Monday June 23, 2025 Janice Luttrell

Rise and shine! It’s RustyBrain again, this time trying to fill sumdaze’s shoes, although my canal boats might not fit into her ballet slippers.

Today's constructor, Janice Luttrell, has been delivering quality crosswords for a decade now. True to form, this one was a smooth solve, but I think I turned up a hidden theme that may or may not have been intentional. Only your square-dresser knows for sure! Let’s see how it all turns out, starting with the revealer:

56. The Byrds No. 1 hit whose lyrics come from Ecclesiastes, and what can be found at the starts of 20-, 27-, and 48-Across: TURN TURN TURN. We are invited to find synonyms for TURN at the beginning of each theme answer. Not only that, but it's three TURNs, one for every season each themer! Told ya she was good. 

20. Soaker with jets: WHIRLPOOL TUB. WHIRL = TURN. WHIRLPOOL TUBS are often known by the popular brand name Jacuzzi. Ahh...

27. Unexpected change in circumstances: TWIST OF FATE. TWIST = TURN. If not for a strange TWIST OF FATE, these four could have been the Fab Four.

46. Public relations pros, informally: SPIN DOCTORS. SPIN = TURN. Also a popular rock group.

I think I'll dust off my old turntable and play some more records from my collection:

Across:

1. Olympic diver Louganis: GREG.

5. Like lit barbecue coals: HOT. And first half of a popular classic rock group, HOT Tuna.

8. Juice box insert: STRAW. And the beginning of another classic rock group, the STRAWberry Alarm Clock.

13. Christmas carol: NOEL.

14. "Who does __!?": THAT.

16. Vulgar: CRUDE.

17. Word puzzles involving quotations: ACROSTICS. Quote ACROSTICS are really tough! I hardly ever finish one.

19. __ and repeat: RINSE. It's a great marketing ploy to sell more shampoo, but this company is refreshingly honest.

20. [theme]

22. "Toodles!": SEE YA.

23. Clodhopper: OAF.

24. Tofu base: SOY.

27. [theme]

32. Father of Jesus, familiarly: ST JOSEPH. "Oh, please. Just call me Joe." Pope Pius IX declared him to be a patron of the sick, hence the product tie-in.

36. Capital on the Willamette River: SALEM. The Willamette is a major tributary of the Columbia River in Oregon.

37. Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL.

38. "Let's Make a Deal" choices: DOORS.  "Would you like to trade that rubber chicken for one of these three DOORS?" Also, another popular rock group.

41. Give a hoot: CARE.

42. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.

44. Tried to control, as a horse: REINED IN. Santa had trouble reining in horses, so he chose reindeer instead.

46. [theme]

49. Agreeable answer: YES. YES is one of my favorite bands. Their album "Close to the Edge" is considered a progressive rock masterpiece.

50. __ alai: JAI. JAI ALAI used to be very popular in Florida, but nowadays there are only a few frontons (courts) left. 

51. New Haven Ivy Leaguer: YALIE. A YALIE is a five letter Eli.

56. [theme]

60. Ballet leaps: JETES. The only JETES that Miami Dolphins like.

63. Tricolor feline: CALICO CAT.

64. Major shindig: EVENT. Like a rock concert!

65. Raw minerals: ORES.

66. "Whose __ Is It Anyway?": LINE. Drew Carey was the original host of this improvisational comedy TV series.

67. Smartphone messages: TEXTS. "Your aunt passed away. LOL" Just a friendly reminder that LOL doesn't mean Lots Of Love.

68. Informal top: TEE. 

69. Animal's retreat: LAIR.

Down:
1. Chews like a chipmunk: GNAWS.

2. La __-Posay: L'Oréal brand: ROCHE. News to me. I don't carry them in my tool box.

3. Spooky: EERIE.

4. Acclaim: GLORY.

5. Link letters: HTTP. HyperText Transfer Protocol is the language used for loading webpages and other resources across the internet.

6. Cleveland's state: OHIO. Before "Who's Line," Drew Carey had a sitcom set in Cleveland, home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In keeping with rock'n'roll tradition, here's the OHIO Players.

7. Handheld snack topped with salsa: TACO. TACO's remake of "Puttin' on the Ritz" always reminds me of Young Frankenstein. And another album cover.

8. Places to pick up kittens: SCRUFFS. SCRUFF being a colloquial term for the nape of the neck.

9. Chicago paper, for short: TRIB. The venerable Chicago TRIBune.

10. Campaign for office: RUN. This time we have half of a popular rap group, RUN-DMC. Their cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" was a huge crossover hit.

11. Free game pop-ups: ADS.

12. Supersmall: WEE. A smaller version of WEE is wee.

15. Letter-shaped groove: T-SLOT.

18. Window shutter boards: SLATS.

21. Chinese philosophy: TAO.

24. Starter course, often: SALAD.

25. "SNL" alum Cheri: OTERI. Some names just lend themselves to crosswords.

26. Arabian Sea country: YEMEN. YEMEN is as far south as you can go and still be in the Middle East.

28. Join at the altar: WED.

29. Stock exchange launch, briefly: IPO. Initial Public Offering

30. Not quite able to pay: SHORT.

31. Clock front: FACE. Almost Rod Stewart and the FACEs

32. Smart-alecky: SASSY.

33. Overused plot device: TROPE.

34. Rock legend Joplin: JANIS. Are you catching on that "rock legends" is a sub-theme?

35. "Riviera" actress Lena: OLIN.

39. __ Speedwagon: REO. And the hit's just keep on coming!

40. Knight's title: SIR.

43. Fine-tunes: ADJUSTS.

45. "No Strings Attached" boy band: NSYNC. NSYNC (pronounced "in sync") sprang Justin Timberlake on us. 

47. Crew blade: OAR.

48. __ de Mayo: CINCO.

52. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.

53. Holy namesake of a Lesser Antilles island: LUCIA. Saint LUCIA. Many islands in the Caribbean Sea are named after saints - St. Kitts, St. Vincent, and all of the U.S. Virgin Islands, to name a few.

54. Tehran native: IRANI. 

55. Keyboard key: ENTER.

56. Big top: TENT. 

57. Small fruit pie: TART.

58. Peter Fonda title role: ULEE.

59. Greet the day: RISE.

60. New York NFLer: JET. Bane of Dol-fans everywhere.

61. Holiday lead-in: EVE.

62. __-Mex cuisine: TEX. In South Florida, Mexican restaurants leave out the Texas part and instead combine it with Cuban and South American fare. It's all good.

Wow, that's a lot of albums...

I think it's a record!

Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Janice Luttrell

Redecorating.  The first word of each theme answer is a type of window dressing.

 17-Across. Driver's concern when merging: BLIND SPOT.

24-Across. Hairstyle that frames the face: CURTAIN BANGS.  I wasn't familiar with the term Curtain Bangs, but apparently it's a thing.  Curtain bangs are a type of bang that's parted in the center and styled to sweep outwards, framing the face like a curtain.

51-Across. Exposure-determining setting, in photography: SHUTTER SPEED.

63-Across. Mature growth in a backyard: SHADE TREE.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Storefront merchandise displays, or what the starts of 17-, 24-, 51-, and 63-Across are: WINDOW DRESSINGS.

Across:

1. Bandmate of Crosby and Stills: NASH.  The band was known as Crosby, Stills and Nash until Neil Young, joined, then they became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

5. On a cruise: ASEA.

9. Lunch and dinner: MEALS.

14. Eight, in combinations: OCTO-.

15. Brief moments: SECs.  As in Seconds.

16. God of Islam: ALLAH.

19. Nary a soul: NO ONE.

20. "So are we!": US, TOO!

21. Fibber's confession: I LIED.

23. Actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Beatty (né Ned Thomas Beatty; July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) was primarily a character actor and appeared in more than 160 films.  He is probably best remembered for his role in Deliverance.

27. Full of school spirit: RAH!  RAH!

29. Rain-__ gum: BLO.

30. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Ali Mahershala (né Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films.  He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as a drug dealer in Moonlight and as Don Shirley in Green Book (2018).

Ali Mahershala on the left; Don Shirley on the right.

31. Prayer ending: AMEN.

35. Diva's piece: ARIA.  You knew I was going to include this piece from Carmen.

43. Brief "Almost done with this week!": TGIF.  As in Thank Goodness It's Friday.

44. Pants, briefly: TROU.  Do college boys still Drop Trou?

45. Pop singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

46. Pilot's approx.: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

48. Country singer Tim whose father pitched in the MLB for 19 seasons: McGRAW.  Tim McGraw (né Samuel Timothy McGraw; b. May 1, 1967), just celebrated his 58th birthday.  He is married to singer Faith Hill (née Audrey Faith Perry; b. Sept. 21, 1957).  Tim didn't know his father was baseball star, Tug McGraw (1944 ~ 2004) until he was about 11 years old.

56. IRS form expert: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.

57. Spur to action: IMPEL.

58. Filmmakers Ethan and Joel: COENS.  The Coen brothers, Joel (b. Nov. 29, 1954) and Ethan (b. Sept. 21, 1957) have made numerous off-beat indie films, including cult classic, The Big Lebowski.

61. Vinyl collectible: ALBUM.

65. Salary increase: RAISE.

66. __ of office: OATH.

67. Gillette razor: ATRA.

68. Memory units: BYTES.

69. U.K. awards: MBEs.  //  And 4-Down. Pay homage to, to a Brit: HONOUR.  Becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire is an Honour.

70. "Tell me more!": GO ON.  Parsed differently, the answer becomes a Goon.

Down:

1. Fusion restaurant chain co-owned by Robert De Niro: NOBU.  This restaurant has appeared often on Tuesdays in the past year.  Technically, De Niro is a co-owner of Nobu Hospitality, LLC, the company behind the restaurant chain.  The restaurant is named after Nobu Matshuisha (né Nobuyuki Matsuhisa; b. Mar. 10, 1949).  A Nobu restaurant just opened in New Orleans.

2. Knee parts, for short: ACLs.  As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  It is commonly injured by a tear.

3. Red lines on a baseball, e.g.: STITCHING.

5. Donkey: ASS.

6. Retro photo effect: SEPIA.  Everything you wanted to know about Sepia but didn't know to ask.

7. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.  E. coli is short for Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacterium.  It is commonly found in the lower intestine.  Most E. coli are harmless and aid in the digestion of food and protect us from harmful germs, but some can make you sick.  This bacterium appears often in the puzzles.

9. Geometric designs used as meditative aids: MANDALAs.  The meaning behind the mandala.

10. "Evil Woman" gp.: ELO.  The formal name of the band is Electric Light Orchestra.

11. "Moving right __ ... ": ALONG.

12. Bowling alley divisions: LANES.  Shout out to Boomer!

Chumbawamba anyone?

13. Backyard building: SHED.

18. Young explorer in "The Lost City of Gold": DORA.  Dora the Explorer.

22. __ and flow: EBB.

25. Spring melt: THAW.

26. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  Another crossword staple.  Yummers!

27. Uncooked: RAW.

28. Disembarked: ALIT.

32. Utah summer hrs.: MDT.  As in Mountain Daylight Time.

33. __ on the side of caution: ERR.

34. Paleo- opposite: NEO-.

36. So that one may: IN ORDER TO.

37. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.  The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 ~ 1666) in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal (1593 ~ 1631). She died at age 38 giving birth to her 14th child.  The Taj Mahal is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Construction began in 1632 and took 22 years to complete, employing around 20,000 laborers and artisans.  The Taj Mahal is known for its intricate designs and, because it is embedded with precious gems and stones, its color changes throughout the day as the sun moves across the building. 

39. God, in Paris: DIEU.  Today's French lesson.

40. Frequently: OFT TIMES.

41. __ pump: drainage aid in a basement: SUMP.

42. Witnessed: SAW.

47. Cash dispenser: ATM.

49. Gospel singer Winans: CECE.  CeCe Winans (née Priscilla Marie Winans; b. Oct. 8, 1964) has won 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer.

50. Digital photo's location stamp: GEOTAG.

51. Spread out, as fingers: SPLAY.

52. Nun's attire: HABIT.

53. __ salts: foot-soaking stuff: EPSOM.

54. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.

55. Roofing stone: SLATE.

56. Keto no-no: CARB.  If you are on a Keto diet, you shouldn't drink carbonated water because it's full of of Carbs.

59. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Nero Wolfe was the creation of Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975), who wrote a series of detective fiction staring Wolfe.  Nero Wolfe was also a television series adopted from Stout's books.  The television series starred William Conrad (né John Willian Cann, Jr.; Sept. 27, 1920 ~ Feb. 11, 1994).

60. With 8-Down, Samwise Gamgee player in "The Lord of the Rings": SEAN.  //  8-Down. See 60-Down: ASTIN.  Sean Patrick Astin (b. Feb. 25, 1971) is the son of Patty Duke (Dec. 14, 1946 ~ Mar. 29, 2016).

62. Put to work: USE.

64. Players who only bat, briefly: DHs.  Think baseball and the Designated Hitters.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I will be taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks.  I know you will be in good/better hands during my absence.