Monday, October 12, Kyle Dolan

Theme:  PaJama party.

Eating Peach Jam, wearing Pearl Jewelry, and writing in a Poetry Journal

Kyle Dolan regularly constructs themeless Saturday puzzles for the LA Times.  What a surprise and delight to encounter his work on a Monday!  Kyle holds a Ph.D. in Biochemisty and Molecular Biology from the University of Chicago, and is employed as Head of Science & Innovation at British Consulate-General Chicago.  I thought it might be interesting to look at the site where he posts cryptic crosswords --  beneaththesurfacepuzzles.blogspot.com -- and tried my hand at one.  I had absolutely no idea what was happening, even when I read the solution.  Happily, today's puzzle was a Pleasant Jaunt.

The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. Liquid that can relieve muscle cramps: PICKLE JUICE.  News to me, but according to research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, a few sips of pickle juice at the onset of cramps is effective in reducing the severity of those cramps within a minute or so.

27-Across. Filling a friend's car with balloons, e.g.: PRACTICAL JOKE.  That would be a surprise -- and annoyance!  Have you ever had to drive with balloons in the car?  It isn't easy, or safe.  

43-Across. Reward or punishment that may be ironic: POETIC JUSTICE.  Virtue is rewarded and vice is punished through a twist of fate that echoes the initial behavior.

58-Across. Cozy garb in some family photos, or what can be found in 17-, 27-, and 43-Across?: MATCHING PJS.  This is the big reveal -- the answers to 17-, 27-, and 43-Across are words beginning with P and J, as further illustrated by the family photo at the top of this blog.

Please Join me as we review the rest of the clues and answers!

Across:

1. Tenant farmers of the early Middle Ages: SERFS.  Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the lord that owned that land, in return for protection and the right to cultivate some portion of the land for their own subsistence.  They were not allowed to leave without their lord's permission.

Medieval serfs working for the man

6. "Who's there?" response: IT'S ME.

11. Contingencies: IFS.

14. Bird-related: AVIAN.

15. "Unbelievable!": NO WAY.

16. Spanish cheer: OLÉ.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Minuscule: WEE.  Ach!  This wee bit of vocabulary makes me miss our guide to Scotland.  His English was beautifully accented, and when he met Scottish friends along the way, their brief conversations were completely unintelligible to me.

DH with our amazing guide to Scotland

20. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Sloe gin is an English liqueur made with gin and blackthorn fruits (sloes).  A sloe gin fizz is made with sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda.  I neglected to try one while in England -- but I did enjoy Cotswolds Dry Gin during our time in that region.

21. Long-lasting hairdo: PERM.  A perm, or permanent wave, is a chemical treatment that leaves hair curly for several months.

22. Offering little comfort: BLEAK.

24. "__ is not a drill!": THIS.

26. Bassinet occupant: BABY.  A portable bed for newborns.

Our grandbaby started off in this new style of bassinet,
open to the parents' bed for ease of access.

27. [Theme clue]

32. Flats or heels: SHOES.  The more you know, the lower you go.

High heels are bad for you.

34. Go on an ocean voyage: SAIL.

35. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Dubai is the largest city in the federal monarchy called the United Arab Emirates.

36. Doily fabric: LACE.

37. Attention-grabbing feat: STUNT.

39. Opinion survey: POLL.

40. Variety: ILK.

41. Cameron who voices Fiona in the "Shrek" franchise: DIAZ.  Lovely actress, charming films.

The actress and the ogress

42. Diminishes: WANES.

43. [Theme clue]

47. Chitchat: TALK.

48. Pig sound: OINK.

49. Perch for a pigeon: LEDGE.  The pigeons that perch on ledges in cities are feral descendants of domestic pigeons, which were treasured for centuries as pets, as messengers, and as food.  Domestic pigeons were bred for various characteristics, much like dogs; their ancestor is the rock dove.  True wild rock doves survive on remote coastal cliffs and islands along the north and west shores of Scotland and Ireland, unmixed with their urban cousins.

Highly recommend this little book.

51. Chicken sound: BAWK.  Chickens replaced pigeons as a food source in human culture.

53. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA.  Alan Alda has appeared on stage and screen over seven decades, but is best known for playing "Hawkeye" Pierce in the CBS Korean war sitcom M*A*S*H (1972–1983).  Alda wrote and directed many of the episodes.

Alan Alda in M*A*S*H

57. "Of course, mon ami!": OUI.  French "yes."

58. [Theme clue]

61. Victoria's Secret garment: BRA.

62. Tierney of "The Affair": MAURA.  You might recognize Maura Tierney from any of a long list of film and TV roles, most notably Lisa Miller on the sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama ER (1999–2009), and Helen Solloway on the mystery drama The Affair (2014–2019).  I caught that last one; it told the story of an extramarital affair from the viewpoints of the man and woman involved, as well as their spouses.

Dominic West as the cheater and Maura Tierney as the cheatee
in The Affair.

63. Sire: BEGET.  To beget is to father a child.  The King James version of the Bible is full of the past tense, "begat," in lists of ancestors.  Here's an excerpt from Genesis 5:

25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.

26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:

27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.

30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

64. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL.  Has not been on my radar for years.  Plenty of it advertised online, though.

65. Liability's opposite: ASSET.

66. South American barbecue: ASADO.  Asado is a South American barbecue technique that involves cooking meat over an open fire or grill.

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Down:

1. Ones easily duped: SAPS.

2. Malicious: EVIL.

3. Puerto __: RICO.

4. Greenery that doesn't need water: FAKE TREE.

5. Lorne Michaels' long-running NBC show, for short: SNL.  Saturday Night Live.

Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, and Dana Carvey
on the set of “Saturday Night Live” in 1992.

6. Just for laughs: IN JEST.

7. Sightseer's booking: TOUR.

8. Move like a fish: SWIM.

9. Big __: fast-food classic: MAC.  Big Mac, medium fries, and medium Coca-Cola:  1170 calories.  For most folks, that leaves about 1,000 calories to consume the rest of the day.  Enjoy!

10. Give a very close look: EYEBALL.

11. "Thanks so much!": I OWE YOU ONE.

12. Pest on a pet: FLEA.

13. Hide-and-__: SEEK.

18. Large-scale tale: EPIC.

23. Pres. between JFK and RMN: LBJ.  John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon.

25. Gives birth to: HAS.  Sure, the guy begets, but who HAS the baby, suffering all the pain and danger of childbirth, feeds, clothes, and raises that child?  Let's hear it for the mothers whose names are omitted from Biblical genealogies.

26. Worm on a hook, say: BAIT.

27. Call unwittingly: POCKET DIAL.  I hear "butt dial" more often.  

Cartoonist unknown.

28. Japanese truckmaker: ISUZU.

29. Tuna container: CAN.

30. Leafy vegetable in a green smoothie: KALE.

31. Morays, e.g.: EELS.

32. Try and fail to walk on ice: SLIP.

33. Saintly ring: HALO.

37. Unable to go to school, maybe: SICK.

38. __ Mahal: TAJ.  On the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India, the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built the marble Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal; Shah Jahan is also interred there.  Construction took place from 1631 to 1648.  The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Taj Mahal

39. Amazon deliveries: PACKAGES.

41. Tough decision: DILEMMA.

42. Come in first: WIN.

44. Playground game: TAG.

45. "Your point being?": SO WHAT.

46. Polynesian carving: TIKI.  In the Māori mythology of New Zealand, Tiki was the first man.  Varying traditions are found throughout Polynesia.  Carvings represent this first man and other deified ancestors.

Māori man decorating a carved wooden tiki.

49. Arcing tennis shots: LOBS.

50. Currency in 21 countries: EURO.  On our recent trip, we used pounds sterling in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and switched to euros in the Republic of Ireland.  

51. Air conditioning figs.: BTUS.  A BTU (British Thermal Unit) measures how much energy your cooling unit uses to remove heat from a room in one hour.  One BTU is the amount of heat required to lower or raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. A higher BTU rating means the AC can cool the room to your desired temperature more quickly.

52. Land parcel: ACRE.

54. Links org.: LPGA.  Ladies Professional Golf Association.  A "links" is a traditional golf course, characterized by an undulating surface and sandy soil that supports the growth of grasses.

55. Provided music for a party: DJed.  Acted as a "disc jockey," skillfully controlling the playing of vinyl records or other recorded music.

56. On the topic of: AS TO.

59. Batteries for some noisy toys: AAs.  No battery operated toys at my house!  If you want noise, you have to beat on the drum, shake the tamborine, or strike the xylophone.

Battery operated toys do the playing for you.

60. Clippers' org.: NBA.  National Basketball Association.  The Clippers play for Los Angeles, as do the Lakers.  New York also has two NBA teams.

Here's the grid:

Dear Solvers,

I hope you've enjoyed this little TOUR of today's puzzle.

If you SEEK further explanations, TALK to others in the comments section!  Go out on a LEDGE!

-- NaomiZ

Saturday, September 19, 2026, Kyle Dolan

 Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan

My 26th puzzle by Kyle was a shock to my eyes when I saw the clusters of the blocks on the edges. For those of you who know me, you can understand why CAPE CANAVERAL was a sitting duck for this NASA guy. The other long fills were very "gettable" and helpful but in his usual "not so fast" manner, he planted some twisted clues out in the middle!

I'll point out some of my issues below. 

Kyle was kind enough to write this:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your note. Glad you enjoyed the puzzle and found that CAPE CANAVERAL resonated with you. I was motivated to see what I could do with a themeless grid of this type of pattern (which I think of as "S-shaped"). Curious to see what solvers think of it!

Best,

Kyle

Across

1. Amateurs who are known to make waves: HAM OPERATORS - In the opening scenes of Contact, young Ellie Arroway (played by Jena Malone) was a HAM OPERATOR. Jody Foster played Ellie as an adult.

13. Place where flights are astronomical: CAPE CANAVERAL - KSC and CAPE CANAVERAL sit adjacent to each other.

14. Meet-cute genre: ROMANTIC COMEDY - ROM COM leapt to my mind and then I saw I had to spell it out.

15. Piglike herbivores: TAPIRS - Mom and calf at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. Baby has jungle camouflage.

16. Female kangaroo: DOE.

17. Need for constructing some temporary buildings: PAIL. 😀

18. Great Lakes fish: SMELT.

19. Cause of a mass movement?: FORCE 😀 I taught this a few hundred times!

21. Handmade letters: DIY.

22. Sense of gloom: PALL  - Name that poem! (*Answer at the bottom)

 

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A PALL-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

23. Losses: DEFEATS.

25. Business with a relaxed dress code?: SPA 😀

26. Award-winning Netflix series about conflict: BEEF ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

27. Seehorn of "Pluribus": RHEA - In Better Call Saul, Rhea's character Kim stayed with Saul no matter what idiocy he pulled.

29. Pending: ON HOLD - The biggest VB crowd in Illinois history showed up to see #1 Huskers play in Wrigley Field. After 15 minutes of play, the coaches agreed the court was too slick to be safe and so the game was put ON HOLD for 45 minutes and eventually postponed. It may be the death knell for outdoor VB.

 

31. Antique counter: ABACUS 😀

33. Emigre from Kerala, say: DESI - In India and South Asia, desi (pronounced deh-see) means "local", "native" or "indigenous"

34. Bearing: MIEN.

35. Trunk stabilizer: RIB.

37. __ Medal: National Geographic Society honor: HUBBARD - Sir Edmund Hillary received one in 1954 from Dwight Eisenhower.

39. Word with tester or blocker: BETA - One for software testing and one for heart protection 

  
 

40. Jamaican style: SKA - This cwd solver has seen this word it many times but has never heard it played.

43. Classic Times Square lights: NEONS - A big tune for the Drifters, remember?

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway

They say there's always magic in the air

But when you're walking down that street

And you ain't had enough to eat

The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere

44. Two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant: KEVIN.

45. Student setting out for the bar?: ONE L.

47. Reward for a sacrifice, at times: RBI - Can be accomplished with a long fly ball or a short bunt

48. "Farewell": SO LONG.

49. Solar-powered lighting?: AURORA BOREALIS - When I was in Central Saskatchewan the northern lights were high in the sky and brilliant every night!

52. One whose digits are shielded: PRIVATE CALLER - If I see "Unknown Caller", ain't answerin'!

53. Guest spots?: SLEEPER SOFAS - My daughter had one in Lincoln I used during a Classe and don't remember a minute of rest.

Down:

1. Mark visible on many planets: HAMIL 😀 - Kyle!

2. To pieces: APART.

3. __ rea: MENS.

4. Fall Classic mo.: OCT - The World Series in OCT meant: 1) Day baseball games with long shadows, 2) Black and white TV. 3) Sneaking a transistor radio into class.

5. Was worth it: PAID OFF.

6. Program extension: ENCORE.

7. Furniture for a kid who's growing up fast?: RACE CAR BED 😀

8. Versatile fruit, for short: AVO - AVOcado 

9. Coverage resource: TEMP - We substitute teachers are really admired because we take coverage responsibility away from regular teachers. 

10. Water : naiad :: mountain : __: OREAD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Nymphs of the water and nymphs of the mountains

11. Spoke multiple times?: RADII 😀

12. In a foxy way: SLYLY.

13. Ballet dancer Misty: COPELAND - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I wonder if she's ever had a cheeseburger 

14. New York/New Jersey's __ Mountains: RAMAPO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - 42 miles from "Where the neon lights are bright" 

15. Recipe amts.: TSPS.

19. Doomscroller's milieu: FEED - Once you get on a negative FEED, the sites will just keep coming for you.

20. "__ Frome": ETHAN - a 1911 novella by American author Edith Wharton. It details the story of a man who falls in love with his wife's cousin and the tragedies that result from the ensuing love triangle.

23. Do some peer review, legally?: DELIBERATE - Wow, Kyle! A jury of your peers must DELIBERATE in your legal matter 😀

24. Triple __: SEC - Triple sec is a clear, sweet, orange-flavored liqueur made by distilling neutral alcohol with dried sweet and bitter orange peels.

26. Mr. Smee in "Peter Pan," e.g.: BOSUN.

28. "Farewell": AU REVOIR.

30. Chuckle sound: HEH.

31. Publicizes: AIRS.

32. Counter protests?: SIT INS - It's hard to believe these needed to happen in my lifetime.

34. Plants whose roots are used to make tapioca: MANIOCS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Into each puzzle a little learning must occur

36. Complete rapidly, with "out": BANG.

38. Fishing gadget: BOBBER.

39. __ lettres: literary genre: BELLES - Fine letters or beautiful writing. More

40. Daytime fare: SOAPS.

41. Metalworking ridge: KNURL

42. American Eagle Outfitters subsidiary: AERIE.

44. Animal that sleeps 18 to 22 hours a day: KOALA.

46. Robert Indiana sculpture: LOVE.

48. Ego: SELF.

50. Grammy category: RAP.

51. Big name in pasta sauce: RAO - I noticed it on the grocery shelf next to Prego after I saw it in a cwd.

*