Monday June 16, 2025 Kathy Lowden

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. If you woke up this morning thinking, "I'm in the mood for some silly rhymes," then today is your lucky day!

Theme:      

Ready, Freddy?

20 Across. "Why should I care if the peasants are starving?," snarled the __: MEAN QUEEN.

26 Across. "Teach your kids some manners! And get better snacks," snapped the __: BITTER SITTER.

43 Across. "Don't try and tell me the route -I've been doing this job for 20 years," growled the __: CRABBY CABBIE.

54 Across. "I need this work done yesterday!," shouted the __: CROSS BOSS.  

No reveal was needed today. Each themer is a two-word phrase where the first word is an adjective describing a cranky attitude and the second word is a human. All the clues are quotes. I liked this tight set! 

Moody Foodie???

Across:

1. Large group of bees: SWARM. SWARM is the collective noun for a large group of bees. My backyard neighbor has bees. They SWARM (verb) every year. It is fascinating to watch!

6. Female deer: DOE.  Some other four-legged mammal whose females are called DOEs are goats, antelopes, and rabbits. But today is Monday so ....

9. Expressed disapproval: TSKED.  

"handy"  haha!

14. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE.     and     48 Across. Rio automaker: KIA.

Last Monday we had 49. Across. Where Katie Ledecky won four Olympic golds:  RIO.

15. Wane: EBB.

16. Swiftly: APACE.  Def.:  (adverb) at a quick pace; swiftly.

If you read this one too swiftly, you might have thought it said "Swiftie".  

Taylor Swift fans call themselves Swifties.

17. Leaves the motor running: IDLES.  

18. Dove's sound: COO.

19. Come up with, as an idea: HIT ON.  

~  another meaning for HIT ON  ~
DH and I met running. He came up alongside me and said, "How you doin'?"

22. Clickable symbols: ICONS.  

23. Alums-to-be: SRS.  high school seniors  

Zits readers know that Pierce recently confused two types of seniors.

24. Sea urchin, on a sushi menu: UNI.  (rhymes with "Moonie")

Out of the 950 species of sea urchin, only 18 are edible.

I hear college students in The UK love UNI.

25. Consumed: ATE.  Yet when we describe people as consumers, the first thing to come to mind is not eaters.

32. Must: HAVE TO.

35. Rejections: NOs.

36. Went by skateboard: RODE.  

Rad Dog

37. Photographer's request: SMILE.  

Peg   ~   Steely Dan   ~  1977

"So won't you SMILE for the camera." 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯

38. Little one: TOT.

39. Goes out with: DATES.

40. Second to none: BEST.

41. Feel poorly: AIL.

42. Passionate: ARDENT.

46. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  federation and United Arab Emirites

47. Substance that may be crushed or cubed: ICE.

51. Heroic tales: EPICS.

57. Puts in order: RANKS.

58. Ray gun sound: ZAP.  Sometimes it is "pew".

59. Tests for doctoral candidates: ORALS.

60. Sock terminus, often: ANKLE.  

ANKLE socks

61. Lennox of R&B: ARI.  [b. Courtney Shanade Salter on March 26, 1991 in Washington, D.C.] I watched two videos and had to pass on both. Perhaps someone reading this is a fan and can suggest their favorite Ari Lennox song.

62. __ mignon: FILET.

63. Eye maladies: STYES.

64. TiVo button: REC.

65. Daring achievements: FEATS.  Ultramarathoners complete FEATS with their feets. 

Down:

1. Reads quickly: SKIMS.

2. Flamingo, for one: WADER.  

3. Book of maps: ATLAS.

4. "Non, je ne regrette __": Edith Piaf song: RIEN.  ESP for me but when I listened to the song, I recognized it. The title translates to, "No, I regret nothing." Edith's version came out in 1960.  

5. Wood used for grilling: MESQUITE.  

They are beautiful trees inhabiting arid and semiarid regions throughout
the southwest U.S., Mexico, South America, northern Africa, and eastern Asia.

6. Web of lies: DECEIT.  

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

8. Black, to poets: EBON.  EBONy.  "To poets" is a hint that the answer is somehow abbreviated.

9. Setting for many Gauguin paintings: TAHITI.  

Parau Api. What's new?, 1892. by Paul Gauguin

10. Silk Road enterprise: SPICE TRADE.  This link takes you to a 518-word article on the Silk Road. Some of the SPICEs that were TRADEd include cloves, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, frankincense, black pepper, cinnamon, and saffron.

11. The Green Hornet's aide: KATO. I thought he had a lamp so I first tried that. KATO was his crime-fighting sidekick.

12. Business maj.: ECON.  major and ECONomics

13. Fox holes: DENS.

21. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

25. Stubborn animal: ASS.

26. Prize at a rodeo: BELT BUCKLE.  

27. Sherlock's teen sister: ENOLA.

28. Go bad: ROT.

29. Fundraiser freebie: TOTE.  I have so many! I keep a TOTE full of TOTEs in my car.

30. Genesis garden: EDEN.

31. Take a breather: REST.

32. U.K.-based bank founded in Asia: HSBC.  Once known as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, HSBC began in Hong Kong in 1865 to finance trade between Europe and Asia. Today they are in 58 countries and territories, including the U.S. and Canada. 

33. U.S. citizen: AMER.  The abbreviation in the clue let us know that AMERican would be shortened.

34. Travel document: VISA.

38. Involuntary twitch: TIC.

39. Uses a towel: DRIES OFF.

41. Favorable vote: AYE.  All those in favor....

42. Basics: ABCS.

44. Voices lower than tenors: BASSES.  Last Monday we had 8-Down. Low opera voice: BASSO.  

There are detailed differences between the two; but, basically, basso is an Italian word and usually refers to opera or classical singing. Also note that this week we were looking for a plural answer because of voices.  

45. Film about a real person, informally: BIOPIC.  The word BIOPIC often makes the list of misles (pronounced with a long /i/). These are words that people often mispronounce in their heads while reading them because they do not match the pronunciation with the spelling. Their name comes from misled which people sometimes misread as MY-zel-ed. In the case of BIOPIC, people often read it as bi-OP-ic (rhyming with myopic). Some other misles are:  awry, colonel, corps, infrared, sword, and Yosemite.

48. Fluffy-eared marsupial: KOALA.  

today's "So cute!" moment

49. Small part of an archipelago: ISLET.  According to NOAA, an archipelago is an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago includes 36,563 islands.

50. Aides: Abbr.: ASSTS.  ASSisTS

51. Historical spans: ERAS.  

52. Huff and puff: PANT.  This common nighthawk is PANTing. Read more about how birds PANT at this U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service page.  

53. Deep black: INKY.

54. Policy honcho: CZAR.

55. Not medium or well: RARE.  Think "meat cooking options".

56. Camembert kin: BRIE.  fromage  

Click to enlarge.

The grid:  

I'll be away when today's blog posts. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

Read you later, alligator! 

Monday May 19, 2025 Kathy Lowden

  

Happy Monday, everyone!  sumdaze here with a head scratcher from constructor Kathy Lowden. This is Kathy's fourth LAT puzzle and second one this month!

Theme:         

Use Your Noggin

   I also found this 1966 Soupy Sales song: 

The themed clues are:

16 Across. Picnic side that may contain chickpeas: BEAN SALAD.  

Chickpeas are often called "garbanzo beans" here on the West Coast
but we cannot have bean in the clue and the answer.

33 Across. Potluck dish often made with cream of mushroom soup: NOODLE CASSEROLE.  

This one also has chicken and peas.

40 Across. Tchaikovsky composition excerpted in Disney's "Fantasia": NUTCRACKER SUITE.  

Thank you, Kathy, for giving me a reason to revisit this beautiful film!

And the reveal:

61 Across. Advantage in a race, and what can be found in 16-, 33-, or 40-Across: HEAD START.

Here is an example of someone taking a HEAD START in a race:  

Oops!

Also... BEAN, NOODLE, and NUT are all slang terms meaning HEAD. Plus, they are at the START of each of the answers. The answers have a HEAD START!

After filling the first two themers I thought everything was going to be potluck food but NUTCRACKER SUITE told me otherwise. Maybe using three food nicknames for the human HEAD was purposeful or maybe it just turns out that food words do the job nicely. We might have had GRAPEFRUIT DIET or MELONY G. GRIFFITH (former MD State Senator).

It's time we made some headway on the remaining clues....

Across:

1. __ but not least: LAST.  This clue was first and foremost today.

5. Dino with short arms: T. REX.  Dinosaur is shortened, so is tyrannosaurus rex. Rex means "king" in Latin.  Why T. Rex has Tiny Arms

9. 12-Down, for one: CHEF.     and     12 Down. Food Network Emmy winner Bobby: FLAY.

13. Rights org.: ACLU.

14. Part in a film: ROLE.

15. "And never the twain __ meet": SHALL.  The Ballad of East and West is a poem by Rudyard Kipling. It was first published in 1889.  full poem

18. Inventor Nikola: TESLA.

19. Bus-catching spot: STATION.  

The Hollies   ~   Bus Stop   ~   (1966)

20. "__ away": "RuPaul's Drag Race" catchphrase: SASHAY.  

21. Misdeed: SIN.

22. __ and drabs: DRIBS.  DRIBS and drabs is an informal plural noun that means "small amounts that come or happen over a period of time".  

24. Tennis champion Swiatek: IGA.  I learned this one from Husker Gary. He said IGA is commonly clued this way or as the grocery stores. I think I remember seeing the IGA symbol on the paper bags at the grocery store back in the day. 

27. Hawaiian welcome garland: LEI.  

29. Clickable link: URL.  This is the URL of the page that explains how to post a comment on this blog:

https://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-post-comment.html

30. Gave a snack: FED.  

Bill Murray (well, his stunt double) FED a snack to an orca in
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2005).

37. Farmland measure: ACRE.

38. Tax-collecting agcy.: IRS.     and     62 Down. Syllable of disapproval: TSK.  

I wonder if this cartoonist knows that campaign contributions
are not tax deductible.

39. Landed: ALIT.

45. Clean air org.: EPA.  organization and Environmental Protection Agency

46. Tetris shape: ELL.  as in the letter L  

This example shows an orange ELL shape and
 a dark blue ELL shape in a Tetris game.

47. Tetley drink: TEA.  Tetley is a brand name of TEA.

48. Above, in odes: O'ER.  over

49. Low-power mode: SLEEP.  I liked this clueing angle. SLEEP mode on a computer is a power-saving state that stops all actions. Any open documents and applications are moved to its RAM.

51. Lead-in to gender: CIS-.  "Lead in" leads us to the prefix department.

53. One-on-one students: TUTEES.  This fill has some very useful letters. Last week we had 4-D. Solo scholar:  TUTEE.

56. In a state of shock: REELING.  This clue uses a verb definition of REEL meaning "to waver or fall back (as from a blow)".

60. Extraterrestrial: ALIEN.  

63. Unable to move: INERT.  While three-toed sloths are not completely INERT, they are pretty slow. They have the slowest digestion of any mammal. This 1:55 min. video explains why.  

64. Shrek, for one: OGRE.

65. Yard sale caveat: AS IS.

66. Boys: LADS.

67. A lot (of): TONS.

68. Major or general: RANK.  My friend went to the medical clinic on base and parked in front of a sign that said "General Parking". She thought it meant "parking for the general population", as in "not just for the pooh-bahs". The MPs were not amused.

Down:

1. Scientist's workplace: LAB.  

2. Gets a top score on: ACES.

3. Crosspiece on a bed frame: SLAT.

4. Albacore and yellowfin: TUNAS.

5. Apprentice: TRAINEE.  Which has higher status, a TRAINEE or a TUTEE?

6. Caramel-filled candy: ROLO.  

7. African antelope: ELAND.  ELANDs live in Africa. They can use their horns to bring food on branches within reach. They are both the largest and slowest antelopes in the world. (Don't tell the lions!) 

8. Crossed (out): X-ED.  

9. Game with rooks and pawns: CHESS.

10. Heavenly __ ice cream: HASH.  

It is a lot like rocky road but it has chocolate-covered almonds
instead of walnuts.

11. "__ Enchanted": Anne Hathaway film: ELLA.  

Anne was 22 years old in 2004 when this movie hit the theaters.

15. Horse's home: STABLE.  They are lucky to have a STABLE home life.

17. "Sparkling or __?": STILL.  A server at a restaurant might ask you this question if you request a glass of water. Sparkling water has added CO2 gas which gives it its fizz. 

Translate:  $6 per glass or free?  

20. Gentlemen: SIRS.

23. Baking potato: RUSSET.  

24. Silly: INANE.  CSO to inanehiker!

25. Coffee container at a drive-thru: GO-CUP.  

This???

26. Major artery: AORTA.

28. Eaves dripper: ICICLE.  I liked this one for its similarity to eavesdropper.

30. Shakespearean volume: FOLIO.  This should answer any questions you might have.

31. Top-notch: ELITE.  

32. Dissuade: DETER.

34. NYE month: DEC.  New Year's Eve and DECember

35. Noah's boat: ARK.  

36. French actress/model Ines: RAU.  

In 2017, Ines was Playboy's first transgender playmate.
 Apparently she is also an Iron Maiden fan.

41. Give in: RELENT.

42. Brews that may be pale: ALES.

43. Ebbs: RECEDES.

44. Mast attachments: SAILS.  Masts and SAILS were in the news this past weekend. I had the pleasure of going on board a similar Mexican tall ship when it visited Monterey 20 or so years ago. (Or maybe it was the same one???) I remember the sailors up on the masts when she left the wharf. It was a rousing experience. I am sad that such a positive gesture could end so tragically. (2:10 min.)  

49. Crystal ball consultors: SEERS.  

50. Marinara sauce brand: PREGO.

52. Indian lute: SITAR.

53. Long part of a kite: TAIL.  The TAIL is quite opposite of the HEAD.

54. Arm bone: ULNA.

55. Like a 1-1 score: TIED.

57. Work for: EARN.

58. Mars rover org.: NASA.  

Click to enlarge.

59. Big smile: GRIN.  

61. Like Scotch bonnet peppers: HOT.  I knew that the Scoville Scale tells us how HOT a pepper is but this week I learned what it actually measures. The short answer is it measures the number of sugar and water dilutions required to bring the capsaicinoids level down to that of a bell pepper. The long answer is found here.

SHU = Scoville Heat Units

Here is today's grid:  

That's all for today. It's time to make like a baby and head out....