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.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 ~ Janice Luttrell

Maître d'

Today, let's start with the the reveal:

56. Restaurant or theater staffers who work with patrons, or where the starts of 20-, 28-, 36-, and 48-Across can be found?: FRONT OF HOUSE.
The front of house, in restaurant parlance, are the customer-facing staff -- the host, servers, and bartenders. However, in this puzzle, the FRONT of the themers are also things on the FRONT of your HOUSE. Cute, eh?

20. One who is easily awakened: LIGHT SLEEPER. Think: your FRONT porch LIGHT.

28. Alley oops?: GUTTER BALL. Um, OK sure, many houses have GUTTERs.
//and Boomer will appriciate this being called an Alley :-)

36. Aerobic session with a small platform: STEP CLASS. Your FRONT STEPs.

48. Price-slashing event with early hours: DOOR BUSTER. But you get the picture by now...

For folks slow on the uptake ;-)

Across:
1. Wears a long face: POUTS. I know you've heard this one: A horse walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "Why the long face?"

6. Designer Wang known for bridal gowns: VERA.

10. Tears roughly: RIPS.

14. Insider vocabulary: ARGOT. Argot: the jargon or slang of a particular group or class.

15. Lab flunky of cinema: IGOR. "It's Frankenschteen." "Your putting me on."

16. Quod __ demonstrandum: ERAT. Didn't we just have this Friday?

17. Chevy model that shares a name with an alpine lake: TAHOE.

18. Soft drink: SODA. Pop up east and "coke" down south.

19. Constellation in the southern sky also known as the Sails: VELA.

20. [See: Theme]

23. Pierce of "Mamma Mia!": BROSNAN.

26. Better than good: GREAT.

27. Container weight: TARE.

28. [See: Theme]

32. Piques, as an appetite: WHETS.

34. Billion suffix: AIRE.

35. Golf peg: TEE.

36. [See: Theme]

40. NYC summer hrs.: EDT. New York City is on Eastern Daylight Time in the summer.

43. Prefix meaning "both": AMBI. Ha! Cute. ///Think AMBIdextrous.

44. Dark-colored beer: STOUT. I used to brew my own beer. I made a Russian STOUT once. Once.

48. [See: Theme]

52. "Joy of Cooking" writer Rombauer: IRMA.

53. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.

54. Sack with letters: MAIL BAG.

56. [See: Theme]

60. __ of March: IDES. Et tu?

61. Landed on a perch: ALIT.

62. Reference book with maps: ATLAS.

66. "__ kleine Nachtmusik": EINE.
 

67. Lavish party: FETE.

68. Pioneering gaming company: ATARI.

69. Cincinnati MLB team: REDS.

70. Cheeky talk: SASS.

71. Space object with a tail: COMET.

Down:
1. Butter serving: PAT.

2. "You & I" singer Rita: ORA.

3. "Gross!": UGH.

4. Kits with wrenches and hammers: TOOL SETS.

5. Biergarten mug: STEIN.

6. Four-armed Hindu deity: VISHNU.

7. Four-award acronym: EGOT. Mel Brooks got 'em all. Right?

8. Fishing poles: RODS.

9. Central Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL.

10. Echo effect in a recording studio: REVERB. I know Splynter can do this.

11. "Let me stress ... ": I REPEAT.

12. Light-colored brew: PALE ALE.

13. Take by surprise: STARTLE. So, sorry folks, story follows, I was at a hacker meetup and someone dropped their water bottle. I was STARTLEd. I was told by a lady-hacker that folks that STARTLE easily are empathetic. Is that true?
///I think it's just Army training :-)

21. Practical joke: GAG.

22. Way out: EGRESS.

23. Brief "And another thing ... ": BTW.

24. Sidelines cheer: RAH.

25. Mine output: ORE.

29. Unspoken: TACIT.

30. Shop __ you drop: TIL.

31. Slice of history: ERA.

33. Take a __: try: STABAT.

37. Outback bird: EMU.

38. Airer of Ken Burns documentaries: PBS.

39. High heel: STILETTO.

40. One who bestows wisdom: EDIFIER.

41. Like a last, desperate effort: DO OR DIE.

42. Without success: TO NO END.

45. Poetic globe: ORB.

46. Actress Thurman: UMA.

47. Label: TAG.

49. Hoses off: RINSES.

50. Acts big, so to speak: EMOTES.

51. "Home to India" writer Santha Rama __: RAU.

55. Violinist Stern: ISAAC.

57. Clumsy boobs: OAFS.

58. Pet collar target: FLEA.

59. "Billboard" entries: HITS.

63. Go on the __: skip town: LAM.

64. "__ we good?": ARE.

65. Gain a lap: SIT.

The Grid:

The Grid

My breakdown:
WOs: TOOL boxe (oops), VESHrU
ESPs: BROSNAN (duh!), ISSAC (as clued), VELA (I bet HG knew that at first read!)
Fav: I can't not ignore IGOR

Sorry for the lack of Hahtoolah's comics today, but that's all I got folks. See you on the 18th! Tip your waitstaff.

Cheers, -T

Monday March 24, 2025 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Monday, everyone! This is Janice Luttrell's fourth Monday puzzle in 2025. This time the theme is:  

These are the themed clues & answers:

18 Across. Completely recover from a hardship: BOUNCE BACK.  

23 Across. Seasonal cause of some flooding: SPRING THAW.  

52 Across. Play hooky: SKIP SCHOOL.  If your kids hear you bragging about ditching class 'back in the day', do not be surprised when they try it, too.  

58 Across. Buddy cop action franchise starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, familiarly: JUMP STREET.  21 Jump Street was a TV show starring (among others) Johnny Depp. It was about four LAPD young-looking cops who went undercover as high school students to combat crime. It aired from 1987-1991.

In 2012 a movie version came out starring Hill and Tatum. Its sequel, 22 Jump Street, came out in 2014. There may or may not be a 23 Jump Street 'in development'.  

21 Jump Street trailer with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum

(Coincidentally, I embedded a Jonah Hill movie clip last week.)

The reveal spans the equator:

37 Across. Successfully start a new project, and a hint to the starts of 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across: GET OFF THE GROUND.  This idiom means, "To begin to operate or to proceed in a successful way."

Also, BOUNCE, SPRING, SKIP, and JUMP are all verbs used to describe feet GETting OFF THE GROUND.  

This was one of those puzzles where perps filled the squares quickly so I missed seeing several of the clues. (It was bound to happen.) Let's go through them now:

Across

1. "__ with my little eye ... ": I SPY.  This is the name of a children's guessing game where one player chooses an object within sight then gives a clue so the other players can guess what it is.

5. Sonogram target: WOMB.  A sonogram is an image produced by an ultrasound -- so target might be a bit off.

9. __ from the past: BLAST.  

"Owen! Now there's a BLAST from the past." (1:28 min.)

A line well-delivered by Olympia Dukakis in Steel Magnolias (1989).

Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, & Dolly Parton are also in the scene.

14. Sports org. with conferences: NCAA.  organization and National Collegiate Athletic Association

15. Cooking staple, initially: EVOO.  Rachel Ray uses this initialism when she adds some Extra Virgin Olive Oil to her recipes.  

I prefer the dark glass dispensers so I can see how much is left
but still protect the oil from light. However, I do like the shape of this one!.

16. Roof overhangs: EAVES.

17. Tortilla option: CORN.  I make all my flour tortillas using 15-A. I have never tried making CORN tortillas.

20. Stadium: ARENA.

22. Autocrats of old: TSARS.

26. Govt. agent: FED.  A FEDeral employee is a government agent.

29. Handy Scrabble tile: ESS.  A letter S is handy because you can add it to the end of another word. For example, on this board, you can add it to the end of antique. Even better, below your S add C, A, R to get Scar (another Disney character). That way you get the total for antique (without already-used bonuses) plus the points for Scar.

It turns out this example image has a Disney theme.

30. Stocking's end: TOE.  

31. Creator, writer, and star of HBO's "Insecure": ISSA RAE.  It was fun to see both her first and last names together this time.

34. George Eliot's "__ Marner": SILAS.  I thought this was the most boring book in the world when I was forced to read it as a high school freshman. Perhaps I should give it another chance.  🤔

36. "The Nutcracker" girl: CLARA.  The story of The Nutcracker revolves around Clara Stauhlbaum, a young girl who falls asleep after a Christmas party and dreams of a battle royale, a life-size Nutcracker, and a magical candy palace filled with new friends.  

CLARA dances with The Nutcracker

42. San Antonio landmark: ALAMO.  I just now looked to see if there was an ALAMO car rental company in ALAMO, TX. Their website directed me to Pharr, TX.  

43. Really annoy: EAT AT.

44. Small corner shops: BODEGAS.  Def:  (noun) a usually small grocery store in an urban area; specifically one specializing in Hispanic groceries.  

47. Turn bad: ROT.

48. Lingerie top: BRA.

51. USN rank: ENS.  United States Navy and ENSign

55. Travis Kelce's older brother: JASON.  (b. Nov. 5, 1987) Both brothers were/are in the NFL. Jason played Center for the Philadelphia Eagles for all 13 years of his professional career. Travis and Jason host a podcast together called New Heights.  

Jason & Travis

57. "__ luego": HASTA.  A direct translation from Spanish is "until then"; however, a better translation would be "Until later," or "See you then." It is close to Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous line:  

63. Leave speechless: STUN.  

64. Useful quality: ASSET.  

65. "__ chic!": TRÈS.  It is borrowed from French and means "very stylish".

66. "Beloved" novelist Morrison: TONI.  (1931-2019)  This 1987 novel is widely regarded as her masterpiece.

67. Japanese comics: MANGA.  

A common feature of MANGA is Japanese onomatopoeia .
Here, gun gun (pronounced goon goon) means  "making progress". 
They are typically a repeated pair of syllables.

Here is another one. Kyu kyu is used to describe a squeaking or rubbing sound.
(The upper corner is just exhaling moist air on the cloth. haa~ ) 

68. "Halt!": STOP.  imperative verb     and     69 Across. Halts: ENDS.  verb

I am partial to a grid that ENDS with ENDS.

Down:

1. "__ of fire, break glass": IN CASE.  

2. Orgs. with a special tax designation: S CORPS.  I used to do taxes for a lot of S CORPorationS at my last job. An S Corp is a business structure that passes its taxable income, credits, deductions, and losses directly to its shareholders to be reported on their individual returns.  more from Investopedia

3. Apple-peeling tools: PARERS.

4. "Sensuous Chill" New Age pianist: YANNI.  Yanni released the album Sensuous Chill in 2016. This song, What You Get, is from that album.  

5. The last "w" in www: WEB.  World Wide WEB  

The Web was invented by English computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee while at CERN in 1989 and opened to the public in 1993.

I am currently reading Bill Gates' book, Source Code. I am at the part where he is a freshman at Harvard and the WWW has not yet been invented. 

6. Lacto-__ vegetarian: OVO.  This is someone who eats a vegetarian diet plus dairy and eggs.

7. Be sassy, with "off": MOUTH.  

Click to enlarge.

8. Tree-shaping art: BONSAI.  Years ago I had a lovely time visiting the BONSAI exhibit at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC.

(internet photo)

9. Budweiser, for one: BEER.  

When I was in school, I did a report on their Clydesdales.

10. Black or chocolate dogs, for short: LABS.  Oh, goodie, an excuse for a cute picture! (I know IM☘ will be expecting one.😊) 

11. Director DuVernay: AVA.  her impressive IMDb page

12. Jiffy: SEC.  Think:  "I'll be with you in a jiffy" and "I'll be with you in a SECond".

13. Cluck of reproof: TSK.  

19. Crow calls: CAWS.  Watch how this clever crow figures out how to get his snack. (1:45 min.)  

21. Like some eyeglass spray: ANTIFOG.  These sprays were in high demand when everyone was wearing covid masks.

24. Game with putting: GOLF.  ... and driving.

25. Udder part: TEAT.

26. German woman: FRAU.

27. Bring in, as pay: EARN.

28. Out of juice: DEAD.  Some classic Monty Python....  (50 sec.)

"I'm not DEAD!"

32. Minor abrasion: SCRATCH.  More Monty Python....  (2 min.)

"'Tis but a SCRATCH."

33. Bunches: A LOT.     and     34 Down. A few: SOME.     and     39 Down. Tiny amounts: TADS.

35. "That's all __ wrote": SHE.  meaning & origin

37. Kaplan of 1970s TV: GABE.  (b. Mar. 31, 1945) He played the teacher in  Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979).

38. North Carolina college: ELON.

40. Old West icon Wyatt: EARP.

41. Classic Pontiac muscle cars: GTOS.

45. Helper: Abbr.: ASST.  assistant

46. Culottes kin: SKORTS.  Both culottes and SKORTS have individual leg holes but, from a distance, look like skirts.

culottes fashion history

48. New England city on the Charles River: BOSTON.  The Charles River—which English explorer John Smith named in 1614 to honor Prince Charles (later King Charles I)— is one of the three major rivers of metropolitan Boston. At eighty miles in length it is the longest river entirely within the borders of Massachusetts. Note:  The current king is Charles III.

49. Plump: ROTUND.  

Click here to read about the artist Fernando Botero (1932-1923).

50. "Ironic" singer Morissette: ALANIS.  This song:

 Is it ironic?

53. Motionless: INERT.  Def.:  (adj.)  lacking the power to move.

54. __ makes waste: HASTE.  This proverb tells us that rushing can lead to costly mistakes.

55. Digital image format: JPEG.  Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, JPEG is a computer file format for the compression and storage of digital images. You will see it as ".jpg" in File Explorer. (See highlights below.) 

56. "The Thin Man" dog: ASTA.  ESP for me.

Skippy was a Wire Fox Terrier dog actor who appeared in dozens of movies during the 1930s
and is best known for the role of the pet dog "Asta" in the 1934 detective comedy.

58. Traffic problem: JAM.  Pro tip:  When planning an upcoming trip in Google Maps, after setting your destination and starting point, click on "Leave now" then choose either "Depart at" or "Arrive by" to set your desired time. This will help you see the usual traffic problem areas for the time of your travel.  

59. Can. neighbor: USA.  Both are abbreviated.

60. Yahoo! rival: MSN.  Both were early internet domains.

61. Fair-hiring inits.: EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity

62. Recipe amt.: TSP.  teaspoon

Today's grid:  

78 words -- the LAT  limit for M-F

Leaping lizards! We're finally finished! Enjoy your day!