Wednesday, March 4, 2026, Jacob Reed

 

Theme:  𝄲𝅘𝅥𝇤𝇥  "The best part of waking up ..." 

Is not Folgers; trust me! But this "cover" of the jingle is what made my morning!

 

 

Puzzling thoughts:

Chairman Moe here, bringing you a little bit of frivolity to accompany your morning joe and crossword puzzle solve.  Today's puzzle gives you a caffeine jolt, right in the reveal:

 

64-across. Mid-morning respite, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: COFFEE BREAK. 

 

Jacob Reed - our crossword barista du jour - has quite the varied vocations/avocations in his brief time on this orb we call Planet Earth.  And while being a crossword constructor is a relatively new vocation to Jacob, he was published three times in 2025 at NY Times; which is a feat that is quite uncommon, given the plethora of puzzle-preparers who pepper that paper with printed previews for potential publication

 

Jacob supports his coffee break puzzle as follows: 

 

1) placing the key letters to search for in circles (oh, the dreaded circles!)

2) using a black square (also known as a block) to "break" the circled letters

3) using zero "entry phrases" in the puzzle

 

This is a construction technique that CMoe really digs.  I am currently working on two such puzzles which, fingers crossed, will eventually make it into publication.  Not sure where Jacob "learned" this technique; mine came from a puzzle that that Jeffrey Wechsler created - you'll note that Jeffrey did not use any circles to reveal his "fromage a trois"

 

The four types of coffee that Jacob features in his puzzle are:

 

ICED

 

 

 

DRIP

 

 

 

INSTANT 

 

 

 

IRISH 

 

 

 

  

I highlighted these in red so you can see the break in the coffees below:

 

Here is the filled grid 

 

 On to the rest of the words:

Across:
1. Dept. of Labor div.: OSHA.

5. Clinks with drinks: TOASTS.  Something our erstwhile and dear departed poster tinbeni did every evening to we Cornerites - RIP

11. Loop in on the DL: BCC. If you didn't know what "DL" is (from the clue), I think it means "down low"

14. Tangible: REAL.  Moe-ku:

        Traveled to Rio.

        Exchanged dollars and asked: "Is

        This money REAL*?"

*FYI:  The Brazilian Real is the local currency ...

15. The great outdoors: NATURE. With 16-across. WC: LOO, a place where many of us - whether we admit it or not - have relieved ourselves 😅

17. Like many theme park puppets: ANIMATRONIC. Plus 19-across. School URL ending: EDU is the first of the "coffee breaks" in today's puzzle (ICED).  The first ANIMATRONIC I recall was this group @ DisneyWorld: (long video)

 

20. Off: NOT ON.

21. Award season oversight: SNUB.  (long video)

 

22. Barter: SWAP. 

23. Dating app that went public in 2022: GRINDR. A dating site for a select few

25. Apple Store purchase: IPAD CASE. I have one of these for my i13 phone, and it has proven itself a huge benefit over multiple drops by this clumsy person

27. Coat with, as melted chocolate: DIP IN. Remember seeing one of these at a wedding reception?

 

29. Dining table extender: LEAF. Moe-ku:

 

        IKEA has new

        Dining table set, and it's 

        Called LEAF Erikson 

 

30. __ and cheese: MAC.  If we were making a sandwich, it might have been HAM and cheese

 

33. Running jokes: GAGS.

35. Hurled: FLUNG. 
 

38. Not for: AGAINST.
 

41. Pays to play: ANTES UP. 
 

43. World Heritage Site in Jordan: PETRA.

 

 

44. Huge production: EPIC.  According to Google, this was the first EPIC movie .  Of course, YMMV
 

46. "Wheels down" hr.: ETA. "Wheels up" hr. would be ETD methinks
 

47. Shoe brand known for a checkerboard design: VANS.

 

 

49. Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid: ALIAS.  My alias is Chairman Moe
 

52. Rum cocktail: DAIQUIRI. Here is the recipe, plus a little back story
 

55. Sundial need: SHADOW.  I have visited this one in Carefree, AZ

 

 

59. Grocery chain that requires a deposit for a shopping cart: ALDI. I think that Aldi and Trader Joe's are linked through a family ownership
 

60. Darn: MEND. Dang, I tried drat first
 

62. Upscale Honda: ACURA.
 

63. "Emilia Prez" Oscar winner Saldana: ZOE. Her:

 

 

[reveal]
 

66. Musician Brian who co-developed the Oblique Strategies creative process: ENO.
 

67. Like disposable products: ONE USE. A good idea, really!  Moe-ku:

        A disposable

        Product was used more than once.

        It exclaimed: "I'm wiped!"

  

68. Diminutive suffix: ETTE.  Moe-ku:

        Bach piece in G Maj.

        Was shortened, as per schedule;

        Renamed, MinuETTE

  

69. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.
 

70. Camelot figure: MERLIN. 

 

 

 

71. Female deer: DOES.  Unlike Homer Simpson's deer, which are DOH's
 

Down:
1. Chimp kin: ORANG.
 

2. Man of La Mancha: SENOR.
 

3. Wyclef Jean's birth country: HAITI. 

 

 4. Amaretto flavor: ALMOND.
 

5. Letters on red Minecraft blocks: TNT.  A generational clue

 

 

6. Rower's pair: OARS.
 

7. Performing acts of contrition: ATONING.
 

8. Vampire's bedtime: SUNUP.

 

 

9. Of a clan: TRIBAL.
 

10. Jiffy: SEC.
 

11. Flew off the handle: BLEW A FUSE.
 

12. Musical finales: CODAS.
 

13. Sedan alternative: COUPE.  Moe-ku:

        101

        Dalmatians antagonist's

        Ride? A COUPE De Vil

   

18. "__ Mack": Disney Channel series featuring seventh graders: ANDI.  Another generational clue
 

22. Beaufort __: SCALE.  It measures wind speed
 

24. D&D et al.: RPGS. Short for Role-Playing-Games - have I ever said that pluralizing an abbreviation is not my favorite way to add words to a crossword puzzle?  The answer is, "yes"
 

26. Artful: DEFT.
 

28. "Already had a bite": I ATE.
 

30. World view?: MAP.
 

31. Information conveyed by tree rings: AGE.  Fun fact:  As a sommelier, I am aware of the difference between American Oak barrels and French Oak barrels, as containers that hold fermented wine for its initial ageing.  The American Oak barrels have a looser grain (tree rings) than the French Oak barrels, and that "difference" plays a big role in the flavors that are imparted to the wine.  More info in this hyperlink
 

32. Social media posts by some pet owners: CAT VIDEOS. Sorry, I favor dogs to cats, so no videos to support this clue/answer! I will cede this to my fellow Wednesday blogger, C-E D
 

34. Breeze (by): SAIL.  Verb definition of the word "sail"
 

36. Trail mix morsel: NUT. RAISIN was too large to fit
 

37. Dean's list fig.: GPA. After 4 years @ Pitt, my GPA was a 3.25
 

39. Mosul resident: IRAQI. 
 

40. Half of Mork's farewell: NANU. Robin Williams brought joy to millions; RIP

 

 

42. Procedural that spun off from "JAG": NCIS.
 

45. Throbbing: PAINFUL.
 

48. Olympian Biles who wears a goat necklace: SIMONE.  As in, Greatest of All Times?

 

 

50. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. "Barista Manager" was too large to fit
 

51. Revered: SACRED.
 

52. Seeing stars: DAZED. 

 

 

53. Without help: ALONE.  Chairman Moe did this recap, solo
 

54. Send to a specialist: REFER. Fortunately, my new Medicare Advantage program no longer requires me to get a REFERral to see a specialized doctor
 

56. Because of: DUE TO.
 

57. Go on the stump: ORATE.
 

58. Rouses from sleep: WAKES. Moe-ku:

        A Carnival Cruise

        Passenger was aroused from

        Sleep. Turbulent WAKES?

   

61. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI. Another generational clue
 

64. Rom follower: COM. My favorite "rom com"

 

 

 

65. Velvet finish?: EEN.

 

That's a wrap!  See you in April