Thursday April 23, 2026 Jeffrey Wechsler

Jeffrey Wechsler made a triumphant return to the LAT with a fun Sunday puzzle just last month. While I know he has no control about when these are published, I think this one came out of the oven a bit too soon.

Golly Gee! For all you fans out there that love proper nouns, this is the puzzle for you. All five themers are peoples' names, both real and fictional, and they all end with GG. 

17. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" novelist: FANNIE FLAGG. She was also a frequent panelist on the Match Game.

30. Rapper featured on the Dr. Dre song "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang": SNOOP DOGG. That SNOOP is mentioned in a song with a "G" in the title, is the closest thing I found to a deeper theme.

37. Circumnavigator in a Jules Verne novel: PHILEAS FOGG. As a boy growing up on Verne, this was the one answer I filled in without hesitation, except I thought he was PHInEAS with an "N". 

41. English actress who played Emma Peel on "The Avengers": DIANA RIGG. DIANA RIGG as British spy Emma Peel in the 60s TV series was everything a young boy could hope for (when not reading Verne).

58. "The Road to Wellville" role for Anthony Hopkins: JOHN KELLOGG. "K-E-double L, O-double Good, Kellogg's best to you!" Whee! Are we having fun yet?

The real Dr. John Harvey Kellogg

I like the majority of the puzzles I do, but this one didn't excite me. I kept waiting for something to happen, a clever reveal, maybe something to do with movie Gigi, but it never materialized. It's just a list of names that end in GG. 

Across:

1. Revels (in): BASKS.

6. Kremlin cash: RUBLE.

11. Part of the DHS: TSA. The Transportation Security Administration is a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

14. Like sparrows and swallows: AVIAN.

15. One of several mistakes in a Shakespeare comedy?: ERROR. Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest and shortest plays, known for its farcical humor, slapstick, and mistaken identity, revolving around two sets of identical twins separated at birth.

16. Ashen: WAN.

17. [theme]

19. See 34-Down: ORA. Rita ORA.

20. Naval groups: FLEETS.

21. Fresh start?: NEO. From the Greek meaning "new."

22. Govt. figure: POL. POL is short for a government politician.

23. Whispery: LOW. LOW as in volume, not in tone. Cows LOW to communicate hunger or distress.

Psst! The grass is greener on the other side.

24. Observed furtively: SPIED.

27. Florence's river: ARNO.

28. One-named singer from Donegal: ENYA. ENYA has sold an estimated 80 million albums worldwide and now lives in a castle.

30. [theme]

33. Warble: TRILL.

36. Custardy desserts: FLANS. This is rarely seen in the plural, unless we're talking about the all-girl group from Mexico.

37. [theme]

39. Greek island in "The Two Faces of January": CRETE. The Two Faces of January is a 2014 thriller film set in Greece. Also see 29D.

40. Stay put, in Paris: RESTE. French lesson. It's interesting when a foreign word looks like a English word with a different etymology, yet has a similar meaning. "Rest" has Germanic roots.

41. [theme]

43. Fret (over): STEW.

47. eBay caveat: AS IS. I buy and sell often on eBay, and have had surprisingly good interactions with people. Especially gratifying are fair resolutions when something doesn't go quite right on either end.

48. Opposite of o'er: NEATH.

51. Lille pal: AMI. A little more French.

52. Oz. and mg.: WTS. Ounces and milligrams are WEIGHTS.

53. "The View" airer: ABC. The View is a daytime talk show hosted by women, now in its 29th season.

55. Driver's lic. with an added star: REAL ID. Starting on May 7, 2025, a REAL ID license or authorized alternative (like a passport) is required for U.S. domestic flights, entering secure federal buildings, and military bases.

57. Born: NEE. And even more French.

58. [theme]

61. Round topper for a scepter: ORB.

62. Part of the Dutch Caribbean: ARUBA. ARUBA is an island off the coast of Venezuela.

63. Netflix category: GENRE. 

64. Vane dir.: NNE. I'm glad more recent xwords have started cluing compass points this way rather than directions between two random cities.

65. Satisfy, as a debt: REPAY.

66. Good point: ASSET.

Down:

1. Perplex: BAFFLE.

2. Island where Excalibur was forged: AVALON. "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government." 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

3. Trim and muscular: SINEWY.

4. "Citizen __": KANE. Played by Orson Wells in 1941.

5. Pique performances?: SNITS. Fun clue.

6. NFL employee: REF.

7. Brief address: URL.

8. Corleone player: BRANDO. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

The Godfather

9. Theater section: LOGE.

10. Therefore: ERGO.

11. Like many electric plugs: TWO PRONG. This guy's a victim of a TWO PRONG attack.

12. Some Malaysian attire: SARONGS.

13. Like Big Ben's clock: ANALOG.

18. Dubious ability: ESP.

25. Michigan's __ Royale National Park: ISLE.

26. Make bigger: ENLARGE.

27. Maxims: ADAGES.

29. Greek city in "The Two Faces of January": ATHENS. Almost a clecho. See 39A.

31. Trade-__: compromises: OFFS.

32. Gardener's parcel: PLOT.

34. With 19-Across, "How We Do (Party)" singer: RITA. RITA Ora.

35. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER. I don't remember this young man, and he's already quit acting, but misspelling the cross of PHInEAS with an "N" sunk me.

37. "Hallelujah!": PRAISE BE.

38. Video game giant: SEGA.

39. Collector of rainwater: CISTERN.

41. Suddenly hit: DAWN ON.

42. Increase slowly: INCH UP.

44. Claws: TALONS.

45. New citizen, perhaps: EMIGRE.

46. Doohickey: WIDGET.

49. Otto meno cinque: TRE. Now we switch to Italian for a math lesson. Eight minus five equals three.

50. Hägar the Horrible's wife: HELGA.

53. Slightly open: AJAR.

54. Offer no amusement to: BORE. Zzzz.

56. Tavern quaffs: ALES.

59. Bulls org.: NBA. The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association.

60. Big name in jewelry: KAY. Winner - Best Slogan: "Every Kiss Begins With KAY."

Well, was Jeffrey a good eGG or did he lay one?

Be good. RB

Sunday March 22, 2026 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "WE DID IT!" - We is added to each theme entry. 

22. Motto of an intrepid cotton farmer?: I WILL FEAR NO WEEVIL. I will fear no evil. 

33. Presentation on professorial fashion trends?: TWEED TALK. Ted talk.

38. Light lunch in a haunted cafe?: COBWEB SALAD. Cobb salad. 

66. Like text anyone is allowed to edit?: YOURS FOR THE TWEAKING. Yours for the taking.

96. Data from a middle school track meet?: TWEEN SPEEDS. Ten-speeds.

100. "I like the cut of your jib!"?: SWEET SAIL. Set sail.

117. Take new profile pics at the gym?: SWEAT FOR A PORTRAIT. Sat for a portrait. 

So happy to see the great Jeffrey back! It's been over two years since we saw his byline. 

Jeffrey is a master in this type of letter addition/deletion/swapping theme. Today is another strong example of his craftsmanship.

Across:

1. Some neutral tones in a designer's palette: GRAYS.

6. Jokers: WITS.

10. The "B" of RBG: BADER. The Notorious RBG. 

15. "Dear old" family member: DAD.

18. Shakespeare hero in the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Love Story": ROMEO. 49. Last words of 18-Across: I DIE. Then he died.

19. French cap: BERET.

20. Nimble: AGILE.

21. Patterned after: A LA.

25. "Fresh Air" broadcaster: NPR.

26. Abandons all hope: DESPAIRS.

27. Stuns: AMAZES.

28. Feathery, perhaps: AVIAN.

30. Hardly encountered: RARE.

31. Apple product: MAC.

32. For one: A PIECE.

42. Small crowns: TIARAS.

43. "Or so": ISH.

45. Gulliver of "Gulliver's Travels": LEMUEL. Don't think we had him before. 

46. Paris's Paris's Musée d'__: ORSAY. Home to many Impressionist masterpieces.

47. Thing that may be open and shut: CASE.

49. Things: ITEMS.

50. Adages: SAWS.

54. Some guinea pigs: PETS.

55. Component of some firm-textured fabrics: WORSTED.

57. Turns red, say: DYES.

59. Sportage maker: KIA.

60. Matthew of "Stranger Things": MODINE.  He played Dr. Martin Brenner.

62. First word of "Simple Gifts": TIS.

64. Winemaker's concern: AGING.

72. Thicket: COPSE.

73. __ milk: SOY.

74. Fencing sword: RAPIER. 70. Fencing sword: EPEE.

75. Assent asea: AYE.

76. Wise one: SAGE.

80. Harvested: GLEANED.

82. Accomplishes: DOES.

86. __ salt: ROCK. Lots of Chinese desserts feature rock sugar. 

88. "Great performance!": BRAVO.

90. Lyft service: RIDE.

91. Concentrated: DENSE.

92. Act as an intermediary: LIAISE.

94. Big flower pot: URN.

95. Life, for one: CEREAL.

103. Bring back: REVIVE.

104. Grocery payment sys.: EBT. Electronic Benefits Transfer. 

106. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

107. Goddess of peace: IRENE.

108. Angelic being: SERAPH.

111. With 116-Across, useful tool for some crossword solvers: ERASABLE. And116. See 111-Across: PEN.

120. __ Alamos, New Mexico: LOS.

121. Yankee manager between Showalter and Girardi: TORRE (Joe) 1996-2007. We also have 19. Yogi in the Hall of Fame: BERRA. That's Whitey Ford in the middle.

122. Transmit: RELAY.

123. Marsh wader: EGRET.

124. Brian of Roxy Music: ENO.

125. One-for-one deals: SWAPS.

126. Silly sort: TWIT.

127. Summer of disco: DONNA.

Down:

1. Crossword component: GRID.

2. Mike of "Dirty Jobs": ROWE. Some dirty jobs pay very well. 

3. French friends: AMIS.

4. Site for maligning poor dining: YELP.

5. Basis for standard timekeeping: SOLAR DAY.

6. Ferret kin: WEASEL.

7. Not perfect, as mdse.: IRR. Irregular. 

8. Midmorning hr.: TEN AM.

9. Tolerate: STOMACH.

10. Folk legend Joan: BAEZ. 

11. "The African Queen" screenwriter James: AGEE. The original novel is written by C. S. Forester.

12. Pts. of sports leagues: DIVS. Divisions.

13. Yale grad: ELI.

14. Setback: RELAPSE.

15. Webster who had a way with words: DANIEL.

16. Andes grazer: ALPACA.

17. "Well, I'll be __!": DARNED.

23. Authoritative orders: FIATS.

24. Baylor University city: WACO.

29. Little bottles: VIALS.

32. Treat quite poorly: ABUSE.

33. Former Corvette option: T-TOP.

34. Send a telegram: WIRE.

35. Memphis-to-Chattanooga direction: EAST.

36. "In Praise of Folly" writer: ERASMUS. Google says Erasmus wrote the work in about a week while staying at Sir Thomas More's estate in England.

37. Mugs: KISSERS.

39. Alphabetical order?: BLT.

40. Garden invader: WEED.

41. "The Bear" award: EMMY. "Yes, Chef!"

44. Good to go: SET.

47. Do: COIF.

48. River of Florence: ARNO.

51. Similar (to): AKIN.

52. Improvise, with "it": WING.

53. Submit to gravity: SAG.

55. Dict. entries: WDS.

56. __ alcohol: ETHYL.

58. Sushi pairing: SAKE. We've also seen SOJU in the gird. It's the Korean liquor. 

61. Useful minerals: ORES.

63. Uses a colander: STRAINS.

65. Skyscraper beams: GIRDERS.

66. Cellist Ma: YO-YO. Yo means "friend" in Chinese. Ma means "Horse".

67. Cartel founded in Baghdad in 1960: OPEC.

68. Like food truck orders: TO GO.

69. Lip gloss applicator: WAND.

71. Help: AID.

72. Saturn or Mercury: CAR.

77. Demean: ABASE.

78. Climber's asset: GRIP.

79. Fluency: EASE.

81. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.

83. Draft status: ONE A.

84. Actor Morales: ESAI.

85. Hawk: SELL.

87. Vox co-founder Ezra: KLEIN. He has a popular podcast. 

89. Capital of Vietnam?: VEE. Vietnam. 

91. Couldn't stand: DETESTED.

93. Takes stock?: INVESTS. Literally. 

94. Basic interface for a PC: USB PORT.

95. Civil rights activist Chavez: CESAR.

96. Big hit: TRIPLE.

97. "It's time, everyone! Break a leg!": WE'RE ON.

98. "Despite that ... ": EVEN SO.

99. Part of CODA: DEAF. Child Of Deaf Adult.

101. Shed tears over: WEEP AT.

102. Judy Jetson's brother: ELROY.

105. Lost on purpose: THREW.

108. Organic fluids: SERA.

109. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP.

110. GPS offerings: RTES.

112. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO.

113. Rural structure: BARN.

114. Bank claim: LIEN.

115. "Tell Mama" singer James: ETTA.

118. "Incredible!": WOW.

119. Journalist Velshi of MS NOW: ALI.

C.C.

Thursday, July 27, 2023, Jeffrey Wechsler

What's It All About?

Corner favorite Jeffrey Wechsler tries to stump us with a real POSER today.  Since the three theme clues all punt to the reveal we'll start with that ...

 55A. Profound philosophical subject, as defined by the answers to 21-, 32-, and 42-Across?: THE MEANING OF LIFE.  As you might imagine illustrating this was a real toughie, causing me to ponder several alternatives ...

Naturally the Monty Python film of the same name came to mind, but even the trailer was rated R! I then considered the "The Secret of Life" (the structure of DNA was published 70 years ago this past April 25) and the "The Theory of Everything" (physicists are still working on it), but rejected both as a bit too arcane.

I finally stumbled upon the incredible correspondence between the number for Jeffrey's third theme clue and this classic  revelation of  THE MEANING OF LIFE announced by the supercomputer Deep Thought in this trailer from the 2005 film A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, inspired by the magnum opus of British humorist Douglas Adams ...

Clever of Jeffrey to think of that.

So now that we've solved the question that has puzzled all of humanity since the beginning of civilization, what the heck do the following cryptic theme clues have to do with it?  Turns  out the answers are themselves clues to products all containing the word LIFE.

21A. See 55-Across: HISTORIC MAGAZINE.  LIFE.  Here's the Life magazine cover published 10 years after the discovery of the structure of DNA. LIFE always was a little slow out of the gate (story starting on page 73) ...

If you want the real story I recommend this book ...

BTW LIFE's LIFE as a weekly magazine ended on December 8, 1972. 

32. See 55-Across: BREAKFAST CEREAL.  LIFE is also a breakfast cereal produced by the Quaker Oats Company. Introduced in 1961, the cereal has a brown, checked square pattern and mainly consists of oat flour, corn flour, added sugar, and whole-wheat flour.

42A. See 55-Across: FAMILY BOARD GAME.  LIFE is also a board game. This collector's edition of The Game of Life in the original Tin box is available on Ebay for $110.00 (although I doubt that it's pure Tin (Sn)) ...

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Electronic music duo __ Punk: DAFT.  A classic Wechsler clue for DAFT I'm sure. 😀  Daft Punk was a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining elements of house music with funk, disco, techno, rock and synth-pop.  Here's their Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.  Listen carefully, as you're not likely to hear this again ...

5. McEntire of country music (and old sitcoms): REBA.  I'm glad that parenthetical afterthought was included in the clue.  McEntire is a great musician, but apparently she's also quite a comedienne, and last week I didn't have room for two clips, so here's the funny lady today ...

9. Wetlands area: MARSH.  I grew up meandering along White MARSH run in Maryland before US 695 paved over most of it in 1962.  One of my most vivid memories of the area was all the dragonflies flying over our heads, which we called "Snake Doctors", and of which we were mortally afraid.

14. Uzbekistan's location: ASIA.  Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia. It is surrounded by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan to the north; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Tajikistan to the southeast; Afghanistan to the south; and Turkmenistan to the southwest.

Uzbekistan in Asia

15. Yoked team: OXEN.

16. BP merger partner: AMOCO.

17. "A likely __!": STORY.

19. Noodle: BEAN.  Sorry, but I couldn't resist.  Just a little one ...

See also 36D.

20. Twangy: NASAL.

21. [Theme clue]

24. Physics particles: IONS.  An ION is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convention. The net charge of an ion is not zero because its total number of electrons is unequal to its total number of protons.  Two IONS with opposite charges attract one another and can form an ionic bond resulting in a molecule, e.g. Lithium Fluoride ...

Electron transfer between
lithium (Li) and fluorine (F).
Forming an ionic bond, Li and F
become Li+ and F− ions.

25. Some Hollywood workers: AGENTS. Recently other Hollywood workers -- writers and actors -- went on strike demanding higher pay and regulation of the use of AI for generating scripts and cinematic images.

26. "Don't make me laugh!": GOSH NO.

30. Move like molasses: OOZE.  Especially in February.

32. [Theme clue]

38. iPad assistant: SIRI.  I'm not into giving computers speech therapy.

39. Pound mix: MUTT.  A CSO to PAT.

40. Superficially fluent: GLIB.

42. [Theme clue]

47. Pine for: MISS. 

48. Smoothed (out): IRONED.

49. Plays, as a banjo: STRUMS.  Here's Whitewater, written and performed by BANJO virtuoso Bela Fleck with special guests from his album My Bluegrass Heart ...
 

53. Silk Road desert: GOBI.  The Silk Road was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century.  It is also the moniker for the musical ensemble Silkroad conceived by cellist Yo Yo Ma in 1998 as a reminder that even as rapid globalization resulted in division, it brought extraordinary possibilities for working together.  Here's their performance of the theme Going Home from Dvorak's New World Symphony ...

55. [Theme reveal]

62. "Game of Thrones" actor Gillen: AIDAN.  We've never seen GOT, but we did see AIDAN Gillen in the creepy English village thriller Mayday ...

63. Nose wrinkler: ODOR.

64. Subway need, once: TOKEN.

65. Reduces slightly: TRIMS.

66. Vatican's environs: ROME.  A country within a city within a country.

St. Peter's Square
from the top of Michelangelo's dome

67. Shared one's poetry, say: READ.

68. Oscar winner Redmayne: EDDIE.  EDDIE Redmayne played physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything...

Astonishingly Stephen Hawking, who held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University and who predicted the emission of Hawking Radiation by black holes, was never awarded a Nobel Prize.  Here's why.

69. Some half pints: ALES.  Watson and Crick are reported to have quaffed quite a few ALES in the Eagle Pub in Cambridge whilst "they" discovered the secret of life.

70. Grub: EATS.

Down:

1. Short run: DASH. Or half an EM DASH (--)

2. Italian city east of Turin: ASTI.

3. Verizon bundle: FIOS.  This review is being brought to you in part by the ISP known as VERIZON.

4. Like cranberry juice: TART.

5. Bird associated with spring: ROBIN.  The ROBINS in my back yard seem to be here year round these days.  Like everything in America, they're bigger than English ROBINS.

American Robin        English Robin

6. Suits: EXECS.

7. Roofing timber: BEAM.

8. Swedish golf champion Nordqvist: ANNA.  ANNA Maria Nordqvist (born 10 June 1987) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. She has won three major championships: the 2009 LPGA Championship, the 2017 Evian Championship, and the 2021 Women's British Open. She is the only non-American woman to have won major championships in three different decades (2000s, 2010s and 2020s).

9. Supervisor: MANAGER.

10. Wow: AMAZE.

11. Violinist's aid: ROSIN.  Here's the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem singing Rosin up the Bow.  Apparently this substance loosens up the vocal cords (lyrics) ...

12. Meager: SCANT.

13. Boring outcomes?: HOLES.  If it turns out to be a Black HOLE, it might not be so boring (see 68A).

18. "Taking this!": YOINK.  DNK YOINK.  A sound effect created by Don Martin of Mad Magazine used to indicate the rapid pulling or removal of an object, much like 'Pow" or "Bam" would indicate a punch. ...

... Yiddish for YANK?

22. Certain sleigh's parking spot: ROOF.  That would be the one driven by SANTA CLAUS.

23. Wondering look: GAZE.

26. "Pygmalion" writer's monogram: GBS.  George Bernard Shaw.  Shaw's play was based on the Greek myth about the sculptor Pygmalion who falls in love with a statue he has created called Galatea.  The story was basis for a 1956 Lerner and Loewe stage musical, later made into the 1964 hit musical comedy-drama film My Fair Lady. The story has inspired many other works of art, including the operetta The Beautiful Galatea, by Franz von Suppé.  Here's the overture ...

27. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name, / __ thou wilt not, be but sworn my love": Juliet: OR IF.   The line just before it is one of the oft most quoted lines in Shakespeare and  here serves as Jeffrey Wechsler's signature.

28. Blood fluids: SERA.

29. "Women in Music Pt. III" pop band: HAIM.  Women in Music Pt. III is the third studio album by the sisters HAIM. It was released on June 26, 2020, in the United States by Columbia Records and internationally by Polydor Records. Here's Los Angeles (lyrics) ...

30. Director Preminger: OTTO.  OTTO Ludwig Preminger (5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor.  He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre.  He first gained attention for film noir mysteries such as Laura (1944) and Fallen Angel (1945), while in the 1950s and 1960s, he directed high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these later films pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with themes which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955), rape (Anatomy of a Murder, 1959) and homosexuality (Advise & Consent, 1962). He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. He also had several acting roles.

Otto Preminger

31. Four times bi-: OCTA.

33. Organic frozen-food brand: AMY'S.  Looks like good stuff.

34. Some sandwiches: SUBS.

35. Waffle brand: EGGO.

36. Rickman of "Love Actually": ALAN.  Here's the Necklace Scene with some familiar faces besides ALAN ...

37. Citrus fruit: LIME.

41. "The Princess and the Pea" prop: BED.  The PEA purportedly felt like this ...

43. Vast: IMMENSE.  See  above.

44. Simpson daughter: LISA.   LISA does the crosswords, while Homer rakes it in ...

45. Part of RNA: RIBO.  Prefix for RIBOSE, a sugar that forms the backbone of  RiboNucleic Acid, an important component of the cellular process for the synthesis of proteins.

46. Go with the flow: DRIFT.  Or CATCH somebody's meaning.

49. One of Mexico's 31: STATE.

50. Show place?: THIRD.  Clever clue. The THIRD in the sequence WIN, PLACE, and SHOW.

51. Overhauled: REDID.

52. Fish sauce taste: UMAMI.  Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and UMAMI.

53. Fairy tale figure: GNOME. GNOMES are NICE figures.

Garden Gnome

54. Fairy tale figures: OGRES.  Some OGRES are NICE too, but misunderstood ...

Shrek

56. Romance writer Roberts: NORA.  A Marylander who made (very) good ...

Nora Roberts

57. Revered one: IDOL.

58. Ancestral knowledge: LORE.

59. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. Could also be clued "Four letter furniture manufacturer:"

60. Heroic deed: FEAT.  Here's a less heroic FEAT performing Dixie Chicken with Emmy Lou Harris and Bonnie Raitt ...

61. Aims: ENDS.  ... and thus ENDS the review.


Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley 

Wednesday, April 5, 2023, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: HAT TRICK

 

19. Hat that sounds right for an eco-conscious poet?: SOLAR BOWLER. The BOWLER hat was originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849.

31. Hat that sounds right for a futuristic cartoon poet?: JETSON STETSON. John Batterson STETSON is the the inventor of the cowboy hat. Near the end of his life, STETSON began donating almost all of his money to charitable organizations. He built grammar and high schools and helped build colleges, helped establish the YMCA in Philadelphia, co-founded Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, and a homeless shelter and soup kitchen, in 1878. Here's a favorite version of St. James Infirmary, covered by Arlo Guthrie, where he croons about being buried in a STETSON hat (@5:10).

42. Hat that sounds right for a poet's annual party?: BIRTHDAY BERET.

 56. Hat that sounds right for a poet on Election Day?: VOTER BOATER.

 

Melissa here. Pretty straightforward theme here, rhyming phrases for hats that "sound right" for certain occasions. I'm guessing the seed phrase was either SOLAR BOWLER or VOTER BOATER.

Across:

 
1. Hair-covering garments: HIJABS. Not a hat, but a kind of head covering.

7. __ oil: CASTOR. No thanks.

13. Together at the movies, say: ON A DATE.

15. Army swimmer?: OCTOPUS. Get it? 8 arms?

17. Equestrian loop: STIRRUP. Loop for a foot.

18. "Success at last!": I MADE IT.

21. Opposite of SSW: NNE.

22. Thompson who plays Bianca in the "Creed" films: TESSA.

23. Foil alternative: EPEE.

24. Bend at a 5-Down: PLIE. Ballet. 

 

 27. Some chats, briefly: IMS. Instant messages.

30. Cheryl of "Charlie's Angels": LADD. She joined the show after Season One when Farrah Fawcett left the show, playing Kris Munroe, Jill's younger sister.

36. Eur. carrier: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines.

37. Carnival city: RIO. The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a festival held every year before Lent; it is considered the biggest carnival in the world, with two million people per day on the streets. The first Carnival festival in Rio occurred in 1723.

38. Concept in East Asian philosophy: TAO. Chinese word signifying way, path, route, road or, sometimes more loosely, doctrine.

39. Scheduling abbr.: TBA. To be announced.

46. 2% alternative: SKIM. Milk.

48. Phillipa of "Hamilton": SOO. She played Eliza Hamilton.

 

 49. "Auld Lang __": SYNE. "The good old times."

50. Tea brand with an Iced Citrus Jasmine variety: TAZO. Starbucks sold the Tazo Tea brand to Unilever.

51. Letter-shaped fastener: T-BOLT. T-bolts are a type of threaded fastener that is used to secure two or more objects together. They consist of a head with two wings on either side, which allows them to be tightened securely when inserted into a pre-drilled hole.

55. Notable period: ERA.

62. Backdrop for some History Channel programming: WARTIME.

64. Flyer making short hops: AIR TAXI. A small commercial airplane used for short flights between localities not served by scheduled airlines.

65. Tries hard: STRIVES.

66. Joint Chiefs member: GENERAL. General Mark A. Milley is the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.

67. Trigonometry function: SECANT. I was told there would be no math. For those who like math ... here's more about it.

68. __ seed: SESAME. People suffering from gout and Wilson's disease should avoid sesame seeds as they are rich in copper. Sesame seeds might lower blood sugar levels, thus making the ingredient unsafe for people on blood sugar medication.

Down:
 

1. "Bonanza" brother: HOSS. Played by Dan Blocker.

 

2. Engrossed by: INTO.

3. Monopoly corner: JAIL. The board game.

4. Classified info?: AD RATES.

5. Supporter of dance troupes: BARRE. The horizontal handrail, usually wooden, that is fixed to the walls of a ballet studio approximately 3.5 feet (1 m) from the floor.

6. Short Wikipedia entries: STUBS. A stub is an article deemed too short and incomplete to provide encyclopedic coverage of a subject.

7. Slinky, for one: COIL.

 

 8. Top: ACME.

9. "There was a __ danced, and under that was I born": "Much Ado About Nothing": STAR. What does it mean?

10. "Dracula" director Browning: TOD. The films of Tod Browning.

11. Kitchen storage option: OPEN PANTRY. 16 Ideas How to Make Your Open Pantry Look Good.

12. Beyond repair: RUINED.

14. Thematic set of poems: EPOS. A group of poems, transmitted orally, concerned with parts of a common epic theme.

16. Fine mount: STEED. A very old-fashioned way to say "horse." In Middle English, a steed was distinguished as "a great horse," as opposed to a palfrey, an ordinary, everyday horse. So a steed was typically a war horse that carried warriors into battle.

20. "Don't go!": WAIT.

23. Jeff Lynne's band: ELO. Wikipedia: The Electric Light Orchestra are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterized by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography.

24. Short nightwear?: PJS. Short for pajamas.

25. "Mulan" singer Salonga: LEA. Renown across the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch. She is best known for her Tony Award winning role in Miss Saigon.

 

 26. "I've never seen anything so weird!": IT'S BIZARRE. That did not come easy.

28. Facebook parent company: META. The rebranding is part of the global company's big plan to develop a virtual world but critics say its an attempt to shift focus from recent controversies.

29. "Don't go!": STAY.

32. NHL great Bobby: ORR. Robert Gordon Orr OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time.

33. Minor complaints: NITS.

34. Nabe in lower Manhattan: SOHO. Nabe being short for neighborhood. SoHo is short for “south of Houston Street.” Today, the neighborhood is famous for its upscale boutiques, artists, and cast-iron architecture. But in the mid-1900s, SoHo was known for its factories and industries, earning it the nickname “Hell’s Hundred Acres.” What To Do in SoHo: Art, Food and Elegance in New York City.

35. __ story: SOB.

40. 2016 World Series MVP Zobrist: BEN. He played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chicago Cubs.

41. Broke bread: ATE.

43. Tweeter's "I think": IMO. In my opinion.

44. Pour on the TLC: DOTE.

45. Some country homes: ESTATES.

46. Instant Pot dishes: STEWS. So many recipes these days are either for the Instant Pot or the air fryer.

47. Gold standards: KARATS.

52. Crow: BRAG. Seeing this as cow didn't help.

53. Stage awards: OBIES. Notable achievement in plays performed off-Broadway.

54. TV producer Michaels: LORNE. Best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the Late Night series, The Kids in the Hall and The Tonight Show.

56. Bounty alternative: VIVA. Paper towel brands.

57. Harbinger: OMEN. Rain, hail and snow still here - but the harbingers of Spring have appeared - ants!

58. Skills assessment: TEST.

59. Skating commentator Lipinski: TARA. 

 

60. Skills assessment: EXAM.

61. Provoke: RILE.

63. Spasm: TIC.

 

 

Notes from C.C.: 

Happy birthday to dear Agnes (Irish Miss), who helped me so much during the last few years of Boomer's life. I can't imagine the mistakes I would have made without her always prompt and practical advice. Thank you so much for the love and care you've been so generously giving to me, Agnes! 

From Agnes:

The flowers are from a Words With Friend opponent whom I’ve been playing steadily for more than 8 Years. We have never met or spoken on the phone, but have become friends through chatting via the game, texts, and emails. His wife’s maiden name is McGrath, as is mine, and that coincidence started our friendship. He never forgets my birthday and I never forget his as it’s on St. Patrick’s Day and, fittingly, his name is Patrick!