Sunday November 2, 2025 Marc Goldstein

Theme: "RETRACE YOUR STEPS" - The second word or second part of each common phrase is dance style, which is repeated like taking the same step twice.

22. Dance of the moonlighters?: SIDE HUSTLE HUSTLE.

40. Dance of the mothers-to-be?: BABY BUMP BUMP.

32. Dance of the anglers?: SANDDAB DAB.

69. Dance of the homebodies?: PORCH SWING SWING.

98. Dance of the flamboyant?: SHOW PONY PONY.

106. Dance of the investigators?: WIRETAP TAP.

123. Dance of the pickpockets?: OLIVER TWIST TWIST.

I like these new dance crazes and the images they project. 

We have another Sunday debut. Congrats, Marc! I wish there's a site like XWord Info that analyzes all the LAT puzzles. I bet we debuted more Sunday puzzles than other papers. 

Across:

1. Comforting touches: PATS.

5. Perceived: SEEN.

9. Puck's flagship restaurant: SPAGO. Wolfgang Puck

14. Wound remnant: SCAR.

18. 2-Down's love interest: ERIC. 2. Rebellious mermaid: ARIEL.

19. Long skirt: MAXI.

20. Classic quilted handbag maker: CHANEL. A bit heavy due to the chain.

21. Goddess of marriage: HERA.

25. Garden spot: EDEN.

26. Many a first-time voter: TEENAGER. Also 29. Wiser companion?: OLDER.

27. Night, in the Eternal City: NOTTE.

28. Blow up, in a way: TREND.

30. Terra firma: LAND.

35. Tear: RIP.

37. Upper limb: ARM.

39. Blessed event?: SNEEZE. Bless you.

46. Middle sch. math class: ALG.

47. Temporary repair material: TAPE. Our old water pipe had a pin hole a few weeks ago. No tape worked.

51. __ cube: ICE.

52. First-year student working toward a JD: ONE L.

53. Poet's "at no time": NE'ER.

55. Troubled: HASSLED.

57. "Whiskey Lullaby" singer Paisley: BRAD.

59. Prefix with -pathic: IDIO. Idiopathic is a new word to me: medical term that describes a condition with an unknown cause.

61. Savor: RELISH.

63. Work unit: ERG.

64. Coin from the Royal Mint: SOVEREIGN. Also unknown to me. From Wikipedia: The sovereign is a British gold coin with a nominal value of one pound sterling and contains 0.2354 troy ounce of pure gold. 

66. Roman garb: TOGA.

67. Concern: ISSUE.

73. Sleepy housemate: HAPPY. The Disney dwarfs.

76. Flag: TIRE.

77. MLB team playing in Sacramento ahead of their move to Las Vegas: ATHLETICS. The move is planned for the 2028 season. "Juiced!"

81. Mathematician Lovelace: ADA.

82. Spotless: CHASTE.

85. Israeli airline: EL AL.

86. Give kudos at a poetry slam: SNAP.

87. Stressful position: HOT SEAT.

89. Tolkien's Shepherds of the Trees: ENTS.

92. Surrounded by: AMID.

94. Evergreen with upright cones: FIR.

95. Tennis icon Arthur: ASHE.

96. King or queen: BED. 93. King or queen: DYNAST.  I love clue echoes.

101. Principles: VALUES.

104. Musician and peace activist Yoko: ONO.

105. Once __ while: IN A.

110. Biblical mariner: NOAH. Our lesson next week is "Creator of Heaven and Earth".

113. Insider parlance: ARGOT.

117. Not moving: INERT.

118. White Rabbit follower: ALICE.

120. Silica gel packet target: MOISTURE.

122. Undershirt, briefly: CAMI.

126. Put in stitches: KNIT.

127. "__ percent of the game is half mental": Yogi Berra quip about baseball: NINETY.

128. How to get in on a deal?: ANTE. Fun clue.

129. Natural balm: ALOE.

130. Tantalizing: SEXY.

131. "Hedda" actress Thompson: TESSA.

132. Drive up a phone bill, in a way: ROAM.

133. Longings: YENS.

Down:

1. Sauce made with basil and pine nuts: PESTO. My favorite sauce has been miso peanut butter lately. 

3. Helped through hard times, with "over": TIDED.

4. Set crew's responsibility: SCENERY.

5. Arrogant: SMUG.

6. Support for a work in progress: EASEL. Artwork. 

7. Over-the-top: EXTRA.

8. World Cup score, maybe: NIL.

9. Closes: SHUTS.

10. Angel hair and linguine: PASTAS. Been loving edamame pasta lately.

11. Radio receiver: ANTENNA.

12. Take shape: GEL.

13. World Cup "Score!," maybe: OLE.

14. Fruity, frozen desserts: SHERBETS.

15. Surrendered: CEDED.

16. Final Four venue: ARENA.

17. H.E.R.'s genre: R AND B. H.E. R. stands for "Having Everything Revealed". Her "Fight for You" won an Oscar.

20. Margaret of "Drop Dead Diva": CHO.

23. Big name in gummy bears: HARIBO.

24. Evasive maneuver: END RUN.

28. Toon devil: TAZ.

31. Catch: NAB.

33. India Gate city: DELHI. War memorial. Looks like Arc de Triomph.

34. "L'Absinthe" painter: DEGAS.

36. Less sizable: PUNIER.

38. Butterfly honorific, for short: MME. Madama Butterfly. Such a sad story. 

40. Lobster dinner accoutrements: BIBS.

41. Prefix with -polis: ACRO.

42. Wally's sitcom bro: BEAV.

43. Combat caregiver: MEDIC.

44. Predicaments: PLIGHTS.

45. "Evita" name: PERON.

48. Some Belgian blondes: ALES. Belgian blonde ales.

49. Cradle of the Inca Empire: PERU.

50. Slight advantage: EDGE.

54. Jamaican genre: REGGAE.

56. Gleam: SHINE.

58. "Nosferatu" actress Lily-Rose: DEPP. Daughter of Johnny Depp.

60. Not remote: ON SITE.

62. Racer's final chance to win: LAST LAP.

65. Rolls-__: ROYCE.

66. Precursor to overtime: TIE.

68. Some military figs.: SGTS.

70. Small but loud songbirds: WRENS.

71. Hula Hoop maker: WHAMO.

72. "Fighting" team of the Big Ten: ILLINI.

73. "Ur so funny!": HA HA.

74. Kerfuffles: ADOS.

75. Trail: PATH.

78. Facts, for short: INFO.

79. Abel's brother: CAIN.

80. Chipper: SPRY.

83. "Se __  español": HABLA. "Spanish spoken here".

84. Devoured: ATE UP.

88. Harshness: SEVERITY.

90. E'en if: THO.

91. Many a Petrarch poem: SONNET.

97. Holds back: DETAINS.

99. Curry favor with: WOO.

100. Not quite (there): PART WAY.

102. Court fig.: ATT.

103. Ointments: SALVES.

106. Candle threads: WICKS.

107. Silly: INANE.

108. New version of an existing song: REMIX. What's the your favorite remix of a popular song?

109. Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA.

111. __ acid: AMINO.

112. Shade-loving perennial: HOSTA.

114. Cunning: GUILE.

115. "Citizen Kane" director Welles: ORSON.

116. Heads of France: TETES.

119. Get teary: CRY. Jinx, there aren't words for this sorrow. We're holding you and your wife in our thoughts and prayers. And we'll keep holding you in the days after. 

121. One thing alone or two people together: ITEM.

123. Que. neighbor: ONT.

124. Whopper: LIE.

125. "Why Can't We Be Friends?" band: WAR.

C.C.

Friday, May 23, 2025 - Marc Goldstein

 Theme:  "Play ball!"

Today, we played baseball

Puzzling Thoughts:

Today's puzzle seemed a bit more Friday-ish in difficulty; clues were more suited to an end-of-the-week puzzle and made for a more satisfying solve

I don't know much about today's constructor, other than this similar puzzle that appeared early in 2024, so this might be a debut for Marc.  There are scores of puzzles from Rebecca Goldstein ... unlikely that they're related, but who knows? 

Today's "theme" is all about baseball.  Five entries; a mixture of words and phrases that begin with a baseball reference and are supported by clever clues:

17-across. Tube on an automatic ball launcher?: PITCH PIPE.  A pitch pipe is actually the image shown below and is used by choral groups when singing a cappella:

25-across. Batter's decision not to bunt?: SWING VOTE.  A swing vote refers to a vote that is regarded as decisive to the outcome of an election because it is not predictable which candidate or party it will be cast for.  Or maybe it just refers to this?

34-across. "I got it!" or "Blazing fastball!," for example?: CATCH PHRASE. Great clue!  Here is a little whimsy

50-across. Tally entered on a scoreboard?: HIT RECORD. Of all the hit records out there, I chose the one below as my favorite ... listen to as much or as little as you desire as it's the "album" version ... 

The video I found, coincidentally, combines the song with (58-across. Instructional video about getting under a tag?:) a SLIDE SHOW, so enjoy both simultaneously

Pitch, swing, catch, hit, and slide.  All BASEBALL terms

Well done, Marc - and if this is your debut LAT puzzle, congratulations are in order.  Feel free to post here if you stop by 

The Grid

Here are the rest of the clues/answers

Across:

1. "Whip It" band: DEVO.

5. Substantial account: SAGA.

9. Mint family herb: BASIL.  learning Moe-ment but not surprised by it

14. Photoshop, say: EDIT.

15. __ hygiene: ORAL.

16. "My Brilliant Friend" novelist Ferrante: ELENA.  A bit tougher clue than to use the name of one of our Supreme Court justices - good Friday clue

17. [entry]

19. "Sorry, got other plans": I CAN'T.  I tried "I PASS" first

20. Ghost __ chance: OF A.  Partial phrase - thought these were "no-no's" for 21st Century crossword puzzles

21. Cry of discovery: OHO.  I tried AHA first

22. Polar vehicle: SNO-CAT®.  This spelling refers to the brand name of vehicles produced by Tucker Industries.  The actual "vehicle" is referred to as snowcat - a portmanteau of snow and caterpillar 

23. __-Leste: first new sovereign state of the 21st century: TIMOR.  More info

25. [entry]

28. Bygone boxy Toyota: SCION.  

Debuted in 2003 - discontinued in 2016

29. Art Deco designer: ERTE.  aka, Romain de Tirtoff

30. Flagon kin: EWER.  A good Friday clue - the word flagon is rarely used, but then again, so is ewer

31. Suffix similar to -ess: ENNE.  

32. Crushes, in a way: ACES.

34. [entry]

39. Stock option?: SOUP.  You make soup by using stock - here is one of our favorites:

40. Starring role: LEAD.

42. Whack: SWAT.

46. "A Death in the Family" writer James: AGEE. One of many 4-letter proper names that have one consonant and three vowels

48. Container allowances on scales: TARES.

50. [entry]

52. Not suitable: INAPT.

53. Sudden charge: ONRUSH.

54. Racket: DIN.

56. Rock & Roll HoF city: CLE.  Here is the list of the 2025 inductees (Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is in CLEveland, OH)

57. Perch: ROOST.

58. [entry]

61. Govt. security: T-NOTE.  T-BILL and T-BOND fit, until they didn't

62. Obedience school lesson: HEEL.  STAY fit until it didn't

63. "Present!": HERE.

64. Ribald nature spirit of Greek mythology: SATYR.  This one certainly fits the description

65. "Relax": EASY.  "CHILL" didn't fit

66. "New-to-you," perhaps: USED.  Nice clue

Down:
1. Storehouses: DEPOTS.

2. Imposing structure: EDIFICE.  The reason the image of my puzzle grid has one black triangle in the corner of the second letter "I" is because I spelled the word edifAce

3. Nutrient in citrus: VITAMIN C. 

4. Like 3-Down pills: Abbr.: OTC.  Over-The-Counter

5. Former frosh: SOPH.

6. Melodic: ARIOSE.

7. Opening: GAP.

8. Brewpub brew: ALE. IPA fits, too, but I didn't fall for it

9. "The Perks of __ a Wallflower": 2012 teen drama: BEING.  Sure, why not

10. Secluded spot: ALCOVE.

11. Dugong, for one: SEA COW. A CSO to my fellow Friday sherpa, Malodorous Manatee

12. Natural: INNATE.  Not to be confused with its homophone enate which refers to those relatives traced to the female side of the family

13. More recent: LATTER.  LATEST was inserted by me which made the NE corner take longer than it should have to solve

18. Insects in the genus Vespa: HORNETS.  More, from Wikipedia

22. Scornful expression: SNEER.

Younger generation's "sneer"

My generation's "sneer"

24. Actress Chaplin: OONA.  One of many 4-letter proper names that have one consonant and three vowels

26. Spot for a bar code, often: WRAPPER.  aka, a SKU ... 

One of my favorites

27. Hankering: ITCH.  URGE also fit until it didn't

33. Cracker served with 39-Across: SALTINE.

35. Whistle blower: COACH.  Good clue

36. "Les Misérables" novelist: HUGO.

37. English actor Bean: SEAN.

38. Maladies treated with drops: EARACHES.

41. Strongly regret: DEPLORE.

42. Gym bottoms: SHORTS.  As opposed to tennis and/or golf bottoms, for women, SKORTS

43. Ryder of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice": WINONA.  She was also in "Beetlejuice" (the original - which I liked better than the remake)

44. Fundamentally: AT ROOT.

45. Unlikely to be undependable: TRUSTY.

47. Swirls of water: EDDIES.  <=== this is one of the entries that I considered for a Moe-ku

49. Like some tomatoes and prunes: STEWED.  <=== this is another 

51. Organic compound: ESTER.  No "ku" here

55. Aimlessly: IDLY. 

58. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE.  Is it just me, or did this song sound a bit like the Beach Boys??

59. Thompson of "Back to the Future": LEA.  In "Back to the Future", Thompson plays the role of mother to Michael J. Fox's character, Marty McFly ... in real life, Lea is but 10 days older than Michael

60. Moo __ pork: SHU. Finally, a "Moe-ku":

        The Three Stooges coined

        A new Chinese restaurant dish:

        It's called:  Moo SHU Shemp