Tuesday, March 10, 2026 Geoffrey Schorkoph and Matthew Luter

Odds or Evens?

20-Across. Road trip activity with yes or no answers: TWENTY QUESTIONS.

34-Across. Uno's predecessor: CRAZY EIGHTS.

41-Across. Hasbro product with yellow and red checkers: CONNECT FOUR.

And the unifier:

51-Across. "You must consider the odds," and what can be said about 20-, 34-, or 41-Across?: IT'S A NUMBERS GAME.  Consider the Odds that all the Games have Even Numbers.

Across:

1. Sleight of hand: MAGIC.

6. Film trivia site: IMDB.  As in Internet Movie DataBase.  It's useful when you recognize an actor's face, but can't think of his name.

10. __ golf: DISC.  I'll let the golfers among us describe this sport.

14. Best Picture Oscar winner starring Mikey Madison: ANORA.  Anora is a romantic comedy-drama about a young girl from Brooklyn who meets and marries the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch.  His parent's aren't amused.

 

15. Nurture: REAR.

16. Machu Picchu builder: INCA.  Machu Picchu is an Incan city set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru. Built in the 15th century and later abandoned.  It is known renowned for its dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar and panoramic views.   It is truly breathtaking.  If you have an opportunity to visit the site, I highly recommend it.

17. Played on TV again: RERAN.

18. Years, in Latin: ANNI.  Anno is singular; Anni is plural.

19. Aussie greeting: G'DAY.  We learned about Australian greetings a couple of weeks ago.

23. Fashion designer Anna: SUI.  Anna Sui (b. Aug. 4, 1955) was a big name in fashion in the early aughts.

24. Low-carb diet: KETO.  Keto is short for ketogenic, a diet designed to induce ketosis, a metabolic state where the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.

25. Bona fide: ACTUAL.  More of today's Latin lesson.  It literally means In Good Faith.

29. On a cruise ship, maybe: ASEA.

31. Glamping options, for short: RVs.

36. Butter unit: PAT.

37. Saintly ring of light: HALO.

38. "Hamilton" actress Phillipa: SOO.  Philippa Anne Soo (b. May 31, 1990) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  She is best known for her role as Eliza Hamilton in the original Broadway musical Hamilton.

39. The Big Easy, for short: NOLA.  As in New Orleans, Louisiana.

40. Mother of 41-Down: EVE.  //  41-Down. Genesis brother: CAIN.

45. Lair: DEN.

46. Like some limited-release films: ARTY.

47. Hoot and __: HOLLER.

48. Bed size: TWIN.  Back in the olden days, married couples slept in twin beds.

50. Buddy: PAL.

59. __ scale: measure of mineral hardness: MOHS.  The Mohs scale of mineral hardness was developed in 1812 by Friedrich Mohs (né Carl Friedrich Christian Mohs; Jan. 29, 1883 ~ Sept. 29, 1839), a German chemist.

60. Beat handily: ROUT.

61. Language of Sri Lanka: TAMIL.  Sri Lanka is the island country off the tip of India.

62. Item on a stage manager's checklist: PROP.

63. Ilk: SORT.

64. Pizzeria appliances: OVENS.

65. Participates in a bee: SEWS.

66. Tense and irritable: EDGY.

67. Gossipy person: YENTA.

Down:

1. Bodega: MART.

2. From the top: ANEW.  A crossword staple.

3. 1990s vice president: GORE.  Before he became the 45th Vice President, Al Gore (né Albert Arnold Gore Jr.; b. Mar. 31, 1948) served as a United States Senator from Tennessee.

4. Tehran's country: IRAN.  I think this country has been in the news recently.  Did any of you watch the television show Tehran that is on Apple TV?

5. "Who knows": CAN'T SAY.

6. Baghdad citizen: IRAQI.

7. Array of course offerings?: MENU.

8. Great __: big dog: DANE.

9. Staple of Texas barbecue: BRISKET.  Yummers!

10. Finger or toe: DIGIT.

11. Splashy hotel amenity?: INDOOR POOL.

12. Read a barcode: SCAN.

13. Tropical islets: CAYS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about Cays, but didn't know to ask.

21. Christmas season: YULE.

Christmas in July.

22. Brews enjoyed with scones: TEAS.

25. Felt a workout: ACHED.

26. Hunger for: CRAVE.

27. Amateur production: TALENT SHOW.

28. "The Residence" star Aduba: UZO.  I am not familiar with either The Residence or Uzo Aduba (née Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba; b. Feb. 10, 1981).  She is probably best known for her portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Orange Is the New Black.

29. Torment: AGONY.

30. "If the __ fits ... ": SHOE.

32. Regard highly: VALUE.

33. Ringo of the Beatles: STARR.

35. "This __ about you": ISN'T.

39. Gp. that sets a zebra among the Lions?: NFL.  The zebras here are the referees.

42. Surgical asst.: OR NURSE.

43. Blacken, as a steak: CHAR.

44. "Anna Karenina" novelist: TOLSTOY.  Leo Tolstoy (Sept. 9, 1828 ~ Nov. 20, 1910) published Anna Karenina as a novel in 1878.  It had initially been released in serial increments between 1875 and 1877.  You can read it here.

49. Builders of papery nests: WASPS.

50. Like one who holds grudges: PETTY.

51. Rascals: IMPS.

52. Ripped: TORE.

beyond torn.

53. Word before ring or swing: MOOD.

54. Town: BURG.

55. Donated: GAVE.

56. Blessing ender: AMEN.

57. Julep herb: MINT.  Yummers!

58. Disney princess with icy powers: ELSA.  A reference to Frozen.

That's all for this week.

חתולה

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Matthew Luter

Shake Your Booty.

17-Across. Performer who might play finger cymbals: BELLY DANCER.

25-Across. Easily frightened sort: SCAREDY CAT.  Think shaking with fear.

36-Across. Furry red "Sesame Street" toy: TICKLE ME ELMO.

53-Across. Hardware store device that makes custom colors: PAINT 

MIXER.

And the unifier:

62-Across. "How goes it?," or a question that could be answered by 17-, 25-, 36-, and 53-Across: WHAT'S SHAKIN'.

Here's the Grid:

Across:

1. Direction in the name of only one U.S. state: WEST.  West Virginia became the 35th state in June 1863.  The state separated from Virginia during the Civil War due to political, economic, and geographic differences, including opposition to secession from the Union. 

5. News network that changed its name in 2025: MSNBC.  Since November 2025, network became known as MS NOW.  Enough said.

10. Story that spans generations: SAGA.  Ken Follett (né Kenneth Martin Follett; b. June 5, 1949) writes wonderful sagas.  His most recent addition to the Knightsbridge series is The Armour of Light, which takes place during the Napoleonic era.  It's on my TBR list.

14. Writer Wiesel: ELIE.  Elie Wiesel (né Eliezer Wiesel; Sept. 20, 1928 ~ July 2, 2016) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Much of his writing is about the Holocaust and human rights.  In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

15. Spanish nana: ABUELA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  The Hebrew word for grandmother is Savta (סבתא).  The Yiddish word for grandmother is Bubbe.

16. Large primates: APES.

19. Baseball glove: MITT.

20. "But that's not why I __ ... ": CALLED.

21. Cassette: TAPE.

23. Australian bird with secondary eyelids: EMU.  The emu is Australia's largest native bird, and the world's second largest bird (the ostrich is larger).  It is a tall, flightless bird known for its speed, shaggy brown feathers.  They are omnivores, eating plants and insects, and use their powerful legs and three-toed feet for defense and running up to 31 mph.  Did you know emus are also strong swimmers?  The birds are also a national symbol and are featured, along with the kangaroo, on the Australian coat of arms.

24. Fennel flavor: ANISE.  Fennel is an aromatic herb in the carrot family, known for its sweet, licorice-like flavor.

28. "The Simpsons" tavern owner: MOE.

29. Plausible explanation: THEORY.

31. Leather with a fuzzy finish: SUEDE.

32. Blog feed initials: RSS.  As in Real Simple Syndication.

34. Sort: ILK.

35. "Shiny Happy People" band: REM.

41. Small eggs: ROE.  Fish Eggs, followed by 42-Across. Very small eggs: OVA.

43. Guffaw: YUK.

45. __ hair pasta: ANGEL.  Its formal name is Capellini.  It is a very thin, long-cut Italian pasta made from durum wheat semolina and the name means Little Hairs.

48. Echoing guitar effect: REVERB.

51. Bar bill: TAB.

55. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA.

57. Feel poorly: AIL.

58. Breakaway group: SECT.

59. Actress/inventor Hedy: LAMARR.  Hedy Lamarr (née Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; Nov. 9, 1914 ~ Jan. 19, 2000) was an amazing woman.  Her father sparked her interest in technological inventions.  In the early 1940s, she met composer George Antheil (né George Johann Carl Antheil; July 8, 1900 ~ Feb. 12, 1959), and together they co-invented a radio guidance system designed to allow torpedos find their targets.  They obtained a patent, however, opted not to utilized the system.  The principles in this system, however, were later utilized for secure wireless networking.

60. Sheet music symbol: CLEF.

65. Listen to: HEAR.

66. Connected: LINKED.

67. Hawaii's state bird: NENE.  This bird used to make frequent appearances in the puzzles back in the 1980s when I began doing the crosswords in earnest.

68. Small whirlpool: EDDY.

69. __ Hall: New Jersey university: SETON.  Seton Hall University is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey.  The school was founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley (Aug. 23, 1814 ~ Oct. 3, 1877) and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (Aug. 28, 1774 ~ Jan. 4, 1821).

70. "My stars!": I SAY!

Down:

1. Online video tool: WEBCAM.  Technology is a wonderful thing until it isn't ...

2. Roosevelt who was first lady for 12 years: ELEANOR.  Eleanor Roosevelt (Oct. 11, 1884 ~ Nov. 7, 1962) was the the longest-serving First Lady because her husband was elected for 4-terms as President, but she a political figure in her own right. 

3. Most inane: SILLIEST.

4. Rats (on): TELLS.

5. Exec's degree, often: MBA.  As in the Master of Business Administration.

6. __-dried tomatoes: SUN.  Yummers!

7. Hummingbird food: NECTAR.

8. Like sleep-deprived eyes: BLEARY.

9. "__ diem!": CARPE.  Today's Latin lesson.  

10. Actor Waterston: SAM.  Sam Waterston (né Samuel Atkinson Waterston; Nov. 15, 1940) is a versatile actor, but is probably best known for his portrayal of Jack McCoy, the Assistant District Attorney on Law and Order. 

11. Each: APIECE.

12. Grow angry: GET MAD.

13. Insightful: ASTUTE.

15. Sum up: ADD.

18. Toss aside forcefully, in slang: YEET.  Apparently, this is a Gen-Z term.

22. Ford that flopped: EDSEL.  It does look rather ugly.

25. Peddle: SELL.

26. Cola choice: COKE.

27. Delish: YUMMY.

30. Go backpacking: HIKE.

33. Warning wail: SIREN.

35. Raise, as kids: REAR.

37. Young male horses: COLTS.

38. Checkers turn: MOVE.  Which is older, Chess or Checkers?

39. "Best. Day. __!": EVER.

40. Blooper reel bits: OUTTAKES.

44. Hurricane in Jesmyn Ward's novel "Salvage the Bones": KATRINA.  I haven't read this book, but I did live through Katrina.

45. Navajo neighbors: APACHE.

46. Did exactly right: NAILED.

47. "The Handmaid's Tale" setting: GILEAD.  The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood (b. Nov. 18, 1939).

48. Lionel of the Commodores: RICHIE.  Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. (b. June  20, 1949) is probably the best know member of the Commodores.

49. Still around: EXTANT.

50. Meh: BLAH.

52. Fred's friend in Bedrock: BARNEY.

54. Whimpers: MEWLS.

56. Muscat citizen: OMANI.  Muscat is the capital of Oman.

59. Acid rock's acid: LSD.  Short for lysergic acid diethylamide, a complex organic molecule with the formula as follows:

61. Word after waffle or curly: FRY.  Waffle fry didn't immediately come to mind.  Are they really chips?

63. Boxing ring ruling, for short: TKO.  As in Technical Knockout.

64. One of a D.C. 100: SEN.  As in Senator.  Each state has two Senators.  The number of Representatives depends upon the population of each state. 

That's all for this week.

חתולה