo or grapefruit. The name "tangelo" comes from combining the names of the parent fruits.  

15. Track unit: ONE LAP.

16. Left out words?: WHY NOT ME.

17. Place to go for a drive?: TEE. 😀

18. Mosslike organisms: LICHENS.

20. Only Canadian NBA city, for short: TOR.

21. Something that may be a little fishy: TANK 😀

23. Valley known as the "Garden of France": LOIRE.

24. Tricks: CONS.

25. Montana motto: ORO Y PLATA - I learned here that this is "gold and silver"

27. Fighting chance?: BOUT - Over 70,000- people filled the Alegiant Stadium last week to see Terence "Bud" Crawford of Omaha become the first boxer to hold undisputed crowns in three different weight classes. Some say he is the best "pound for pound" boxer in history.

28. Pocket money: LOOSE CHANGE.

30. Dis-illusioned?: DOWN TO EARTH - All that glitters is not gold.

31. "Something just occurred to me": HERE'S AN IDEA.

32. At any time: EVER.

33. "Days of Our Lives" actress on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills": LISA RINNA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Talk about GLAMED UP!

37. Put on a happy face: GRIN.

38. Small porch: STOOP - From the Dutch word stoep meaning step or platform brought to America by Dutch settling in the Hudson Valley. You're welcome. 😀

39. Grant consideration: NEED.

40. "Details later" letters: TBA.

41. "I'm not buying it": C'MON NOW.

43. Tom yum __ soup: GAI - Thai dish: Tom (to boil), Yum (to mix) and Gai (chicken)

44. Judged events for pedigreed and companion animals: CAT SHOWS - Yeah, even I put DOG first

46. Start of a rumor: I HEARD - When I first HEARD this, it became a mission of mine to take on anyone who believed it. 

48. Ravaged by time: AGE WORN - My old Chucks had to be falling apart before I pitched them

49. Snapple rival: NESTEA.

50. Fly-by-night operation?: RED EYE 😀 We left Honolulu at 11 pm to arrive in LA at 5 am. It was New Year's Eve and so they turned on the cabin lights for ten seconds over the Pacific where it was midnight and wished us a Happy New Year. 

51. Sturdy woolens: TWEEDS - Professor Henry (Indiana) Jones wore TWEED

Down:

1. Spelunking site: GROTTO.

In the Timberline GROTTO in Colorado

2. Flat, in a way: LINEAR - Well known for us math peeps

3. Active Naturals brand: AVEENO.

4. Airport code in Victoria: MEL.

5. Eurasian border range: URAL.

6. Toy spaniels: PAPILLONS - Also know as Continental Toys

7. Stewart who won the U.S. Open twice in the 1990s: PAYNE - He was very popular, known for his colorful outfits and died far too young at 42.

8. Trip stops: INNS.

9. Many a charitable gp.: NGO.

10. Bring the hammer down: GET TOUGH - Mahler also called for this during his sixth symphony

11. Los Angeles suburb: EL MONTE - A 19 minute drive.

12. Busy bodies: DOERS.

14. "And they're off!": THE RACE IS ON.

16. Hot dog option: WHITE ONIONS.

19. Beach resort locale: COASTAL TOWN.

22. Padmé Amidala's grandson: KYLO REN - Halloween is just around the corner

24. Hold: CONTAIN.

26. It might be lost in a storm: POWER - It happened to us for three days in March.

27. More minimalist: BARER - Most of us can remember our dorm room

29. Wasn't talking nonsense: HAD A POINT.

30. Strayed: DEVIATED.

31. Grass and such: HERBAGE.

34. Cancel out: NEGATE.

35. Closed in on: NEARED.

36. Athletic brand based in Bavaria: ADIDAS - Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. They have supplied Husker gear for years

 

37. Aston Martin DB12, for one: GT CAR - Grand Touring. Those Europeans always get their abbreviations backwards. 😀

38. Three-ingredient treat: SMORE.

41. Baby bok __: CHOY.

42. Cry of relief: WHEW.

45. Nor. neighbor: SWE.

47. Tip of the tongue?: ESE - Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Maltese, Burmese, Sudanese...

 

Saturday, September 13, 2025, Jess Rucks

 Saturday Themeless by Jess Rucks

Jess is our former U.S. Air Force Urdu translator who has another fun offering today. Her husband is in the U.S. Space Force and they live in Colorado Springs. This is a lovely picture of Jess and her son, with husband lurking in the background on a recent vacation in Minnesota.       

   

  

Across:

1. Some fancy foot work: PEDIS 😀

6. Stylish confidence: SWAG 

10. Ocean spray: MIST.

14. Villainous superpower: EVIL EMPIRE.

16. Laptop brand: ACER.

17. Foam toy that can be repurposed for childproofing corners and doors: POOL NOODLE.

18. Lion-tailed macaque feature: MANE.

19. Meh: SO SO.

20. "I love the white stuff, baby / In the middle of an __": "Weird Al" lyric: OREO - A parody of You've Got The Right Stuff by New Kids on the Block

21. Cause of insomnia or euphoria: MANIA.

22. Some fountain drinks: MALTS.

24. Mocking bird: PARROT.

25. Ant-Man's partner: THE WASP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

27. More loyal: TRUER.

28. Ring: PHONE - In the U.K. you might ring up someone

29. Leadership: BRASS.

31. On: LIT.

33. 1975 thriller based on a Peter Benchley novel: JAWS - Benchley was paid a mere $250,00o for the movie rights but got a per cent of the enormous profits which made him a multimillionaire.

34. Poet Jones who wrote the memoir "How We Fight for Our Lives": SAEED.

35. Mousse kin: PATE.

   

 

Mousse

Pate

36. Some Main lines on maps?: Abbr.: STS - There are over 10,000 Main Streets in America.

37. "The Subtle Power of the Red Carpet __": Vogue headline: DURAG ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

38. __ patootie: CUTIE 😀

39. Trouble spot: STAIN.

41. Cracks, in a way: DECODES - The most famous of these was done in Hut 8 in Bletchley Park in WWII led by Alan Turing

43. Pressures: FORCES.

44. Lost color: PALED.

45. Sign into law: ENACT.

46. Window shopper's purchase: PANE 😀

47. [Bor-r-ring!]: YAWN.

51. Actress Daly: TYNE.

52. Piece of art that's cut short: BONSAI TREE 😀

54. Nonchewing teeth: COGS 😀

55. Groups of world travelers?: ALIEN RACES.

56. Paint sample strip blocks: HUES.

57. Mineral in some homemade soap: MICA.

58. Cease and desist?: STOPS - Two synonyms not a single phrase

Down:

1. __ up: PEPS.

2. Dressing acronym: EVOO.

3. "Vaya con __": DIOS - Go with God in Spanish. Also a big hit for Les and Mary.

4. Warning signs: ILL OMENS.

5. Ottawa NHL pro: SEN.

6. Place for a draft pick: SPORTS BAR 😀

7. Jam band that holds the record for sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre: WIDE SPREAD PANIC - This is one of Jess's favorite groups and she offered Patti this clue and "Mass hysteria" as options and she was pleased which one was picked.

8. First name in folk: ARLO.

9. "Golly!": GEE.

10. "Drag Race" matriarch, affectionately: MAMA RU - Jess is also a Ru Paul fan

11. "Tell me about it!": I CAN RELATE.

12. Affliction similar to spring fever: SENIORITIS.

13. Reward: TREAT.

15. Scratch: MOOLA - So many euphemisms for money

21. Planet entirely inhabited by robots: MARS - I loved this one!

23. Start for some?: AWE 😀

24. EMDR target: PTSD - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

25. Fault line?: THAT'S ON YOU.

26. "Hmm, odd": HOW STRANGE.

28. Jammies: PJS.

30. Body of water said to be named for a king of Athens: AEGEAN SEA.

32. Lift for a drive: TEE 😀 Fore!

34. Home team at PHX Arena: SUNS.

35. Looney Tunes toon: PUDDY TAT.

37. Bamboo, for a panda: DIET.

38. Cedar Rapids college: COE.

40. Get into: ACCESS - Remembering passwords to ACCESS sites is sometimes difficult

42. Kid-friendly: CLEAN.

43. Sell for: FETCH -  Louis Vuitton expects this purse to FETCH $4,200

46. __-sci: POLI.

48. West Coast gas brand: ARCO.

49. React to a sad ending: WEEP.

50. Sad ending?: NESS.

52. "That's what I'm talkin' about!": BAM - Emeril's catchphrase

53. Tax org.: IRS.