Saturday, October 18, 2025, Kyle Dolan

 Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan

 This is the 20th themeless Saturday puzzle by Dr. Dolan I have blogged. My first one was on May 26, 2018 and every one of his constructions has been a delight. This one was kind of an enjoyable slog until the long fills helped out. 

I'll point out the rough spots below that slowed my progress to a well-earned "got 'er done".

Across:

1. Sign of aging: PATINA - A very famous example: 

7. Leave a black mark on, say: SCORCH - The Apollo Command Modules returned to Earth from the Moon at 25,000 mph.  Entering Earth's atmosphere slowed them down enough to parachute safely into the ocean but the bottom heat shield got up to 5,000℉ which left SCORCH marks.

13. Withdrawal aid: ATM CARD 😀 What a fun clue (eventually)!

15. Sweet-talk: CAJOLE.

16. __ effect: phenomenon of attraction in fluid mechanics, familiarly: CHEERIOS - Cheerios in the middle of the bowl tend to clump together and on the edge of the bowl they cling to the side of the bowl. More...

18. Didn't work: RESTED.

19. French "his": SES - Il a besoin de SES chaussures (He needs his shoes)

20. Sure to fail: CAN'T WIN.

22. "Hansel and Gretel" figure: HAG - A word that is now considered to be sexist and ageist.

23. Hertz, for one: UNIT - Hertz are cycles/second. My hearing stops at around 8,000 hertz (vps) while my students could go up to over 20,000 hertz

25. __ steak: STRIP - I've eaten may a good NY STRIP Steak

26. Sloggy terrain: MIRE.

27. Twangy-voiced: NASAL - Bob Dylan leaped to my mind

29. __ canto: BEL - Italian for "Beautiful Singing" More...

30. "Derry __": sitcom set in Northern Ireland: GIRLS - I thought it might be something clever like Derry Ayers 😀

31. Home of "Whistler's Mother": MUSÉE D'ORSAY - Here Whistler's Mother, or Arrangement in Black and Gray No. 1, is being hung in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA as part of an exchange program with the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

34. Shooting stars?: SAGITTARIUS 😀 I loved this (eventually). This astronomy teacher should have parsed the reference to the zodiacal constellation of SAGITTARIUS The Archer.

35. Fallible ones: MERE MORTALS.

36. Prime minister between Theresa and Liz: BORIS - UK PM'S

Theresa May    Boris Johnson         Liz Truss

37. "Bad idea": NAH.

38. Clear a way for: LET BY - What linemen try to create for running backs.

42. Port northeast of Djibouti: ADEN - It's a 45 minute flight or an 84 hour drive (bad roads and armed conflict also make this a bad choice).

43. Cuts finely: DICES.

45. Elisabeth of "Cobra Kai": SHUE - Elizabeth Shue was 20 years old when she played Ali Mills in 1984's Karate Kid. She reprised that role at 61 years old in Netflix's Cobra Kai.

46. Former Japanese coin: SEN - Due to inflation, the SEN (.001 of a Yen) was demonetized after WWII and Japan now uses the Yen.

47. Has more than: OUT EATS.

49. "The Hurting Kind" poet Limón: ADA.

50. Bamboozle: TRIP UP.

52. Features of many Best Picture winners: R-RATINGS - The MPAA says: An R-rated movie contains content such as strong language, intense or persistent violence, sexually oriented nudity or drug abuse that is deemed unsuitable for viewers under 17. 

54. Call for: ENTAIL.

55. Plastic souvenir, e.g.: TRINKET.

56. Declares: SAYS SO.

57. Like a good sidekick: TRUSTY or maybe not...

Down:

1. California surf culture apparel brand: PACSUN.

2. Goddess who is a judge in "The Eumenides": ATHENA - I had no idea that this was a play by Aeschylus but ATHENA seemed like a pretty good guess for a Godess.

3. Construction such as the term "un-freaking-believable": TMESIS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

4. Sew up: ICE - Many NFL games are ICED (won) by game-ending field goals.

5. Snitch (on): NARC.

6. Dramatic solos: ARIAS.

7. Cheese substitute?: SCRIP - 😀 Both are synonyms for money

8. Bay Area columnist who coined the word "beatnik": CAEN.

The first use of the word

9. Citrus drinks, for short: OJS.

10. Shelters named for a senator: ROTH IRAS - William Roth was a Republican senator from Delaware. 

11. "No kidding": CLEARLY.

12. Equivocates: HEDGES.

14. "I'd have a backup plan": DON'T BET ON IT.

17. Many a "Fast & Furious" character: STREET RACER.

21. Free-spirited: WILD AT HEART.

24. Amazon primate: TAMARIN - Here's a Golden TAMARIN

26. Malapropisms, e.g.: MISUSES - He made a good living with them. Listen to as much of this 7:41 video as you like

28. Winter racers: LUGES.

30. Spot for a brat: GRILL - Uh, not for unruly children 

32. Calling card?: SIM.

33. "The Masked Singer" judge Rita: ORA.

34. Calm: SERENITY - Frank Costanza's mantra.

35. Biotech firm known for vaccines: MODERNA - It's the one we got

36. Juices up?: BASTES 😀

39. "Much obliged": THANKS.

40. Affordable: BUDGET - Having Dom Pérignon tastes on a Budweiser BUDGET could be disastrous

41. Like a brewery: YEASTY.

43. Lego brand for little hands: DUPLO - DUPLO is double in Danish

44. Flinch: START - Was this a part of anyone else's childhood?

47. Nice words of agreement: OUIS - When I see Nice, my mind immediately goes to French like in this song which charted at #2 in 1918.

48. To-do: STIR.

51. Some medical providers, for short: PAS - Our neighbor's daughter is an M.D. married to a Physician's Assistant (P.A.) in central Nebraska.

53. Shiba __: INU ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Kyle Dolan

The Energizer Bunny.  The first word of each theme answer is another word for energy.

3-Down. Potential basketball assist that hits the floor: BOUNCE PASS.

7-Down. Fast-food pickup location: DRIVE THRU WINDOW.

9-Down. "Quiet!": ZIP YOUR LIP.

28-Down. Kitchen gadget often used on oranges: JUICE PRESS.

Here's the unifier:

31-Down. Like some protein-rich snacks, or what can be found in 3-, 7-, 9-, and 28-Down?: HIGH ENERGY.  Note that each theme answer is in the down position.  This gives each synonym of ENERGY to be in the HIGH position.

Across:

1. Dining room fixture: TABLE.

6. QB's successes: TDs.  We have a mini Football Theme.  QuarterBack's successes are Touch Downs.  //  15-Across. Cards, on scoreboards: ARI.  The ARIzona CARDinals are a professional football team.  //  52-Across. QB's errors: INTS.  As in INTerceptions.

9. Sassy letter-shaped gesture: Z-SNAP.

14. Scrub hard, as a pot: SCOUR.

16. "Leave it to me": I WILL.

17. Connected to an outlet: PLUGGED IN.

19. Spotted bean or horse: PINTO.

20. Gas in bright signs: NEON.

21. "Nice work!": VERY GOOD.

23. Kindergarten recitation: ABCs.

25. Bygone automaker from South Korea: DAEWOO.

27. Loaf with seeds: RYE.

28. Leave at the altar: JILT.

29. The "L" of MLK: LUTHER.

34. Swiss peak: ALP.

35. Great Salt Lake state: UTAH.

36. Beethoven's Third: EROICA.  Eroica is Italian for Heroic.

37. South Beach neighbor: MIAMI.

39. Sign at a packed B'way theater: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.

41. McDonald's arches et al.: LOGOs.

42. Fly or flea: INSECT.

44. Citrus with an unappealing name: UGLI.  The Ugli fruit is a natural hybrid of grapefruit, orange, and tangerine.  It tastes better than it looks.

46. Birthday party topper: HAT.

47. End section of an Italian sonnet, e.g.: SESTET.

48. Burrito kin: WRAP.

49. Historical period: ERA.

50. Pocketful in a nursery rhyme: POSIES.  Ring Around the Rosie ....  Is this rhyme really about the Black Plague?

53. Neverland boy who befriends the Darling children: PETER PAN.

57. Hue: TONE.

59. Ooze, as charm: EXUDE.

60. "We're not on the same page": I DISAGREE.

64. Buffalo __: WINGS.  What's the real origin of Buffalo Wings?

65. __ de plume: NOM.  Today's French lesson.  Translated to mean a pen name.

66. "Copy that": ROGER.

67. Doesn't leave: STAYS.

68. Early afternoon: TWO.

69. Tim Gunn's area of expertise: STYLE.  Timothy MacKenzie Gunn (b. July 29, 1953) was the chief creative director at Kate Spade, Co.  He was also on Project Runway.

Down:

1. Kitchen qty.: TSP.  As in Teaspoon.

2. Knee surgery target, for short: ACL.  As in an Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

4. Some Winter Olympics sleds: LUGES.

5. Cogito, __ sum: ERGO.  Today's Latin lesson.  I think, therefore I am.

6. Smidge: TAD.

8. Muscle fiber: SINEW.

10. Big gulp: SWIG.

11. El __: climate pattern: NIÑO.  El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  Its cooler counterpart is La Niña.  During El Niño years, there tends to be less hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean.   La Niña years, on the other hand, favor more intense hurricanes in the Atlantic.

12. Voice below soprano: ALTO.

13. Trudge: PLOD.

18. Break up: END IT.

22. Auditioner's goal: ROLE.

23. One of the Three Musketeers: ARAMIS.  Also the name of a men's cologne.

24. Author credit: BYLINE.

26. Word of woe: ALAS.

30. As well: TOO.

32. Nature photography, perhaps: ECO-ART.

33. Jah worshippers: RASTAS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about Rastafari, but didn't know you needed to know.

38. Ran into: MET.

40. Fairy tale baddie: OGRE.

43. Camaro roof option: T-TOP.  Another crossword staple.

45. Endures: LASTS.

51. Miracle worker, perhaps: SAINT.

52. Gold bar: INGOT.

53. Congregants' benches: PEWS.

54. Red sign above a door: EXIT.

55. Sushi fish: TUNA.  //  And 62-Down. Sushi fish: EEL.  My first thought was Ahi, but we already had the Tuna Fish.

56. Provocative: EDGY.

58. Boathouse collection: OARS.

61. "Seems to me," online: IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

63. Poetic "before": ERE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה