Saturday, November 29, 2025, Joe Marangell

Saturday Themeless by Joe Marangell

Joe Marangell is the social studies instructional leader for East Haven Public Schools in East Haven, Connecticut, where he has worked since 2001 focused on inquiry-based learning, literacy, and student engagement. He has an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction and is a Crossword puzzle constructor!

I made what I think is an intelligent mistake at 64. Across. I thought Melodramatic movie scenes might have LENTO MUSIC and MOIRA ROLE (no idea) and TANS (they end at cuffs and sleeves sometimes), but not so much. Couple that with some "new to me" fill, and it made for some skating around to finish.

Joe was nice enough to tell me this: My name is pronounced with a soft g, like Mare-an-jell. My favorite entries in the puzzle were VIBE CODING and MOIRA ROSE. I was in a meeting about artificial intelligence at school, and the tech director told us about vibe coding, which I had never heard of before at that point. I made a note of the phrase since I thought it was an interesting-sounding one. Moira Rose is the hilarious character portrayed by Catherine O'Hara on the TV show Schitt's Creek, so when I saw that fit in the grid, I had to keep it.

My favorite clues were [Cave man?] for Plato and [Pop of vibrant color?] for ORANGE SODA. (The clues in the actual puzzle may have been changed from these since that happens with some of them during the editing process.) Also, I completely agree with Malaika Handa's advice of "It's a game not a test!"! I look up things all the time when I do crosswords, and I have no shame in doing that!

Across:

1. "Cav/Pag" opera combination, notably: DOUBLE BILL - What a start! 

"Cav/Pag" is the common pairing of two Italian

 operas: Mascagni's Cavallerie Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, presented together as a "double bill". The tradition began in 1893 at the Metropolitan Opera and continues today because the two operas, despite being by different composers, share a similar style of intense, realistic, and often violent, stories about common people. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Going to one opera would be hard enough for me, so two, I don't think so but I did suss this out.

11. Electrical carriers: IONS.

15. Indignant denial: IT'S ALL A LIE.

16. Surface crack: CHAP - Like on your lips

17. App development using A.I. and natural language: VIBE CODING ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

18. New Age singer from Donegal: ENYA - A hit song by an Irish girl that has a South American River in the title. Enjoy:

19. Braying animal: ASS.

20. Cave man?: PLATO - Explanation

21. Designer Hugo: BOSS.

22. Cookie with 90 ridges per wafer: OREO.

24. Title for a fictional rabbit: BRER.

26. Limited offer: PROMO.

29. Way of checking lines after they're cast?: TABLE READ - The cast of Seinfeld goes through a TABLE READ for the next script

34. Two-wheel carriage: HANSOM.

36. Sporting phrase: GOOD GAME.

good game, good game, good game
good game, good game, good game...

37. Loving poem: ODE.

38. Taylor Swift, typically: SOLO ACT - She is a SOLO ACT, but it takes a huge crew and a convoy of semis to set her up.

40. [Error in original]: SIC.

41. Comparatively cozy: TOASTIER.

43. Seijin-shiki garment: KIMONO - Seijin-shiki is a "coming of age" ceremony in Japan

45. Traveling: ON THE ROAD - Didn't you think of this?

47. Generous one: DONOR.

48. Atmosphere: AURA - Not VIBE this time 

49. Steve of "Peacemaker": AGEE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

51. Power unit: WATT.

53. Expression of probability: RATIO.

56. __ name: PET.

59. Drama honor: OBIE - This is what our frequent cwd award visitor looks like

60. Pop of vibrant color?: ORANGE SODA - My fav drink 70 years ago

63. "Ratatouille" culinary genius: REMY.

64. Like melodramatic movie scenes: SET TO MUSIC.

65. "Twittering Machine" artist: KLEE.

66. "Annie" song that's a counterpoint to "It's the Hard-Knock Life": EASY STREET.

Down:

1. Demanding star: DIVA.

2. Los Angeles Times co-founder Eliza Ann __: OTIS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

3. Some PC ports: USB'S.

4. Boo: BAE - Not a fan of either term of endearment 

5. Business letters: LLC.

6. Participate in a secret exchange: ELOPE 😀 - I learned that this is the term nursing homes use for residents leaving without permission.

7. Scoundrel: BAD LOT - 

"He's a bad lot" means he is a bad, untrustworthy or unpleasant person. 

The phrase is often used in British English and is considered old-fashioned. It describes someone who is morally bad, a troublemaker, or unreliable. You're Welcome. 

8. Pelvic bones: ILIA.

9. __ roller: LINT - We cat owners have a supply!

10. Construction piece: LEGO BLOCK 😀

11. Wedge salad base: ICEBERG - A crunchy offering made with ICEBERG lettuce

12. "Just curious": OH NO REASON - Yeah, right!

13. Votes against: NAYS.

14. Restorative sites: SPAS.

22. Chanting syllables: OMS.

23. Low-tech alarm: ROOSTER 😀

25. Harmful algal bloom: RED TIDE.

26. Common ID component: PHOTO.

27. Element considered in a home inspection: RADON.

28. Admonishment to waiters: ONE AT A TIME - For people waiting in line

30. Ancient assembly space: AGORA.

31. Drag strip?: BOA 😀

32. __ acids: AMINO.

33. Home magazine topic: DECOR.

35. "Schitt's Creek" character who tells her son to "stop acting like a disgruntled pelican": MOIRA ROSE. We had her in the 11/21/25 puzzle by Emet Ozar. There's even merch! 

39. Summer sign: LEO - Astrology: Leo is a summer sign. Astronomy: Leo is a winter constellation. Guess which one I give the most credence?

42. Rest: SHUT EYE.

44. Springfield barkeep: MOE - Another member of the Simpson cast.

46. Delicate: DAINTY.

50. "Our Lips Are Sealed" band: GOGOS - A hit from 44 years ago.

51. Succeed: WORK.

52. Second son of Adam and Eve: ABEL.

54. Field of study: AREA.

55. Some sleeves and cuffs: TATS - These are $13.95 online

56. Put forward: POSE.

57. Actress/model Sedgwick: EDIE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

58. Conflict resolution skill: TACT.

61. Defib expert: EMT - Here an EMT is training to use an Automated External Defibrillator

62. Begin to charge?: SUR - Some businesses assess a SURCHARGE for paying by credit card.

 

Saturday, November 22, 2025, Dr. Ed Sessa

 Saturday Themeless by Ed Sessa

Seeing Dr. Sessa's byline made me feel confident that I would have a pleasant and engaging solve and that proved to be true for my 13th Sessa puzzle blog. Anything that was new or unusual had plenty of escape avenues and after a lovely 17 minute excursion I earned a "got 'er done".

Across:

1. Farmer's dozen: FRESH EGGS.

10. Brightly colored Arita ware: IMARI - IMARI porcelain is made in the town of Arita in Japan,  though it is named after the port of Imari where the wares were historically shipped.

  

15. Bubble Wrap alternative: AIR PILLOW.

16. Violet shade: LILAC.

17. Memorabilia from the Great White North: CANADIANA - We have Americana and Canada has Canadiana, a term used to describe things (e.g., books, historical documents, works of art, music and artifacts), ideas, or activities that concern or are distinctive of Canada, its peoples, and/or its culture, especially works of literature and other cultural products.

18. Guitar legend Van Halen: EDDIE.

19. Jolly pair?: ELS - Meta cluing, Jolly has two "L's"

20. "Mad Men" types: AD REPS.

22. Fuse with heat: WELD.

23. Popeye's __'Pea: SWEE - The original characters

24. Lawn machines: MOWERS.

26. Bouquets: AROMAS.

29. Some military caps: KEPIS - I always think of this guy

30. Pass on: RELAY - Sometimes it comes back to you

31. Near-perfect ballgame: ONE HITTER - In 1995 Paul Menhart of the Toronto Blue Jays pitched a ONE-HITTER but lost the game 1- 0 as the only hit was a home run by Oriole Harold Baines.

35. Day of March madness: IDES.

36. Russian refusals: NYETS.

37. Sine qua non: NEED.

38. Shelties' shelters: DOG HOUSES.

40. One-named singer dubbed the "First Lady of Crunk & B": CIARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

41. __ in: intrudes: BUTTS.

42. Software shortcuts: MACROS.

43. Figure in the knight time?: SQUIRE 😀

45. Give credit to: CITE.

46. Figure on many a flag: STAR - Of course Texas features a lone star

47. Leafy spots: ARBORS - An ARBOR at the home of J. Sterling Morton, the founder of ARBOR Day,  in Nebraska City, NE.

49. Tallahassee inst.: FSU.

52. Argentine dance: TANGO.

54. Folks who are rotten to the core: BAD APPLES.

56. Tribal leader: ELDER.

57. Rare blood type: A-NEGATIVE.

58. Oft-poached fruit: PEARS.

59. Floral additive to Turkish delight and gulab jamun: ROSE WATER.

  

 

Down:

1. Portrait subject: FACE - Legend has it that this FACE belonged to Mona (my lady) Lisa (del Giocondo)

2. Capital of Oman: RIAL - $2.60 

3. Gray sea eagles: ERNS.

4. Massage center: SPA.

5. Secreted: HID AWAY.

6. Says "coulda, woulda, shoulda," say: ELIDES 😀

7. Intimidating look: GLARE.

8. Used up: GONE.

9. Free trade zones?: SWAP MEETS 😀

10. __-de-France: ILE - Literally, the name "Island of France" for the territory of Paris. It was derived from its being bordered by the rivers Seine, Oise and Marne (tributaries of the Seine) and Beuvronne (a tributary of the Marne), which surround it like an island.

11. Stereotype associated with a region of the United States: MIDWEST NICE - We tend to be that way

12. Tree with catkins: ALDER.

13. Small wading birds: RAILS - Miraculously, I recalled RAILS which kept me out of the possible natick at IMARI/RAILS. Hmmm... I wonder how many RIALS RAILS cost? 😀

14. Frosted: ICED.

21. Former frosh: SOPHS.

23. Order that requires a superhot griddle: SMASH BURGER - It starts as a round ball and then...

25. Nintendo game console: WII - WII golf in a nursing home

26. Saharan: ARID.

27. Let result, in tennis: REDO - If a serve hits but gets over the net in VB play continues and there is no REDO.

28. Cassini of fashion: OLEG - OLEG was Jackie's official designer but this suit she wore 62 years ago today was by Chanel. This famous pink dress is stored in the National Archives and will not be on display until 2103. Her pillbox hat has been lost.

29. End of a lap: KNEES 😀

31. Spot to order Kumamotos: OYSTER BAR - At 10 o'clock below

32. Rend: TEAR.

33. Architect Saarinen: EERO - Some of his many designs 

34. Iron reqs., e.g.: RDAS.

36. Dietary product prefix: NUTRA - 

"Nutra" is a common abbreviation for nutraceuticals

, which are products derived from food sources that provide extra health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease

39. "Okay by moi": OUI.

40. Dupe: CATS PAW - A fable where a monkey tricks the CAT into using his PAW to retrieve chestnuts from the fire while he eats them as they come out.

42. Sleight of land?: MIRAGE 😀 A nice play on words land/hand 

43. Like many bad jokes: STALE.

44. Post-lecture sesh: Q AND A - A Q AND A session with 7th graders will yield many hands. With seniors, not so much.

45. Programs: CODES - We have many CODERS in our merry little cwd bunch.

46. March part: STEP.

48. Baja bath: BAÑO - Sometimes you don't really need a bath...

49. Move like a monarch: FLIT 😀

50. Golf legend Ballesteros: SEVE - Seve Ballesteros est un golfeur professionnel espagnol.

51. One logging on: USER.

53. Scrubs ctrs.: ORS.

55. School org.: PTA.