Friday, August 29, 2025 - Jeffrey Martinovic

 Theme: "Will it go round in Circles"

Puzzling thoughts:  

First off, a big thank you to RustyBrain for taking my turns (pun intended, given today's puzzle) while Ms Margaret and I took a spin around the state of California and part of southern Oregon.  3,600 miles in 28 days. We got to check off four more National Parks (Channel Islands, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, and Redwoods) and also see some of the California State Parks (Humboldt, Burney Falls, et al) during our trip.  Throw in some wine tastings and a lunch visit with a smelly sea cow (aka Malodorous Manatee), and we had a glorious vacation.  Every day was at least 15 degrees cooler than where we live, and when we were admiring the view from Mendocino, it was 55 degrees cooler!

But enough about my absence ... back to blogging.  And, as one of the many Anonymous posters likes to say, "Oh, joy; circles!!"  Yup, first puzzle back and I have to make sense out of every circled word in today's entries; of which, there were 7

Normally the circled letters in a crossword puzzle will be anagrams or maybe hints to a revealed phrase.  Not today.  Today they were, literally, circles and/or synonyms for a circle that helped the clue make sense.  How?  Let's explore:

16-across. Programming sequences that don't end, literally: INFINITE.  As in infinite "LOOPS".  And if you can imagine a circle as a loop, you'll "get" today's theme (the word infinite is contained within "loops"/circles on the grid)

In computer programming, an infinite loop (or endless loop) is a sequence of instructions that, as written, will continue endlessly, unless an external intervention occurs, such as turning off power via a switch or pulling a plug. It may be intentional [per Wikipedia]

22-across. Puzzling field formations, literally: CROP.  As in, crop "CIRCLES" [According to Wikipedia] "The term (crop circles) was first coined in the early 1980s".  Further into the article it also said that while many people (fringe theorists) believe crop circles to be linked to aliens, "there is no scientific evidence for such explanations, and all crop circles are consistent with human causation"

30-across. Containers for a comic character's internal monologue, literally: THOUGHT.  As in thought "BUBBLES" - look at the cel where Charlie Brown is thinking "I'll kick it out of sight" to see the thought bubbles connecting from his brain to the statement ...

35-across. Bling for successful MLB teams, literally: WORLD SERIES.  As in World Series "RINGS".  Yogi Berra was the MLB player who sported the largest number of world series rings, 10

42-across. Exercise devices for pet rodents, literally: HAMSTER. As in hamster "WHEELS"

51-across. Toys that are quite hip, literally: HULA.  As in hula "HOOPS".  This is not an "exercise" that the Chairman can do

59-across. Weights used for strength training, literally: MEDICINE. As in medicine "BALLS". 

Moe-ku #1:

        You literally 

        Need courage to work these. Takes

        A big set of balls ... 

LOOPS, CIRCLES, BUBBLES, RINGS, WHEELS, HOOPS, and BALLS became the round objects that completed the clues connected to the entry words.  I'm thinking, though, if Jeffrey and Patti really wanted to avoid using a phrase that contained the word "circle", could they not have used this, instead for 22-across: 

22-across. "Decorative objects that depict winter scenes, literally?" SNOW

Maybe Jeffrey thought of this, or couldn't make it fit, but I digress ... 

Here is the grid and then we are off to the other clues/entries:

The Grid

Across:

1. Celebrate emphatically: DO A JIG.  It's been a while since C-Moe has worked an LA Times crossword puzzle.  For the record, today's puzzle took me 15:15 to solve.  And it took me about 4:15:00 to write the blog.  1-across slowed me down at the start.  I ultimately finished but I don't recall celebrating the way the dog in the image below did:

7. Root with red skin: RADISH.  They also come in other colors

13. Gum choice: CINNAMON.  Hmm - odd clue but it ended up being "Friday tough"

15. Invitation on a sealed envelope: OPEN ME.

[theme entry]

17. Moral of the story: LESSON.

18. "The Matrix" protagonist: NEO.  And the first of 19 three-letter words 

19. Crown material: ENAMEL.  As in a tooth crown.  I have both gold and enamel crowns in my mush

21. Skater Midori: ITO.  

[theme entry]

24. __ sequitur: NON.  Non sequitur is from the Latin: "it does not follow".  One might refer to my "Moe-kus" as non sequiturs

25. Chelsea apartments: FLATS.

27. Exercise in a heated studio: HOT YOGA.  The history of hot yoga

[theme entry]

32. Sigma preceder: RHO.  From the Greek alphabet - more on this, later

33. Eurasian border river: URAL.  Why do I always have to wait to enter the A or the U?  You'd think by now that I would know the difference between ARAL and URAL ... ARAL is the dry sea; URAL is the name of the mountain range and/or river

34. Ability to see what others can't: ESP.  Could those of us who solved the theme today claim to have ESP?

[theme entry]

38. Ante-: PRE.  I misread the clue (thought it said "anti") and entered PRO - which really doesn't make sense

40. Together, in music: A DUE.

41. Little one: TOT.

[theme entry]

44. Instant coffee brand: NESCAFE.  I entered FOLGERS first before correcting

48. Cameo shapes: OVALS.  This entry would not have made sense in today's puzzle to be circled 😁

49. Many moons __: AGO.  As a septuagenarian I am legally allowed to use this phrase  

[theme entry]

52. NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells: IDA.

53. Tequila plants: AGAVES.  One of the restaurants we dined at during our trip (in Santa Barbara) was called "Los Agaves".  It was "muy bueno"

56. 'Twas, now: TIS.  Somehow the line "My country, 'twas of thee ... " just doesn't sound right

57. Word with license or justice: POETIC.  Moe-ku #2:

        My non sequiturs

        Exist because I have a

        MOE-tic license

[theme entry]

61. Paying customer: CLIENT.

62. Holier-than-thou sorts: ELITISTS.  SNOBS fits the clue but not the number of grid squares ...

63. Winter Paralympian apparatus: SIT SKI.  Some information on this device

64. Cooks dim sum, say: STEAMS.  Friday-ish clue

Down:
1. Moola: DINERO.  Moe-ku #3:

        There's no difference

        Between Robert and moola:

        They're both "money" 

[used Moe-tic license here ...  Robert De Niro vs dinero ... get it?!]     

2. Walking or running: ON FOOT.

3. Darth Vader's childhood nickname: ANI.

4. __ Doe: JANE.  Why are unidentified people called John or Jane Doe?

5. "Let's do it!": I'M IN.  I entered C'MON instead 

6. Passed with flying colors: GOT AN A.  My personal grade for solving today's puzzle was an A minus.  Made a couple of errors.  My grade for solving today's puzzle theme was a solid A

7. Take a turn in Yahtzee: ROLL.  This has nothing to do with Yahtzee, but I thought it a worthy video when it comes to a roll of the dice ... 

8. Copycat: APE.  

9. Original "Star Trek" studio: DESILU.  Learning moe-ment today.  I did not know this before solving the puzzle.  There was even a video I found about this (FTR, Ms. Margaret knew this, but she's a Trekkie)

10. Step-by-step: IN STAGES.

11. Evens (out): SMOOTHS.

12. Barnyard mother: HEN.  I tried COW.  EWE, too? 

13. Guaranteed victory: CINCH.  

14. Verne captain: NEMO.  Moe-ku #4:

        Three Stooges were cast

        In a Jules Verne film. Curly's

        Role was to NEMO

20. Between, in Spanish: ENTRE.  Two doses of Spanish today:  DINERO and ENTRE

23. Fireworks prefix: PYRO.  Moe-ku #5:

        Fireworks in Greece

        Are set off by folks known as:

        Pi-RHO maniacs

25. Large books: FOLIOS.  TOMES did not fit

26. Pit stop brand: STP.  I want to believe that my last blog also had the word "STP" in the grid.  I asked it then, and will ask it now: does anyone other than a racecar driver use this stuff??

28. "Nuts!": OH RATS.  Seems to be a "Peanuts" theme in here - one of Charlie Brown and Snoopy's favorite phrases.  And this cartoon also features a reference to 23 down:

29. "Fiddler on the Roof" wife: GOLDE.  Chaim Topol as Tevye and Norma Crane as GOLDE [copyright United Artists]

31. Gold rush storyteller Bret: HARTE.

33. Take advantage of: USE.

35. "Success!": WE MADE IT.

36. Tight-fitting lid: DURAG.  Is this the correct spelling of the tight-fitting lid? Turns out, it is

37. Scratch the surface?: ETCH.  Not to be confused with "scratch the serf" which would be ITCH

38. Soup with rice noodles: PHO.  Moe-ku #6:

        Vietnamese moms

        Say this to their whining kids:

        "PHO crying out loud!!"

39. Filled pasta: RAVIOLI.

43. Roof tiles: SLATES.  Our roof has these.  Very common here in the Valley of the Sun

44. Storied works: NOVELS.  NOVELS tell a story

45. Condition measured on a spectrum: AUTISM.  Information on this from the Mayo Clinic

46. Spark producers: FLINTS.  Making fire is a critical skill for those who participate in the reality show, Survivor.  Heidi was un fuego

47. Alleviates: EASES.  Moe's hope is to ease/alleviate your concerns about the puzzle

50. Clue, e.g.: GAME.  The name of a board game from Hasbro.  "Colonel Mustard - in the Library - with a Rope"

53. Dramatic beginning: ACT I.  The first lines in a dramatic play begin in Act I, Scene I

54. Revise: EDIT.  As I look back to my preamble, I really wish that Patti had edited Jeffrey's 22-across entry to use a reference to GLOBES and not actually used a reference to CIRCLES.  But that's why she has a paying job in the crossword business, and I am just a blogger who does this for free ...

55. Location: SITE. 

57. Mac alternatives: PCS.  I have always used PCS for my desktop and/or laptop computers, but I use an iPhone for my mobile device.  Go figure

58. HP supply: INK.  HP = Hewlett Packard.  Why would it be abbreviated in the clue when the word INK is not an abbreviation? 

60. Langley org.: CIA.  NSA and OSS fit; fitting that this puzzle ends on a 3-letter word

So, how did you all manage to circumnavigate the entries?  Comment below if you like ... 

***A post-script from earlier in the week ... Lucina mentioned on Tuesday's blog about the haboob that engulfed much of the Phoenix valley area.  I captured just a brief video of it as it approached my place (from the ESE) - in this century, Phoenix is now on a 7-year cycle of having severe haboobs (2011, 2018, and now 2025).  I hope it loads properly ... 

Wednesday, Apr 16th, 2025 ~ Jeffrey Martinovic & Evan Park

 CAT'S EYE

CHATOYANCY

EYE believe we are looking at a debut puzzle for both constructors - congrats~! In a strange semi-duplicate of my previous blog, and a reflection of yesterday's puzzle, we have several repeat clues/answers and the dreaded circles, but in this puzzle, they appear in five Down fills and enclose four gems, or "rocks", and rise, or "climb" up the answers.  Four out of five fills are unique to crosswords, two of them being 15-letter spanners ( which, in the past, I actually called "climbers" when vertical ).   Contrarily, the names came back, but not too badly, and we had 22 3LWs as well.  The themers;

3. Meatless barbecue patties: SOY BURGERS - RUBY - this was what EYE expected the answer to be, but "VEGGIE" was too long

5. Light punishment: A SLAP ON THE WRIST - OPAL  - EYE figured this one out, too

9. "Au revoir": TILL WE MEET AGAIN - AGATE - Knew we were looking for a phrase for "Good B-EYE"

30. Former Samsung smartphone with a stylus: GALAXY NOTE - ONYX - My choice of smart device is an Android S22 - not an EYE-phone

17. Athlete who might have a "belayed" reaction, and what 3-, 5-, 9-, and 30-Down each contain?: ROCK CLIMBER - belaying is how one runs a rope (line) around a cleat, pin, rock - or perhaps through an EYE hook

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Broad views: VISTAS - During which Windows version was your kid born~?

Don McMillan, tehnically funny

7. Metaphor for a wearying work routine: RAT RACE - can't seem to JOG in the human race

Spinal Tap - the embedded lyrics don't reflect the intent of the song - or the band

14. Person who's self-obsessed: EGOIST

15. Frequent flyer: AVIATOR

16. "Casino __": Bond film: ROYALE - one of the best Bond films, IMHO, and THE best theme song

Chris Cornell, You Know My Name

17. Live, as footage: REAL TIME

18. Texter's "Just a moment": BRB - Be Right Back

19. Nerf darts, e.g.: AMMO - Nerf appeared last Wednesday, too; EYE was down on Long Island last weekend, and my buddy's son takes archery lessons; gave it "a shot", found my bow arm to be weaker than my drawing one - not what I expected

21. Cuts in a pie crust: SLITS

22. MLB official: UMPire - MLB abbr, answer abbr

24. Play part after the first intermission: ACT TWO - usually fills as "ACT II" - with two EYES

26. Super __ Bros.: MARIO - easy enough, but still a name, #1

28. Ring victory, for short: TKO - Technical Knock-Out; based on the decision that a boxer is in no condition to continue the bout

29. NBC foreign correspondent Richard: ENGEL - no clue, filled via perps, name #2

33. Skin and bones: ORGANS - yes, the skin is an organ, so this is a very clever clue

35. Pre-exam session: CRAM

37. __ carte: À LA - saw this Tuesday

38. Informal clothing option: TEE - Just got this one

Never Say Die~! Black Sabbath

39. Slogan: TAGLINE

41. Claiborne of fashion: LIZ - name #3; her clothing website

42. Sticky roadway substance: TAR

43. Colorful Hindu spring observance: HOLI - more here

Vibrant, and messy

44. Match wits with: DEBATE

46. "Jungle Fever" actor Davis: OSSIE - name #4

48. Long-legged bird: EMU

50. Formal options, informally: TUXES

51. Nerds: DWEEBS - Two weeks in a row; it's not on the chart . . . 

53. "__ takers?": ANY

54. Middle Eastern leaders: EMIRS

56. Vaping device: eCIG

58. "Planet Money" producer: NPR

61. Coin collector?: CREDITOR - Har-har; I don't recall seeing a Coinstar in my Big Y store

63. Seaside city in Italia: NAPOLI - the EYE-talian spelling of Italy and Naples; name #5

65. "Let me look!": "CAN I SEE~?" - This REVEAL is EYE Catching

mesmer-EYE-zing

66. Best of the best: TIP-TOP

67. Move like an old jalopy: STUTTER - meh.  Move like a stick shift in the hands of a new driver = more better-er - we had MANUAL yesterday for "car with a clutch"

68. Odin feature: ONE EYE - Went onl-EYE-ne to see if in fact, he had one EYE, not just one "i" as in o - d - I - n - and yesterday we had ONE BAR

DOWN:

1. Action word: VERB

2. Fictional lab assistant: IGOR - "No, EYE gor"

4. Aunt, in Mexico: TIA

6. Part of a winesap or a wineglass: STEM

7. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE - just about every other puzzle these days; name #6

8. Nautical "Halt!": "AVAST~!" - p-EYE-rate speak falls on Friday, September 19th this year

10. Mete out: RATION

11. Toiling away: AT IT

12. Rom-, dot-, or sit- enders: COMS

13. Prior to, poetically: ERE

20. Yoga roll: MAT - SUSHI didn't fit 😜

23. "Mamma __!": MIA - name(ish), but a crossword staple, and this song appeared last week

25. "Silent All These Years" singer Amos: TORI - name #7

26. Slogan: MOTTO - twice in two weeks, also, so "lather, rinse, repeat" is m-EYE motto

27. Fields of study: AREAS

31. Best of the best: ELITE - Dah~!  Not 'A-TEAM' . . . there's no EYE in TEAM, but one in e-l-i-t-e

32. Lounges (about): LAZES

34. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO - name #8

36. "On top of that ... ": AND . . . . another thing~!

That's no misprint - it is the sixth book in the trilogy

40. "Squee!" feeling: GLEE - Have to admit to never feeling the feeling "squee" 😝

45. Hairdo for General Leia: BUN - semi-meh; more like "bunS"

First driving lesson in the T-EYE Fighter

47. Words following a great accomplishment: "I DID IT~!" - EYE did a thing~!

Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear & Clarkson's Farm

49. The Trojans of the NCAA: USC - Don't follow college sports; filled via perps

52. First name in cosmetics: ESTÉE - Lauder - her Wiki, name #9

54. QED part: ERAT - Quod... Demonstrandum - Latin-speak "that which was to be shown" 

55. Host's handout: MENU

57. Really digging: INTO

59. Devious maneuver: PLOY

60. __ for the picking: RIPE

61. Adds to an email chain: CCs - C.C.'s involved in the crossword, again

62. Above, in poetry: O'ER

64. Safety gear for hosp. workers: PPE - OSHA-speak; Personal Protective Equipment; the long way to describe "mask & gloves" - maybe some goggles for the EYEs

EYE goggles

Splynter