Thursday, July 3, 2025, Jake Halperin

 Theme:  Domain of science

Experienced constructor Jake Halperin defines three scientific domains in grid-spanning theme answers, each of which uses a different word for "domain" taken from an example of the science.  The theme clues and answers are:

19. Forensics?: CRIME SCENE SCENE.  Forensics is the application of scientific techniques to matters of law, especially the investigation of crimes.  A forensic scientist often finds himself at a crime scene.  That's his "scene," or domain of expertise.

36. Geometry?: SURFACE AREA AREA.  Geometry is a branch of mathematics concerned with shapes and dimensions of objects.  A geometrician may be asked to determine the surface area of an object.  That's his "area," or domain of expertise.

49. Physics?: FORCE FIELD FIELD.  Physics is the study of matter, energy and force.  If you're dealing with a force field, you'll want a physicist.  That's his "field," or domain of expertise.

Hopefully these domains were in your wheelhouse!  Let's investigate the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Petty quarrel: SPAT.

5. Chesapeake and Delaware: BAYS.  The Chesapeake and Delaware Bays are two distinct bodies of water on the east coast, connected by the 12-mile Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

9. Outstanding papers?: IOUs.  Unpaid debts.

13. "That's a nauseating thought!": YECH.  A little less popular than "yuck"?

14. "We can ride together!": HOP ON.  I tried HOP iN first.

15. In-between dress length: MIDI.  Mini, midi, maxi.  When I was in elementary school, all skirts fell just below the knee.  In middle school, the hemlines climbed as high as possible without revealing all.  Then suddenly, ankle length "granny gowns" were a thing ... and the whole idea of gradually changing styles went out the window.  You can wear whatever you want.

16. Nick Mohammed's "Ted Lasso" role: NATE.

Nick Mohammed as Nathan "Nate" Shelley on "Ted Lasso"

17. Comic installment: ISSUE.  Comic books come out in issues.

18. Piles (of): A LOT.  Bunches and bunches.

19. [Theme clue]

22. "I need help!": SOS.  SOS originated as a Morse code sequence (...---...) specifically chosen for its simplicity and ease of recognition as a universal distress signal.  Backronyms like "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship" were later invented as mnemonic phrases for the signal.

23. Maintain a lab coat?: GROOM.  Maintain a *labrador retriever's* coat!

Bathe and brush your dog!

24. Ghostly pale: ASHEN.

27. Grade below 70%: DEE.

29. Tip-to-frog violin motion: UPBOW.  In violin playing, an upbow is moving the bow across the strings from the tip of the bow towards the frog (the end held by the player).  This contrasts with a downbow, where the bow moves from frog to tip.  An upbow makes a lighter sound than a downbow.

32. Novelist Bellow: SAUL.

33. Orderly groupings in computer science: ARRAYS.  Wikipedia says:  "In computer science, an array is a data structure consisting of a collection of elements (values or variables), of same memory size, each identified by at least one array index or key, a collection of which may be a tuple, known as an index tuple. An array is stored such that the position (memory address) of each element can be computed from its index tuple by a mathematical formula."  What say our computer scientists?  Whose bailiwick is this?

35. "What __ the odds?": ARE.

36. [Theme clue]

39. Postscript's place: END.

40. Fierce fauna: BEASTS.

41. Frankenstein's helper: IGOR.

42. Nachos topping: SALSA.

44. "I'd call it average": MEH.

45. Not very poetic: PROSY.  Prosy means dull or unimaginative, very much like the word "prosaic," but can also mean resembling prose. 

46. Made less severe: EASED.

48. Co. with a SoSecure mobile safety app: ADT.  ADT's alarm services date back to the 1870's, when telegraph technology was used to alert homeowners to burglaries.  Hence, American District Telegraph.

49. [Theme clue]

56. "Funny Girl" co-star Sharif: OMAR.

Barbra Streisand won the Oscar for Best Actress in her film debut, 1968.

57. Elbow-to-wrist bones: RADII.  Plural for radius.  One in each arm.

I know you find this humerus.

58. __ of honor: MAID.

59. Formerly: ONCE.

60. Instrument for many Bach compositions: ORGAN.

61. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.  Erma Bombeck achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996.

62. Knotted up: TIED.

63. Empire State resident, for short: NYer.  New Yorker.

64. "Work it!": SLAY.

Be excellent in a particular scene, area, field, domain, wheelhouse, bailiwick ...

Down:

1. Lip-__: SYNC.

2. Crumble fruit: PEAR.  I've had berry crumbles and peach crumbles, but the concept of pear crumble is new to me.  I am not opposed!

3. Ballet opener: ACT I.

4. Gender-neutral pronoun: THEMSELF.

5. Type of 2-Down: BOSC.  A type of pear.

6. Architectural recess: APSE.  A projecting part of a building (such as a church) that is usually semicircular in plan and vaulted.

7. Branch of creationism: YOUNG EARTH.  Young Earth creationism is a belief that Earth was created by God within a short period of time, perhaps 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. This anti-scientific view is based on a literal reading of the Book of Genesis.  By contrast, Old Earth creationism accepts most modern science regarding the history of the earth, but rejects the theory of evolution.  A third option for adherents to the biblical tradition is theistic evolution, which suggests that God created the world through the laws of nature, which are discoverable through science.  Evolution is real, and was set in motion by God.

8. Snide smile: SNEER.

9. Sgt. Friday's declaration on "Dragnet": I'M A COP.  Joe Friday was a character created and portrayed by Jack Webb for his series Dragnet (on radio 1949-1957, and on TV 1951-1959, 1967-1970).

Jack Webb as Joe Friday in "Dragnet"

10. Petroleum trade ban: OIL EMBARGO.

11. Japanese food staple: UDON.  Thick noodles made from wheat flour, served in hot broth or stir-fried.

12. Wikipedia, e.g.: SITE.  A web site.

14. Ostrich warning sound: HISS.  I have not experienced this defensive behavior, but I did see this ostrich lift its skirt!

Out of all the possible ostrich illustrations,
I chose this one from my files for Splynter.

20. The Proterozoic, e.g.: EON.  The Proterozoic Eon, from 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago, was the third of Earth's four eons. It was marked by the formation of stable continents, the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, and the evolution of early life forms.  Even though we're only in the fourth eon now, the Proterozoic feels like eons ago.

21. Composer born in Washington, D.C.: SOUSA.  John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) was an American composer and conductor known primarily for marches.

John Philip Sousa

24. Burros: ASSES.

25. Cold plunge partner: SAUNA.  Finland is home to the tradition of a hot sauna followed by a cold plunge into icy water.  The sauna has documented health benefits.  The cold plunge may be all right if it doesn't kill you.

sauna and cold plunge

26. Where athletes kick up their heels?: HURDLE RACE.

27. Record best updated first thing in the morning: DREAM DIARY.  I had a psychology class in college where we were encouraged to write down everything we could remember about our dreams before getting out of bed in the morning.  It was interesting to review the diary after a few weeks and to discover recurring themes.  

28. Draw a blank on?: ERASE.

30. Twistable treats: OREOS.  Crossword's favorite cookie.

31. Dog-tired: WEARY.

33. Opening day pitcher, typically: ACE.

34. "Mm-hmm": YES.

37. Denigrate: ABASE.

38. Opportunities for watch parties: AIR TIMES.

43. Holy: SACRED.

45. "Save as" option: PDF.  PDF, which stands for Portable Document Format, is a file format developed by Adobe to present documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems.  It preserves the original formatting and images across various devices.

47. Zac of "The Greatest Showman": EFRON.  Zachary Efron rose to prominence for his leading role in the High School Musical film series (2006–2008). During this time, he also starred in the musical film Hairspray (2007) and the comedy film 17 Again (2009).  He continues to appear in films and on TV.

Zac Efron

48. Tennis score after deuce: AD IN.  In tennis, "ad" is short for advantage. It refers to the score after deuce (40-40). If the server wins the point after deuce, it's called "ad-in." If the receiver wins the point after deuce, it's called "ad-out". If the player with the advantage wins the next point, they win the game. If the player without the advantage wins the next point, the score goes back to deuce. 

49. Height unit: FOOT.

50. Ritz-Carlton alternative: OMNI.

51. Microsoft browser: EDGE.

52. Untrustworthy sort: LIAR.

53. Noble rank below marquess: EARL.

54. Peruvian city with a San Isidro district: LIMA.

55. WWII turning point: D-DAY.  D-Day, June 6, 1944, was the day the Allied forces launched a massive invasion of Normandy, France, leading to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

I took this photo of DH in front of a German bunker on the beach in Normandy.

Here's the grid:

It took me a while to get a toehold on Jake's puzzle, but then everything fell into place.

What about you?  Was this your SCENE?  Were you in SYNC with Jake?  Did you ACE it?

Or did you ERASE a lot of entries and finally say YECH?

-- NaomiZ

Monday May 23, 2022 Jake Halperin

 

Theme: Three-peat

 17. Admonition to an Egyptian boy king?: TUT TUT TUT.

 29. Pothole filler made from fish-and-chips sauce?: TARTAR TAR.

 46. Say farewell to a Dickens character?: PIP PIP PIP.

 62. Is able to do high kicks in a chorus line?: CAN CANCAN.

Boomer here. Monday trot for Tom & his TomTom.

GRR, GRR, GRR,- Waiting impatiently for my shoulder surgery, now scheduled for next Tuesday May 31. I wish all of you a happy Memorial Day a week from today.

Across:

1. Dinner with donors: GALA.  Do you pronounce this GAYLA or GAHLA ?

5. Mardi Gras wear: MASK.  COVID is not over.  We still wear ours in stores, church, and required at the VA Medical center.

9. Britcom with Eddie and Patsy, for short: AB FAB.

 

14. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Yes and I am not in favor of her. Our District Rep is Dean Phillips.  His father was killed in Vietnam and his grandmother was Abigail Van Buren whom you may remember as Dear Abby.

15. Not pro: ANTI.

16. Gibbs of "The Jeffersons": MARLA.

19. Helps out illegally: ABETS.  I usually make ABETS or more at the craps table.

20. Ending for "Black," "Mixed," and "Grown," in sitcom names: ISH.  Or what you might say after eating rotten tomatoes.

21. Olfactory assault: STENCH.  I smell something.

23. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star Michelle: YEOH.

24. Conical shelter: TEEPEE.  Many Native Americans in Minnesota still live in these.

26. "Which of the two will it be?": A OR B. I'll take C.

28. Shepherd's tool: ROD.  Twins retired infielder Carew.

34. Was sure about: KNEW.  I KNEW it because I saw him play.

36. Chatter away: GAB.

37. Amnesiac's query: WHO AM I?

38. Secret language: CODE.

39. "Becoming" memoirist Michelle: OBAMA.  A really kind first lady.

41. Uno, dos, __: TRES.  Quadro, Cinco, etc.

42. Reversals: U-TURNS.  I hate them but the roads around Mall of America are so screwed up, we had to make one to get into the parking lot.

44. "Succession" actor Brian: COX.  I only remember Wally.

45. Hit the horn: HONK.  If you park at Mall of America.

48. Thus far: YET.

49. Aspire laptop maker: ACER.

50. Alternative to Alpine, in skiing: NORDIC.  All of our ski slopes are closed.  You may want to check up in International Falls.  I think they had temps in the 20s last week.

53. Current options: AC DC.  Also a rock band from Australia.  We only have AC in our home.  If we need DC, we use batteries,

56. Enjoyed, as a lollipop: LICKED.  Or an ice cream cone.

59. WNW's opposite: ESE.

60. Plumbing issues: LEAKS.

64. TV spot seller: AD REP.  I get tired of these ads.

65. "Black Panther" villain Killmonger: ERIK.

66. Pinochle-like card game: SKAT.

67. Far from posh: SEEDY.  C.C.  made a nice flower garden in front of our home.  But some SEEDY squirrels destroyed some tulips! 

68. Gels: SETS.

69. Inquires: ASKS.  No one ever ASKS me anything.  They just TELL me.

Down:

1. "Duly noted": GOT IT. Sometimes you have to get the Across words before you GET IT Down.

2. Cause to chuckle: AMUSE.  COVID has cancelled the Graybar reunion in Las Vegas for two years so My Cause to Chuckle performance will have to wait.

 

3. Sudsy: LATHERED UP.

4. Class with easels: ART.  Garfunkel or Linkletter.

5. Like low-shine lipstick: MATTE.  Ugly paint.

6. Get the poker pot going: ANTE.  At the caddy shack in the 60s, a nickel got me in.

7. Leave speechless: STUN.

8. Vehicle that's built after it's bought: KIT CAR.  I only buy cars that are already put together.

9. Doc's org.: AMA.

10. Brand-new sibling, perhaps: BABY BROTHER.  Never had one, but three of the other kind and they all left for California years ago. 

11. On the house: FREE. If you entered ROOF, try again.

12. Palo __, California: ALTO.  Nope, my sisters are all in or near San Francisco. My older sister bought a home in the 1960s near Haight Ashbury for about 60 grand and now turns down offers over two million!  

13. Big celebration: BASH.

18. Didn't waste: USED.  My golf clubs are not being used this summer.  Darn spinal cord.

22. Hair removal substance: HOT WAX.  Not on me.  I used chemo therapy.

25. Like energy bars, in adspeak: POWER-PACKED.

27. "Go team!": RAH.  Just one RAH ???

29. Bar bill: TAB.  I used to have a small one after leaving work.  No more.

30. Mechanical arithmetic aids: ABACI.

31. Card sets sold in New Age shops: TAROT DECKS.  Never played it.

32. Prayer ending: AMEN.  But deliver us from evil. ----

33. Expose to danger: RISK.  A great board game.

34. Single-serve coffee pod: K CUP.  Not a bra.

35. Words of denial: NOT I.  Me neither

36. Mass communication?: GOSPEL.  Always a very long one on Palm Sunday.

40. Floor-washing tool: MOP.

43. Actor Cage, casually: NIC.

47. Comparison shopper's data: PRICES.  Inflation is skyrocketing.

48. Green Jedi with his own grammar: YODA.

50. Parts of mandolins: NECKS.  A happening at night at Eloise Butlers Flower Gardens in Minneapolis.

51. "Wicked Game" singer Chris: ISAAK.

52. Euro fractions: CENTS.

53. Woeful word: ALAS.  Not one of the four letter words that I use.

54. Formally transfer: CEDE.

55. Truth or __: DARE.  DARE to be great!

57. "Ask me if I __!": CARE.  Of course I do.

58. Make mittens, say: KNIT.

61. Secret agent: SPY. Also stock symbol for Standard & Poors 500 index.

63. Hush-hush org.: NSA.

Boomer

Tuesday, December 22, 2020 Jake Halperin

There's Nothing to See Here!  The first word of each theme answer is another word for Nothing.

17-Across. "Quiet!": ZIP YOUR LIP.

27-Across. Sinful financial craving: LOVE OF MONEY.  Why Love means nothing in tennis.  Tennis is also a game that has been lethal to royalty.

36-Across. English national anthem originally in French: O CANADA.  Hi, CanadianEh!

46-Across. Exercise involving a push-up position: SQUAT THRUST.

And the unifier:

60-Across. "Just a scratch, really" ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 27-, 36- and 46-Across: IT'S NOTHING.

Across:

1. Jobs for plumbers: LEAKS.

6. Protein-rich vegan fare: TOFU.

10. "Warts and all" wart: FLAW.

14. Written so as to discourage erasure: IN PEN.  Hand up if your first thought was In Ink.

15. Library ID: ISBN.  This stands for International Standard Book Number.  The ISBN deciphered.

16. Witness' promise: OATH.

19. Pre-performance pitch-setting wind: OBOE.  Did you ever wonder why the Oboe is used to tune the Orchestra?

20. Bible man made from earth: ADAM.  From dust to dust ...

21. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.  The Matrix was a 1999 movie that starred Keanu Reeves (né Keanu Charles Reeves; b. Sept. 2, 1964) as Neo.

22. Chipmunk, e.g.: RODENT.  They are cute little critters.  Everything you wanted to know about Chipmunks, but didn't know to ask.

24. State-sponsored gambling game: LOTTO.

26. Play-calling gatherings: HUDDLES.  Think fútbol, American style.

Geaux Tigers!

29. Ballpark hooter: BOOER.  Meh!

30. Iron mine output: ORE.  A crossword staple.

31. Bacon go-with: EGGS.

35. Form W-2 org.: IRS.  The infamous Internal Revenue Service.

40. Half of dos: UNO.  Today's Italian lesson.

41. Belle's counterpart: BEAU.

43. Fútbol cheer: OLÉ.  The game Americans call Soccer.

44. Clarifying words: I, MEAN.

50. Bigwigs: TOP GUNS.  Top Gun was a 1986 movie about students at the United States Navy elite fighter weapons school competing to be the best in their class.

53. "It __ stopped me yet!": HASN'T.

54. Past the pain of a breakup, say: OVER IT.

55. Have something: AIL.

56. Stop-motion medium: CLAY.  Stop-motion is also known as Claymation.

59. Humans-on-the-moon org.: NASA.  As in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  Hi, Gary!

63. Wrinkle remover: IRON.  Ironing in the age of Zoom.

64. Hammer target: NAIL.

65. Simple question type: YES / NO.

66. Skin concern: CYST.

67. Like a cloudy day: GRAY.  We have been having a lot of gloomy and gray days recently.

68. Pencil maze word: ENTER.  Sometimes the word Enter is just implied.

Down:
1. Minnelli of "Cabaret": LIZA.  Liza Minnelli (née Liza May Minnelli; b. Mar. 12, 1946) is the daughter of Judy Garland.

2. Katelyn Nacon's role on "The Walking Dead": ENID.  I have never seen The Walking Dead, and am not familiar with Katelyn Nacon (Katelyn May Nacon; b. June 11, 1999).

3. Horse with a spotted coat: APPALOOSA.  Apparently they come in all sorts of spotted patterns.

4. Decision that clinches the victory: KEY MOVE.

5. __-Caps: candy: SNO.  Yummers!

6. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.

7. Scandinavian capital: OSLO.  Alfred Nobel (Oct. 21, 1833 ~ Dec. 10, 1896) was Swedish, so why is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo, Norway and not Stockholm, Sweden where all the other Nobel Prizes are given out?

8. "The Blacklist" agcy.: FBI.  As in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Blacklist is a television series starring James Spader (b. Feb. 7, 1960) and Megan Boone (b. Apr. 29, 1983).  The show has been running since 2013.

9. Not cut back, as branches: UNPRUNED.

10. Edible coloring: FOOD DYE.

11. Nutrition info spot: LABEL.  How to decipher the Nutrition label.

12. Make restitution: ATONE.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

13. Arouses: WHETS.

18. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.  Words in the Golden Rule.  The major religions of the world have a version of the Golden Rule.

23. Emotional poem: ODE.

25. Choreographer Saarinen: TERO.  The only Saarinens I am familiar with are the father (Elie) and son  (Eero) architects, who often make guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I don't believe that Tero Saarinen (b. Sept. 7, 1964) is related to the architects.

26. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA.  Let us rejoice!

27. Passed-on stories: LORE.

28. Painter Claude: MONET.  Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926) is sometimes referred to as the Father of Impressionist Painting.  He is probably best known for his series of Water Lilies from his home in Giverny, France.

29. Highchair wear: BIB.

32. Party attendees lineup: GUEST LIST.

33. Irksome insect: GNAT.  Here are a few different types of Gnats.

34. Luke, to Anakin: SON.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

37. Relying (on): COUNTING.

38. Hooray antonym: ALAS.

39. Goes public with: AIRS.

42. R.E. Lee foe: U.S. GRANT.  As we have previously noted, Ulysses S Grant's given name was Hiram Ulysses Grant (Apr. 27, 1822 ~ July 23, 1885).

45. Third-largest German city, to Germans: MÜNCHEN.  Today's German lesson.  The city was founded by Benedictine monks, hence, the name is derived from Old High German meaning "by the monks' place."

47. Who, in Quebec: QUI.  Today's French lesson.c

48. How carpaccio is sliced: THINLY.  Carpaccio is thinly sliced meat or fish that is generally served raw.  You, too, can make carpaccio.

49. Angelic aura: HALO.

50. Vodka mixer: TONIC.

51. Seed-bearing organ: OVARY.

52. Cuban coins: PESOS.

55. Where Israel is: ASIA.  Sometimes when you go to a restaraunt in Israel, they will tell you they serve Asian food.  What you will get is what we consider middle-eastern food.

57. Diarist Frank: ANNE.  Annelies Marie Frank (June 12, 1929 ~ Feb. 1945) was a Holocaust victim.

58. "Son of Frankenstein" role: YGOR.  Ygor was played by Boris Lugosi in the 1939 movie.

61. Sailor: TAR.  Sailors have been referred to as Tars since at least the 1660s.  It may derive from the word Tarpaulin, which was a cloth covered in tar to make it waterproof.

62. Nautical rope: TYE.  Hi, Spitzboov.  I'll let you explain this word.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Merry Christmas, Everyone!