Friday, June 13, 2025, Katherine Simonson

No. No. The Other Way! The Other Way!

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists, and welcome to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.  Your host for today will be Marlin Perkins.  Oh, sorry.  Your host, today, is Malodorous Manatee and the program for today is a recap of a Friday puzzle by Katherine Simonson.

Let's start with the reveal:

56 Across:  Annual mass relocation, or a movement that happened four times in this puzzle?: ANIMAL MIGRATION.

At the places where the theme is applied, Katherine takes well-known two-word combinations, each involving an animal of some sort, and reverses the order of the words.  I guess that this could be called "MIGRATION".  While MIGRATION is a form of relocation it does seem to be a little bit of a stretch.  However, because the gimmick is more readily identifiable than in many other puzzles, there is no need to belabor the point.  

Here are the four "times":

17 Across:  Meeting of monarchs?: BUTTERFLY SOCIAL.  A social butterfly is a person who is outgoing, enjoys attending social events, and often moves between different social groups without forming deep connections. They are typically charismatic and thrive on interacting with others. Flip Social Butterfly around and we have a group of Monarch butterflies enjoying each others company. Did anyone first think that kings and/or queens would somehow be involved?

23 Across:  Lingerie for a grizzly?: BEAR TEDDY.  From this:

To this:

34 Across:  Shortage of raptors? HAWK DEFICIT.   Deficit hawk is a political slang term for people who place great emphasis on keeping government budgets under control.  As the federal deficit alone is in excess of $35 trillion there is, apparently,  a shortage of this type of hawk.  Flip Deficit Hawk around and we have a dearth of flying carnivores.

51 Across:  Protest in support of the loser of a fabled race?: HARE MARCH.  The March Hare from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland morphs into:

This is how it all appears in the completed grid:

.... and here are the rest of the clues and answers

Across:

1. Raucous field cry: CAW.  A reference to the noise a crow makes and the first of 21 three-letter answers.

4. Workforce: STAFF.  Does the STAFF at REI or EMS sell staffs?

9. Wounded by a scorpion: STUNG.

14. Suffix with mod or nod: ULE.  ModULE or NodULE

15. Arctic: POLAR.  

16. Break down: PARSE.  Bill Clinton brought PARSE into the broader lexicon with his famous "It depends on what the meaning of is is" and  “Well, I’m just showing the American people what a verb is and what a noun is, would you like me to show them another verb and another noun?"

20. Words of the weary: I'M BEAT.

21. Box: SPAR.  Not a carton.  Pugilism.    

22. Mocking irreverence: SNARK.

28. Sea dog: MARINER.  Both GOB and Tar were too short.

30. Kicks on Route 66?: NISSANS.  Nice mash-up.  The NISSAN Kick is an automobile.  I don't think that the song anticipated that.  We'll let Ray Benson and company explain . . .

31. Moisturizer brand: OLAY.

33. Central Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL.  A place we frequently visit.

39. Half-moon tide: NEAP.

41. Lad of La Mancha: NINO.  Spanish for a young lad.

42. Divide with two cuts: TRISECT.  One might also create four pieces with two cuts (but the cuts would have to intersect each other).

46. Slices of American cheese: SINGLES.

53. Plot: TRACT.  Not the arc of a story.  A parcel of land.

54. Pedestrian: BLAH.  Meh.

55. Contort in pain: WRITHE.

61. Under the __: RADAR.  Idiomatic for intentionally not drawing attention to one's own self.  Look, the Norwegian RADAR operator has reported seeing some birds on the screen!  He's Scandinavian.

62. Entreaties: PLEAS.

63. Not gross: NET.  Not yucky.  A financial reference.

64. Acknowledge: THANK.

65. Had a restful night: SLEPT.

66. Burro: ASS.  A small one.

Down:

1. Avant-garde movement pioneered by Georges Braque: CUBISM.  Per Wikipedia, the CUBISM movement was pioneered in partnership by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

Still Life - Georges Braque

2. Spelman graduate: ALUMNA.  Spelman College is a private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1881.

3. Suite amenity: WET BAR.  Perhaps.  A hotel room that is not a suite could also have a WET BAR and a suite of multiple rooms could be without one.

Literally

4. "Last chance to object": SPEAK NOW. . .  or forever hold your peace.

5. Lawsuit basis: TORT.  A frequent cause of action in our puzzles.

6. Landon who was governor of Kansas in the 1930s: ALF.  ALF Landon was a Kansas governor and a Republican presidential candidate in 1936. He lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt and was the only Republican governor to win reelection in 1934.

7. Like some starts and returns: FALSE.  The former might result in a disqualification, the latter might result in a heavy fine and jail time.

8. Skillet: FRY PAN.  More often frying pan.

9. Hurling and curling: SPORTS.  Hurling is a contact sport played by men and women with a wooden stick and a ball. It is one of Ireland's native Gaelic games.  Alternatively, see 25 Down.  Curling is somewhat akin to  shuffleboard played on ice.

10. Middle of a winning trio: TAC.

Tic Tac Toe

11. Ocean State sch.: URI.

12. Cryptography org.: NSA.

13. Set: GEL.  Used as a verb as in how Jello firms up or GELs.

18. Polo of "Good Trouble": TERI.

19. Dress for a formal puja, perhaps: SARI.  This solver was not familiar with puja but SARIs are a form of dress frequently worn in crossword puzzles so, with a couple of perps, the answer quickly came to mind.  Once, I accidentally offended an Indian woman by using the wrong word for her clothing.  So I said "SARI."

23. Small nail: BRAD.

24. Morales of "Mission: Impossible" films: ESAI.

25. Feathered projectile: DART.  How does a dart board on the ceiling make you sick?  It causes you to throw up.

26. Forensic sample: DNA.

27. French fashion monogram: YSL.

29. Large ruminant in the Rockies: ELK.

32. Japanese dough: YEN.  Dough as in slang for money.

34. Locks: HAIR.

35. Cathedral feature: APSE.  A place frequented in our puzzles.

36. Amy Tan's "Saving __ From Drowning": FISH.  Tan is perhaps best known for The Joy Luck Club.

37. Pasta suffix: INI.  Bucatini, Ditalini, Capellini, Tagliolini, etc.

38. Distinction: CONTRAST.  As opposed to, say, horizontal hold?

39. Advanced degree?: NTH.  Not an academic reference.  Extremely/as much as possible.

40. Time capsule time: ERA.  A big 'thank you" for not heading down the Swifties road.

43. Board: EMBARK.  Do dogs ever leave?  Of course not.  They EMBARK.

44. Buzz: CALL.  As in "I'll give her a buzz".  No, not that kind of buzz.

45. Wanders (around): TRAMPS.  Like a TRAMP steamer.  ROAMS and ROVES were both too short.

47. Sandpaper measure: GRIT.

48. America Ferrera, for one: LATINA.  Clued this way, for this answer there were hundreds of millions of clues from which to choose.

49. Repeats: ECHOES.

50. Medical tubes: STENTS.  I have a friend who has been feeling really sentimental about a stent she had put in several years ago.  It still holds a special place in her heart.

52. "You need to relax": CHILL.  CHILL, man.  Gee.

55. Cloak: WRAP.  As in a riddle WRAPped up in an enigma.

56. Part of LACMA: ART.

57. Casual refusal: NAH.  Nah.

58. NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells: IDA.  A frequent visitor.

59. "Hoo boy": MAN.  Gee.  Chill, MAN.

60. Bagel center?: GEE.  GEE, man, chill.  Oops, sorry.  Force of habit.  It's actually one of those types of clues (but we're on to this trick).  B A G E L

Well, we've wrapped things up up five- three-letter words in a row so there's not much left to say except "Bye Bye For Now."  I will add, however, that the relative lack of proper nouns was refreshing, indeed.

On a further note, this recap marks the first time that this marine creature has ventured into the realm of AI generated images.  Did you spot them?

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Friday, May 30, 2025, Joe Deeney

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday Puzzle by veteran LAT and NYT constructor Joe Deeney.

This solver will admit to being quite unsure about the nature of the theme after first completing the puzzle.  After a while, though, the cob webs cleared and the double entendre nature of the clever theme became clear.  There is no reveal to guide us down this path so let's jump right in with the themed answers, of which there are five, and see how they "hang together":

17 Across:  Designation for who or what, perhaps: LEADING QUESTION.  The "perhaps" is crucial here as it is also in the following four clues/answers.  Either of the two interrogatories in the clue might LEAD (start) a question.  In this case, though, there is also the "angle" that they might be deemed by some to be the best type of question.  LEADING, here, more or less equals favorite choice.

23 Across:  Designation for tri tip or flap steak, perhaps.  TOP SIRLOIN  This one was misleading because, per Wikipedia, tri tip is the bottom of the subprimal cut and flap steak is from the muscle of the bottom sirloin.  In this case, though, either might be your favorite, or TOP, choice (but not in the sense of USDA Choice).

37 Across:  Designation for "Unforgiven" or "Tombstone," perhaps: BEST WESTERN.  Both of the titles in the clue are, as we say in crossword-ese, oaters.  BEST WESTERN is a chain of motels but one of the aforementioned titles could also be somebody's best/favorite western movie.

49 Across:  Designation for mozzarella or cheddar, perhaps: GOAT CHEESE.  Hmm, both types of cheese are made from cow milk.  In this case, though, GOAT is used as in Greatest Of All Time and one of the cheeses in the clue might be someone's favorite.

57 Across:  Designation for Ticonderoga or Faber-Castell, perhaps: NUMBER ONE PENCIL.  A #1 pencil is softer than the ubiquitous #2 pencil.  In this instance, though, either the Ticonderoga or the Faber-Castell (both brand-named pencils) might be someone's favorite.

Now that we have completed our work with our favorites, here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Rash reaction?: ITCH.  Not rash as in impulsive or not well thought out.  Literally, a rash on your skin.

5. Pool float: RAFT.

9. Tune in: WATCH.  Tune in - not in the Timothy Leary sense.  As in to watch on TV.

14. Branch of Islam: SHIA.  SHIITE was too long.

15. Santa __: California winds: ANAS.

16. "Here for you": I CARE.

20. Couple of dollars?: ELS.  One of "that" type of clue,  like Head of state =  S.  The are a couple of L's in dollars.

21. Chapel vow: I DO.

22. Cosmetics brand with a So Fierce! collection: REVLON.  This solver is unfamiliar with So Fierce! but did know some cosmetics brand names so, after a few perps, the answer was sussed out.

27. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA.  Their music is often labeled "ska punk, a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. 

28. Eye ailment: STYE.  We'll skip the photo.

29. Fitting: APT.  Indeed

30. "Not all heroes wear __": CAPES.  But Batman and Supergirl, among others, do.

32. Yellow __: LAB.  This solver, had he any input, would have suggested a way to work Labrador retrievers into the themed answers.

Rustler

35. Potential auction winner: HIGH BID.  Potential??

39. True to life: FACTUAL.  . . . but it may be cruel

Everybody Plays The Fool

40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA.  A frequent visitor.

41. Minor tussle: SETTO.

42. Actress Zadora: PIA.  Haven't thought of her in years.

44. "Curses!": DRAT.  DARN or DANG or RATS would have fit the allowable space.

48. Furry foot: PAW.  Having previously used the "the man who shot my paw" pun we will go with this:  It is always a good thing to occasionally PAWs and reflect.

52. Principal dancer in a ballet company: ETOILE.  French for STAR.

55. Hundred Acre Wood hopper: ROO.  A Winnie The Pooh reference.  Roo is Kanga's child.

56. Beach bottle no.: SPF.  On sunscreen.  Sun Protection Factor

61. Tire out: DRAIN.

62. Stand up: RISE.  Business at the bakery is on the RISE.

63. Second-most-traded currency in the world: EURO.  That the answer was four letters helped.

64. Asks (for): SENDS.  As in "Send for the midwife!"

65. Basic sammies: BLTS.  with mayo

66. Frosh, probably: TEEN.  Frosh = Freshman

Down:

1. Bits of green in blue: ISLETS.  A stumper for a while but it does make sense.  Islands in the ocean.

2. Whole kit and caboodle: THE LOT.  Slangy clue.  Slangy answer.

3. U.S. operative: CIA SPY.  One of those answers where you go back over the grid you find yourself asking "What's a ciaspy?"

4. Possessed: HAD.

5. Shore leave, informally: R AND R.  Rest and Recreation.

6. Second-largest Portuguese-speaking country: ANGOLA.  40% as a native language.  60% total.

7. Page to check before contacting customer service: FAQ.  Frequently Asked Questions.

8. Historically Black school in Houston, briefly: TSU.

9. Sensible: WISE.

10. When Miranda says, "O, brave new world / That has such people in 't!": ACT V.  Even if one had not idea about the play being referenced, one could guess that the first part of the answer was ACT and then it was only a question of which Roman Numeral it would be.  See also 18 Down.

11. Severe decline: TAILSPIN.

12. Not on the up-and-up: CROOKED.

13. Dyes used for some body art: HENNAS.  Not often seen as a plural noun.

18. XXX divided by X: III.  Roman numerals.  Easy math  30 / 10 = 3

19. Directional suffix: ERN.  As in westERN.

24. Choose: SELECT.  Used as the verb.  But as an adjective:  What philosopher appealed to only a Select group of people?  Frederick Niche.

25. One of the two women in "Hamlet": OPHELIA.  One would have to be at least somewhat familiar with the play to know this one.

26. Terse assurance: IT IS.  It is.

30. "Strong Enough" diva: CHER.  This official video is pretty weird.

31. Rub the wrong way?: ABRADE.

33. Regarding: AS TO.

34. AC meas.: BTU.  British Thermal Unit

36. Classic Pontiac: GTO.  Ronny And The Daytonas were from Nashville!  Who knew.

37. Alter ego of DC's Kate Kane: BATWOMAN.

38. D.C. daily: WAPO.

39. Spotlight: FEATURE.  As in to shine the spotlight on someone or something.

41. Forks out: SPENDS.  Idiomatic clue.

43. Immobile: AT REST.  This solver has always thought of immobile as could not move.

45. Shelter adoptee: RESCUE.  A pet shelter reference.

46. Set lofty goals: ASPIRE.  What do you call a chicken that ASPIRES to become food?  A consommé  professional.

47. Nonstick coating: TEFLON.

49. Cologne's land: Abbr.: GER.  GERmany

50. Gets by: COPES.  What did the carpenter say about his broken saw?  I can't COPE with this.

51. Groundbreaking tool: HOE.

53. As above, in a footnote: Abbr.: IBID.  Ibid is a short way of saying "in the same place", which is helpful when citing.

54. Perspective, metaphorically: LENS.

58. Planet, e.g.: ORB.

59. Love of another sport?: NIL.  In soccer scoring NIL is zero and in Tennis scoring LOVE is zero.

60. Basket part: NET.  A basketball reference.

Have a great weekend.  Do some of your favorite things!

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Friday, May 16, 2025, Lewis Rothlein

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a Friday puzzle constructed by Lewis Rothlein.  Per the NYT a couple of years ago, Lewis Rothlein is a yoga instructor and jazz piano enthusiast in Asheville, N.C.  He has had puzzles previously published in both the NYT and the LAT.

This solver found today's offering to be challenging and enjoyable.  A number of the clue / answer combinations required some cogitation - not because they were obscure but because one had to dig a bit deeper than usual into the cranial data base.

There is no reveal/unifier in today's puzzle.  At four places within the grid Lewis breaks common words into two pieces and this "division" is incorporated into the manner in which the clue must be interpreted in order to conjure up the correct response.  Here are the four themed clues and answers:

17 Across:  Pa ss: SPLIT TICKET.  Neither pass as in a gap in the mountains nor pass as in to do well on a school exam.  As used in the clue, Pass means a way to get into a concert or a sporting event.  SPLIT TICKET voting is when a voter votes for candidates from different parties in the same election, as opposed to straight-ticket voting.  Here, though, the Ticket has been literally been split.

25 Across:  Fi rm: PARTED COMPANY.  Not firm as in solidified.  In the clue it is used in the sense of a business entity. . . and in this instance the entity has been PARTED like the Red Sea.  PARTING COMPANY, of course, most often is used in a different context.

43 Across:  Shis hito: CRACKED PEPPER.  Shishito is a type of pepper although it is not the type of pepper that is commonly CRACKED.  In the clue, the pepper has been cracked in half.

56 Across:  Bo nds: SEVERED TIES.  Not bonds as in financial instruments.  Bonds as in the ties that bind.  SEVERED TIES is quite similar to PARTED COMPANY, above, but is most often used in reference to a business relationship.

This is how it all looks in the grid:

. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Creature of Jewish folklore: GOLEM.  In Jewish folklore, a GOLEM is an artificial humanoid made of clay, soil, or dust brought to life by a series of rituals and magical formulas. According to legend, GOLEMs could only be created by a powerful rabbi.

6. Verb with thou: SAYST.  A variation of SAYEST.  A hand up here for first trying SHALT.

11. __ bar: FIG.  SAND was too long, as was OYSTER.

14. Slightly in front: UP ONE.  Not physically ahead of the pack.  UP ONE as in a sports score.  Not to be confused with One Up as in to overshadow.

15. Intercontinental range: URALS.  Demarcation line for Europe and Asia.

16. Soundless messaging syst.: ASL.

19. Dark site of the moon?: SEA.   SEAS, or mares, on the moon are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by lava flowing into ancient impact basins. They were dubbed maria (Latin for 'seas') by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas.

20. Members of a sub group: HOAGIES.  Not a reference to religious sects or to underwater vessels.  A sandwich reference.

21. Like overripe bananas: SPOTTED.  Not in the optical sense.  More like a leopard.

23. "Embrace the glorious __ that you are": Elizabeth Gilbert: MESS.  Elizabeth Gilbert is 

an American journalist and author. She is best known for her 2006 memoir Eat, Pray, Love

24. Dressage pace: TROT.   From Wikipedia, Dressage is a form of horse riding and an equestrian sport that aims to develop the horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform.

30. Formal, in a way: DRESSY.  Interesting with DRESSY following Dressage.

32. Sought office: RAN.

33. Fruit in some gin: SLOE.  

34. Overlord of the rings, for short?: IOC.  Not a LOTR reference.  The Olympic Rings.

35. "That's gonna leave a mark!": OOF.  Punt!

36. Family: KIN.  When asked if he had family in Salt Lake City, Robert de Niro replied,"Utah kin to me?"

37. Egg pouches: SACS.

39. Co-worker of Jamie, Alan, and Mara, in Progressive ads: FLO.  This solver thought that is was kind of the constructor/editor to choose the most-well-know of the group for the answer.  Had it been clued as, for example Co-worker of Jamie, Alan, and Flo this solver would have been at sea, as they say in some of our puzzles.  What did you think?

40. Planters: SOWERS.  As ye SOW so shall ye reap.

46. Blasted: DARN.  Not a reference to an explosion.  As slangy clue with a slangy answer.

47. __ bene: NOTA.  NOTA bene is a Latin phrase meaning "mark well" or "note well".  It is used to call attention to something important in a text or speech.

48. Skating hazard: THIN ICE.  Literally.  The expression is more often seen as an idiom.

51. Comic-con attendee with pointy ears, maybe: TREKKIE.  A Star Trek reference

55. Feel sick: AIL.  What does one say upon seeing a sick redhead?  Ginger ail.

58. Org. with Kings and Knights: NHL.

59. Switch: TRADE.  As in:

60. Aquarium fish: TETRA.  A frequent visitor to our tank.

61. Slime: GOO.  Punt-ish.

62. Campaign topic: ISSUE.  I told my boss, “Sorry I’m late. I was having computer ISSUEs. Boss: Hard drive?  Me: No, the commute was fine. It’s my laptop.

63. Caravan rest stops: OASES.

Down:

1. Rhapsodize: GUSH.

2. Intel collected during a race: OPPO.  Truncated clue, truncated answer.  A political race.  OPPO is damaging information about a political candidate that is gathered and used or made public usually by an opponent's camp.

3. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA.  Okay.  If we're headed down this road we might as well go with the over-the-top version.

4. Hard-to-read people: ENIGMAS.

5. Fortes: METIERS.

6. Word on some European notes: SUISSE.  Seen on Euro notes that feature Switzerland.

7. Shape made with a pencil and string: ARC.  A rudimentary compass.

8. Jaws: YAKS.  Not a reference to mandibles.  Idioms for talking too much.  Not a reference to these:

9. Didn't answer immediately: SLEPT ON.  As in the colloquialism to "sleep on it".

10. Brief weather event?: T-STORM.  "Brief" in the clue tips us off that the answer will be a-brief-iated.

11. Slick one: FAST TALKER.  The meaning of FAST-TALK is to influence or persuade by fluent, facile, and usually deceptive or tricky talk. 

12. Words of understanding: I SEE.

13. Willing (to): GLAD.  As in "I'd be GLAD to help you with that."

18. Petulant: TESTY.

22. Best or bests: TOPS.  The first word of the clue is an adjective.  The second is a verb.

25. Minor offense: PECCADILLO.  Anyone recall previously seeing PECCADILLO in a puzzle?

26. Wilt: DROOP.

27. Half-__: latte spec: CAF.

28. Cain genre: NOIR.  A reference to James M. Cain.  Perhaps best known for the novels Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

29. Urges: YENS.  Not used as a verb as in to pressure someone to do something.  The urges, themselves.

 

30. __ jockey: DISC.

31. Laugh good and hard: ROAR.

35. Word with hand or saw: OLD.  Precedes either/both.

38. Get the drift, perhaps: SCAN.  A bit of a stretch.  Apparently used as in to quickly peruse.

39. Folks who might say, "Curses! Foiled again!"?: FENCERS.  Not FENCERS as in those enclosing a yard.  A sword fighting reference.  A foil is a type of sword.

40. Botanical reproductive unit: SPORE.  How mushroom does a SPORE need?

41. Decided in favor of: OPTED TO.

42. Underwhelming argument: WEAK TEA.  Idiomatic.

44. Skating great Yamaguchi: KRISTI.  The name was known.  The spelling was aided by the perps.

45. Menu selection: ENTREE.  I recently made a delicious European breakfast entree, but when I finished eating it I had a stomach ache.  It was a Belchin Waffle.

48. Kick: TANG.   Spicy.  As in "this salsa has quite a kick to it."

49. Chipper greeting: HI HO.

50. Some NASA missions: EVAS. ExtraVehicular ActivitieS  What we used to call spacewalks.

52. Many Ikea purchases, essentially: KITS.  Put it together yourself.

53. French noun suffix: IERE.   French terms suffixed with -iere

54. Those, in Spanish: ESAS.

57. Gettysburg address feature?: EDU.  At first this solver thought that this was just plain wrong.  Got the web address part of it but every Gettysburg-related site I dug out ended with EDU or GOV.  Then Gettysburg College in, of course, Gettysburg, PA was "discovered".

and on that humbling note,

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