Saturday, July 26, 2025, Malaika Handa

 Saturday Themeless by Malaika Handa

This is my third themeless puzzle by Brooklyn resident Malaika Handa. Malaika is a software engineer who has been making puzzles for three years. You can see an archive of all her puzzles on her website: https://www.girlbosswords.com/ 

Here is a link to a playful but instructive interview with Malaika that includes this wonderful quote from her: 

Also, when you’re solving, look up entries that you don’t know! It’s a game, not a test.

Across:

1. Healing process: AFTER CARE - My DW is as good as you can get!

10. Wedding traditions that involve rings: HORAS - Ah, rings of people not metal

15. Participated in a group ride: CAR POOLED.

16. Not sneaky: OVERT.

17. Shape that might resemble a hexagon sliced in half: TRAPEZOID - Slicing this hexagon yielded a TRAPEZOID, a parallelogram and a triangle. This math guy loved this idea!

18. Shelf: LEDGE.

19. Goddess believed to be the divine mother of the pharaoh: ISIS.

20. Part of JPY: YEN - You have to look very carefully to see the symbol for the JaPanese YEN ¥ in the picture to the left of the number. Security measures on these notes

       

21. Fund: ENDOW.

22. Zip around a soccer field?: NIL - NIL and zip are euphemisms for zero.

23. Texting tech: SMS - We do a lot of Short Message Service text for personal and professional contacts. Here, my grandson and I set up a golf date.

24. Some characters on the U.K. show "The Thick of It": MPS - Members of Parliament ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

26. "Entertaining Is Fun!" columnist Garten: INA.

27. Not likely to enjoy icebreakers: SHY.

28. Actress Issa: RAE - A regular in our crossword cast

29. Asterisk: STAR.

30. 1960s hit covered by Salt-N-Pepa: TWIST AND SHOUT - I'm sure Salt-N-Pepa did just fine, but c'mon...

33. Gradually losing a connection: DRIFTING APART.

34. Bases for some sandwiches: TOASTED BAGELS.

35. Homey lodgings: INNS.

36. "Star Wars" heroine who inspired an Ali Hazelwood romance novel: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ REY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

  

37. Bird associated with Athena: OWL.

38. Qt. halves: PTS.

39. __ admin: SYS.

40. Some TVs: LGS - We have several 

41. Key ring attachment: FOB - It took me a while to realize I don't have to insert or remove a key from the ignition to start my car.

44. Dessert brand with the early slogan "Delicate. Delightful. Dainty.": JELLO - From 1873 -  1932

46. Golden ratio symbol: PHI - More

47. Country name that has an accent called a síneadh fada: EIRE.

48. To no __: AVAIL.

49. Sauce made with a molcajete y tejolote: GUACAMOLE - Molcajete y tejolote is Spanish for mortar and pestle. Here is the cooking version made of volcanic rock where grinding ingredients  brings out more of the flavor.

51. Host of HGTV's "Ugliest House in America": RETTA - She's a hoot.

52. Age-old navigation aid: URSA MINOR - The end star of URSA MINOR (tail of the small bear) is the North Star. It is the one point in the sky that is in the same position all night and every night and you can always tell which direction in North. The "pointer" stars in the Ursa Major always point to the North Star.

53. Cynical look: SNEER.

54. HelloFresh options: MEAL PLANS.

Down:

1. Cellular protein in microfilaments: ACTIN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ More than anyone wants to know

2. Language of the Asghar Farhadi film "The Salesman": FARSI.

                 

3. Lag: TRAIL.

4. Actor Omar: EPPS.

5. Spherical garnish: ROE.

6. Lilian Jackson Braun genre: COZY MYSTERY - These books are known for their lighthearted tone, focus on a small-town setting, and the absence of graphic violence or explicit content

7. Some xeriscaping plants: ALOES - Xeriscaping plants need very little water. Can you see some of our crossword ALOES in this landscape?

8. Pull (in): REIN.

9. "Double D" in a Cartoon Network trio: EDD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Supposedly the "brains" of this group 

10. Features of many well-loved sweatshirts: HOLES.

11. Pizza place: OVEN.

12. Social media users who celebrate an annual "cake day": REDDITORS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

13. Sailor on Jason's quest: ARGONAUT.

14. "Twilight" star: STEWART.

Robert Pattison.   Kristen STEWART

 
23. Loose dress: SHIFT.

24. Anime source, often: MANGA - MANGA are Japanese comic books from which anime (animated versions) are made.

25. Related to teaching: PEDAGOGICAL - A well-known word to this educator 

27. Like fondue: SWISS.

28. Passed: RAN BY.

29. Formal will: SHALL - SHALL and will are alternate form of a future tense verbs. SHALL is more formal and less used. SHALL is much better in this instance.

30. Decode: TRANSLATE - I think we all know that some of the most important decoding in human history happened in this building in Bletchley Park, England during WWII.

31. Nautical table data: TIDES - When I used to take kids to Cocoa Beach, FL we would arrive around 3:30 pm. If you look at the chart. below, you can see we would be there at a very low TIDE if we were there today at that time. There would be a lot of beach showing and a lot of shells would be taken back to the bus.

32. Shoots out: SPEWS.

33. Stop order?: DON'T EVEN - Back off Cowboy!

34. Change places?: TIP JARS.

39. __ plexus: SOLAR.

40. __ apso: LHASA - For you Irish!

41. "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" singer Apple: FIONA - Lyrically, Apple reaches into her past to confront middle-school bullies and looks into her future for an imaginary lover. Wanna listen to this sad/angry song?

42. Acrylic material: ORLON.

43. Heady stuff?: BEERS 😀

45. Lo-cal: LITE.

46. Name of LaCroix's unflavored sparking water: PURE.

47. Track legend Zátopek: EMIL - A Czech runner who won three gold medals in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

 

49. Extra, e.g.: GUM - I chew Mentos sugar-free GUM

50. Concert piece: AMP.

Irish Miss sent me a lovely note asking me to share this with you and of course I am happy to do so.

As RCA appears so often in our puzzles and Nipper is so well known, I thought this article would be of interest to the Cornerites. It has special meaning to me as I worked for RTA (Radio Television Appliance) which was a distributor for RCA appliances for 16 years in this building in Albany . This iconic RCA Records dog is now a symbol of New York's capital city. More information. 

 

Monday February 24, 2025 Malaika Handa and Stephen Lurie

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a music-themed puzzle by Malaika Handa and Stephen Lurie. Malaika gave us two LA Times Saturday puzzles back in 2022. It looks like this is Stephen's LA Times debut. Congrats!

Theme:  

We will begin with the unifier:

63 Across. Adopted a new attitude, or what music producers did to create the answers to the starred clues?: CHANGED ONE'S TUNE.  

Each of the three themed answers is a way music producers might alter a well-known tune to fit a specific situation. To demonstrate, I have linked three versions of Adele's Rolling in the Deep. 

17 Across. *Song that's been modified to have an intimate sound: ACOUSTIC VERSION.

In this first version you will only hear Adelle, a guitar, and a piano.  

27 Across. *Song that's been modified to be family-friendly: RADIO EDIT.  

This next version is the one played on the radio. It does have the work sh**. I do not know if that is allowed on the airways these days. Perhaps a more family-friendly version would change that word to stuff.  

49 Across. *Song that's been modified to have a dance beat: CLUB REMIX.  

This final version presents Adele's vocals but the tempo has been sped up. You will also notice, among other things, changes in the percussion instruments and background vocals.  

There you have it. Three ways to change one's tune. (In this case, Adele's tune.)

If you like this sort of thing, I recommend Pandora's Coffeehouse Covers playlist.

Let's keep rollin'....

Across:

1. __ Tuck: pal of Robin Hood: FRIAR.  

Disney made an animated version in 1973.

6. One of the four classical elements: AIR.  

9. Assistant: AIDE.

13. Sharp-eyed bird: EAGLE.  

14. Part of a recipe: STEP.

16. Sparkling wine choice: BRUT.  BRUT is the most common style of sparkling wine. BRUT means "dry, raw, or unrefined" in French. To be considered BRUT, the Champagne must be made with less than 12 grams of added sugar per liter. It is the driest (meaning the least sweet) classification for Champagne. 

20. Time in office: TERM.

21. On solid ground: ASHORE.

22. U.S. ID issuer: SSA.  Do you carry your Soc. Sec. card in your wallet? The Social Security Administration recommends that you do not carry your card with you. Instead, leave it at home in a safe place. Keeping it in your wallet potentially makes it easier for identity thieves to access your personal information. Additionally, the SSA asks that you do not laminate your card.

23. Midday snooze: NAP.  I like how this one is located next to 25-Across in the grid.

25. Midday meal: LUNCH.

32. Yosemite rock formation, familiarly: EL CAP.  El Capitan in Yosemite National Park rises 3,000 feet (900+ meters) above the valley floor. It is more than three times taller than the Eiffel Tower.

35. "I'm __ roll!": ON A.  

Whoo-hoo!

36. Squad: CREW.  

37. Like a filling stew: HEARTY.  See 28-Down.

38. Play opener: ACT I.

40. Perón of Argentina: EVITA.  Born María Eva Duarte in 1919, she was the first lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952 from cancer.

Evita looking glamourosa with her husband in 1947.

42. Have on: WEAR.

43. Like a spot under a beach umbrella: SHADED.  

45. Ruffles rival: LAYS.  Both are brands of potato chips.

47. "__ we there yet?": ARE.  

48. Maguire who played Spider-Man: TOBEY.  Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007), a role he later reprised in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

51. Yogurt condiment: RAITA.  This is a condiment made from yogurt -- not a condiment for yogurt (like blueberry compote).

53. Objective: AIM.

54. Unreturned serve: ACE.  racquet sports terminology

56. Regular: NORMAL.

59. Milky birthstone: OPAL.

66. Squeaky critters: MICE.

67. Posted: SENT.  think "posted a letter"

68. Invaders such as 58-Down and 66-Across: PESTS.

69. Repeat: ECHO.  ...as in "He ECHOed her sentiments."

70. Uno y uno: DOS.  1 + 1 = 2

71. Bonfire residue: ASHES.

Down:

1. Accomplishment: FEAT.  Is running a marathon a feet FEAT?

2. Tortoise-and-hare affair: RACE.  On a related note... a harrier is any of a breed of hunting dogs, like a large beagle, that were originally used for hunting rabbits.

3. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR.  (b. 1889 Kyiv, Russia - 1972 Easton, CT)  a bio worth reading

DH is a student of Sikorsky products so I asked him for a bit of trivia. He told me that all dual-pilot aircraft in which the two pilots sit side-by-side have the pilot in command sitting on the left (like cars in the U.S.) except for helicopters. The pilot in command of a helicopter sits on the right because this was Sikorsky's design. 

4. Many university donors: ALUMNI.

5. Low-__: fuzzy, as computer graphics: RES.

6. Thrift shop caution: AS IS.

7. Rash symptom: ITCH.  Poison oak is plentiful in my neck of the woods. A lot of people know to look for its red leaves but it changes with the seasons. 

8. Rebellion: REVOLT.

9. Muscles worked by bicycle crunches: ABS.  

Be careful not to pull on your neck.

10. Liqueur made by Baileys: IRISH CREAM.  

It is produced and bottled exclusively in Ireland.

11. Teams of two: DUOS.  Here are Nichole Ahsinger and Cheyenne Sarah Webster competing in women's synchronized trampoline in 2023:  

12. Sicily's highest peak: ETNA.

15. Country whose national dish is ceviche: PERU.  

The plantain chips look yummy!

18. Coming to a point: TAPERED.  

TAPER candles TAPER from the bottom upward.

19. Actress Zellweger:  RENÉE.  Have you heard that she made a new Bridget Jones movie? So far it is only available on Peacock. This is the trailer:  

24. NYC rep who was once a bartender: AOC.  New York City and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

26. Lobster's grabber: CLAW.  Unrelated to lobsters, here is the CLAW scene from Toy Story (2 min.):  

27. Skewer: ROAST.  My guess is the constructors are using this definition of skewer:  (verb) to criticize or ridicule sharply and effectively.

28. Pepper in pozole: ANCHO.  Pozole is a traditional soup or stew from Mexican cuisine. It is made from hominy and typically contains chicken or pork, cabbage, chili peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, and limes.  

It looks HEARTY.
recipe

29. Result of some cyberattacks: DATA BREACH.  A DATA BREACH is any security incident in which unauthorized parties access sensitive or confidential information, including personal data (Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, healthcare data) and corporate data (customer records, intellectual property, financial information).

30. Software engineer, for short: DEV.  DEVeloper

31. Volunteer's phrase: I WILL.  

33. Video game pioneer: ATARI.

34. Brand of glass measuring cups: PYREX.  

I have this one. It gets used a lot.

37. Small agricultural organization?: HAY BALE.  I like the attempt at word play with agricultural organization but it is misplaced on HAY BALE. There really isn't anything organized about a single bale of hay. It is a lot of dried grass tied together. On the other hand, a stack of many hay bales requires organization.

39. Thought: IDEA.  

Louis Armstrong   ~  (When We Are Dancin') I Get Ideas   ~   1951

41. Greek letter that resembles a "T": TAU.  

44. Looking at: EYING.

46. __ Lanka: SRI.  

49. Asked for identification: CARDED.  I ask for identification routinely at the tax office.

50. Gushes on stage: EMOTES.  

This clue made me think of Sally Field at the 1985 Oscars.

52. "Just keeping you on your __": TOES. Say this when you want to be really annoying.

54. High point: ACME.

55. Fashionable: CHIC.  Def.:  (adj.) cleverly stylish; smart; currently fashionable.

57. Single-channel: MONO.  Think speakers, not waterways.

58. Colony insects: ANTS.  Have you ever wondered where ants go in the winter ?

60. Shove: PUSH.  When PUSH comes to shove....

61. Penny-__: ANTE.  Def.:  (adj.)  small time; two-bit.

(I thought "two bits" equaled 25¢.)

62. "Tastes great, __ filling": Miller Lite slogan: LESS.  This is one of those TV commercials:  

64. Opposite of paleo-: NEO-.  Paleo-, as a prefix, means "early; primitive; archaic."

65. Place for a hot stone massage: SPA.  I love, love, love the hot stones. Such a pleasant way to wrap this one up!  

The grid:

Have a good week!