Monday December 1, 2025 Katherine Simonson

  

Welcome to December, everyone! sumdaze here with a truly SPECIAL episode of   <dramatic pause>   The Crossword Corner.

Theme:  

If you are wondering, "What's the deal with today's puzzle?", skip ahead with me to the reveal:  

58 Across. Snarky response to a boast, and what can be said about the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: ISN'T THAT SPECIAL.  

In other words, the ends of the themed clues fit the pattern SPECIAL _____.

Dana Carvey being snarky as The Church Lady on SNL 

Now let's see how this gimmick works on the themed answers: 

17 Across. *Belongings: PERSONAL EFFECTS.  

SPECIAL EFFECTS are illusions created for movies and television by props, camerawork, computer graphics, etc.  

an example of campy SFX in a movie

23 Across. *Grow, as a savings account: EARN INTEREST.  

A SPECIAL INTEREST group is a group of people or an organization seeking or receiving special advantages, typically through political lobbying.  

39 Across. *Gas station convenience store chain: CIRCLE K.  

SPECIAL K cereal has been around since 1955. It was the first cereal fortified with seven vitamins and iron.  

CIRCLE K and SPECIAL K

50 Across. *Philosophical concept concerning the moral code of the universe: NATURAL ORDER.  NATURAL ORDER is the orderly system comprising the physical universe and functioning according to natural (as distinguished from human or supernatural) laws.

A SPECIAL ORDER is a request for a customized item, like the one in this Burger King jingle from the 1970s:  

Hold the pickle. Hold the lettuce. SPECIAL ORDERs don't upset us.  🎵🎵

I really liked Katherine's theme set! Let's see what other SPECIAL sauce she put into today's grid:

Across:

1. South American capital city with a namesake legume: LIMA.  I did not know that they are the same LIMA. Get all the facts here.

5. Tells a white lie: FIBS.  

9. Resist authority: REBEL.

14. Many a North African: ARAB.

15. Foot or furlong: UNIT.  Both are UNITs of measure.

16. Fill with joy: ELATE.  OTOH, to fill with air is to "infLATE".

20. Capitol Hill VIP: SEN.  Very Important Person and SENator  

21. "Well, gosh!": GEE.  

22. Small talk: CHAT.  

28. Small caves: GROTTOS.  

Italy's Blue Grotto is along the Capri Coast.

29. South Korean capital: SEOUL.  12 Interesting Facts about Seoul (with pictures!)

32. Fires up, as an engine: REVS.  Listen for the engine REVS in the Shangri-Las' 1964 song, Leader of the Pack.   

33. Stair climber's aid: RAIL.  

36. Bert's "Sesame Street" roommate: ERNIE.  In this 2 min. video, Bert and Ernie remind us that we are all SPECIAL.  

38. Summer on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  This is the French word for summer.  

It looks so Nice!

41. Compadre: PAL.

42. Body midsection: TORSO.

44. Headquarters: SEAT.  Think "County SEAT".

45. Minute __ orange juice: MAID.

46. "__ mio": classic Italian love song: O SOLE.  I have linked the Pavarotti version in previous blogs. Today I am opting for this 1967 jaunty instrumental version. (Details can be found in the video.)  

48. General unease: MALAISE.  Def.:  (noun) a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being.

53. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA.

56. Forensic sci. specialty: CSI.  science and Crime Scene Investigation

57. Snatch: NAB.

64. Assumed name: ALIAS.

65. Equipment: GEAR.

66. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.  I'll be there later this week.

67. "__ luck!": LOTSA.  This is informal speech for "lots of". It might not always be said with sincere intentions.

68. Best Comeback Athlete, e.g.: ESPY.  ESPN presents annual ESPY awards to athletes.

69. Whole bunch: SLEW.  There have been a SLEW of ESPY winners.  website

Down:

1. Once around the track: LAP.

2. Outrage: IRE.

3. Exploratory vehicles on the red planet: MARS ROVERS.  There have been six successful robotically operated MARS ROVERS. This 2 min. video presents a possible next generation MARS ROVER -- a tumbleweed rover. I'm a fan of biomimetic ideas! 

4. Removes (oneself): ABSENTS.  Def.:  (verb) to keep (oneself) away.

5. "Sounds like a good time!": FUN.  This was a FUN answer!

Here is the 2011 song, We Are Young by the band named FUN.  

6. Once __ lifetime: IN A.  

7. Hogwash: BILGE.  I only knew this word in connection to boats (BILGE pump).  

This is a screenshot from the Merriam-Webster website.

8. Cattle ranch animal: STEER.  

9. NBA official: REF.  

10. Qualified voter: ELECTOR.  Merriam-Webster gives us three definitions. The first relates to this clue and the third was niche so I thought I would include it for your entertainment.

Def. #1:  a person qualified to vote in an election.

Def. #3:   any of the German princes entitled to take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor.

11. "Brandenburg Concertos" composer: BACH.  Speaking of German noblemen...Johannes Sebastian Bach [1685-1750] presented the Brandenburg Concertos to one. It is a collection of six pieces given to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721. The original title translates to Six Concertos for several instruments. They are now known as the Brandenburg Concertos. You can listen to Concerto No. 3 by clicking the video below.  

12. Jazz vocalist James: ETTA.

13. "__ we forget": LEST.  

18. "I'm taking care of that": ON IT.

19. Add-on charges: FEES.  

23. White marsh bird: EGRET.  EGRETs are wading birds, closely related to herons. These clever birds have comb-like serrations on the edges of their middle claws which help them to preen feathers they cannot reach with their beaks.  this and more

24. Unimaginative retort: ARE, TOO.

25. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  

You can buy it in sheets, ready to roll.

26. Bygone Russian rulers: TSARS.

27. "__ and ye shall find": SEEK.  

30. Debt collector's target: UNPAID BILL.

31. Be a go-between: LIAISE.  Liaise rhymes with "ablaze". It is a back formation of "liaison". With all of those vowels, you probably already know it comes to us from French. 

34. Winter road hazard: ICE.

35. Alpaca kin: LLAMA.  I had lunch with this mama alpaca and her 2-day old cria when I was on my cycling vacation. Nancy, the owner of the farm, gave us a lovely tour. 

37. Respected leader: ELDER.

39. Pepsi or Coke: COLA.  sOdA  🠆  COLA

40. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

43. Hyundai sedans: SONATAS.  Hyundai has been making these mid-sized cars since 1985.  Wiki says it was named after the musical term. BTW, their SEAT is in SEOUL.

45. Salsa percussion pair: MARACAS.  

Is this Joe Manganiello?

47. Inscribe with acid: ETCH.

49. Unique: LONE.  

51. Factor in battery life: USAGE.

52. Ceremonial acts: RITES.

53. Money in Iran: RIAL.  We also had its anagram RAIL today. Furthermore, "Iran" and "RIAL" are 75% anagrams.

54. Norway home of the Munch Museum: OSLO.  The Munch Museum opened in 2021. It contains a staggering amount of Munch-related pieces. The building itself is also very interesting. Watch this 4:19 min. video to see what I mean.  

Note #1:  Try to spot the swimmer at 3:49 in the very bottom, left corner.

(I looked it up. In its warmest month, that water is 61°F.)

Note #2:  The sculpture in the water at 3:53 is She Lies.

55. Peevish state: SNIT.  Def.:  (noun) a state of agitation.

I would advise against accusing someone of being in a SNIT. If they were not already, they will likely be in a SNIT after your accusation.

59. Agcy. that x-rays bags: TSA.  agency and Transportation Security Administration

60. Sticky tree juice: SAP.

61. Snoop: PRY.

62. Stopped fasting: ATE.  In a way, we stop fasting every morning. The word breakfast comes to us from a Middle English phrase that means "to break one's fast; end abstinence from food".

63. Blue: LOW.  as in "sad"

The grid:  

Katherine's grid has 61 themed letters. Wow!

That's all for today. Have a great week, everyone!

Monday November 24, 2025 Joseph A. Ganji

  

Happy Monday-before-Thanksgiving, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle to whet your appetite. Theme:  

I had intended to insert the Norman Rockwell painting but this one caught my eye.

Constructor Joseph A. Gangi serves up these five themed answers:

17 Across. "Gee willikers!": GOOD GRAVY.  Both of these expressions of astonishment are generally associated with older generations and regional dialects.

25 Across. Lists of top students: HONOR ROLLS.

37 Across. Folks who do a lot of binge-watching: COUCH POTATOES.

48 Across. Get down to brass tacks: TALK TURKEY.  another idiom clued with an idiom

60 Across. Extremely simple: EASY AS PIE.

GRAVY, ROLLS, POTATOES, TURKEY, and PIE are all parts of a traditional Thanksgiving holiday feast. However, instead of merely listing  menu items, the foods are plated in our grid via non-food, in-the-language phrases. Bonus points for ending with dessert!

Next we will partake of the remaining clues & answers:

Across:

1. Music genre known for four-on-the-floor beats: DISCO.  Good start! I like a 1-A clue that takes a little sussing -- but not in a discouraging way.

Four-on-the-floor is drummer lingo for using a foot pedal to hit the bass drum on each of the four quarter beats in 4/4 timing. In other words, the drum just thuds 1-2-3-4. It is commonly used in dance music genres.  Example:  Dancing Queen by ABBA (released 1976)  

6. "__ we there yet?": ARE.  

9. Double-reed woodwinds: OBOES.  "Double-read" means an oboe uses a single, double-reed -- not two reeds.

14. Rack up, as expenses: INCUR.  

15. Young chap: LAD.  Both chap and LAD are more commonly used in British English.

16. All smiles: HAPPY.     and     22 Down. Flash a smile toward: GRIN AT.  😀

19. Pet pests: FLEAS.     and     23 Across. Pet pest: TICK.  

20. Road trip option: INN.

21. "I'm totally with you": SAME.

22. "Keep talking": GO ON.

29. Prepare, as bao buns: STEAM.  

They can be made with a variety of sweet or savory fillings.
A pork mixture is a common choice.

31. Sizable: BIG.

32. Tire filler: AIR.  Unlike bao buns, one should refrain from filling tires with a pork mixture.

33. Insta post: PIC.  Instagram is a PICure-sharing app.

35. Kitchen nooks: DINETTES.

40. Food storage rooms: PANTRIES.  I love an organized pantry. Today I found a can of olives in my pantry that expired two years ago.  

This is not my pantry ... but wouldn't it be nice?

41. Meadows of "Peacemaker": TIM.  his IMDb page

42. Land between Can. and Mex.: USA.

43. Zero's counterpart, in binary code: ONE.  It is time for today's math lesson. Binary code uses two digits, 0 and 1. This is handy for situations with only two states, such as ON or OFF with electricity. Another code with which you might be familiar is hexadecimal code. Hex gives us 6 and decimal gives us 10 so this code requires 6+10=16 digits. We have to be creative because we normally only have ten digits, 0-9. The solution is to use letters as digits. A hexadecimal code uses 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, and f. So a=10, b=11, c=12, d=13, e=14, and f=15. This saves a lot of space when dealing with really large numbers. One place you might have seen this is in Box d. Control number on a Form W-2. Here is an example:  

A1B2 is (2X16⁰) + (11X16¹) + (1X16²) + (10X16³) = 2+ 176 + 256 + 40,960 = 41,394

44. Give height to, as hair: TEASE.  This is a method of backcombing hair to make it puffier. It can also make knots that are difficult to comb out later.

53. Clever notion: IDEA.  

Rock the Boat    ~    The Hues Corporation    ~    1973

"So I'd like to know, where you got the notion"  🎵🎵

54. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.  

Earp's tombstone -- not the movie, Tombstone

55. Bread often brushed with ghee: NAAN.  Ghee is clarified butter and is often used in Indian cooking. In this clue, ghee is a hint that we are looking for a food in Indian cuisine.

57. Class that may send one back to the drawing board: ART.     and     51-Down. Support for a drawing board: EASEL.

58. Lose strength: ABATE.

62. Washroom fixture: BASIN.  We do not see this answer in XWDs as much as we see its semi-synonym:  nsync.

63. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day, e.g.: EVE.  an apt Easter egg

64. Actor Dinklage: PETER.  [b. June 11, 1969] He has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Game of Thrones.  

65. Oohed and __: AAHED.

66. "Kenan & __": former Nickelodeon sitcom: KEL.  IMDb link

67. Full of attitude: SASSY.

Down:

1. Fingers and toes: DIGITS.

2. Party to the conspiracy: IN ON IT.  Here we have an example of solver-friendly clue writing/editing.  IN ON = "Party to" but the "IT" was aided by a noun object in the clue.

3. Wall-mounted light: SCONCE.  

Pro tip:  They can sometimes be used to open a secret door.

4. Cow's chew: CUD.  If you have ever observed the contented faces of cows chewing their CUD, you would be like me and wish humans could do that, too. Alas, we only have one stomach.

5. Assns.: ORGS.  Associations and ORGanizationS

6. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.

7. Bird in a Poe poem: RAVEN.  Precisely:

8. Name in the ice cream aisle: EDY.  

9. "Ugh, never mind!": OH FORGET IT.

10. "The Jungle Book" bear: BALOO.  

11. Welcome sign for a hungry night owl: OPEN LATE.  In this case, the night owl is not a bird but a person who often stays up late. Do we have any night owls on The Corner? 

12. Ecol. monitor: EPA.  Ecology and Environmental Protection Agency

13. Method: Abbr.: SYS.  SYStem

18. Pep squad cheer: RAH.  

24. Out of order: KAPUT.  This is a fun word. It comes to us from the French word capot, via the German word kaputt. I was surprised to see that Merriam-Webster does not classify it as a slang term.

26. Somber bio: OBIT.  biography and OBITuary

27. Falsehoods: LIES.  When I Googled "OBIT" and "LIES" I learned about hoaxer Alan Abel who died for real in 2018 but in 1980 he persuaded the New York Times to report his death.

28. Former jrs.: SRS.  juniors and SenioRS

30. Fleeting fad: MICROTREND.  I could not find this word in Crossword Tracker. It might be a first-time use.

A MICROTREND is "a niche or industry specific consumer behavioral trend which is mass market ready and actionable." Some attribute the rise in MICROTRENDs to social media and especially, to influencer marketing posts. Another article said this has led to overconsuming in order to "keep up".  

Tomato Girl Summer is now oh, so last season. 😀

34. Body-lifting exercise that may be done in a doorway: CHIN-UP.  

35. Buns, bobs, and beehives: DOS.  I am pretty sure you have to 44-Across your hair to make a beehive hairDO.

36. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.

37. Spanish house: CASA.  Casa translates to "house" in Spanish. Also, kasa translates to "umbrella" in Japanese. My memory trick for this was that they both provided a 'roof' over one's head.  You can see it in the kanji.  

There is no "c" in Romanji (English letters for Japanese words).

38. Tethered: ON A LEASH.  

Resident Alien fans will recognize this from the handbook.

39. __ pressure: PEER.  This happens when a group hug is too tight.

40. "To __ it mildly": PUT.  The mechanic said, "To PUT it mildly, your engine is KAPUT."

45. Changes with the times: ADAPTS.

46. Story told in installments: SERIES.  For example, David Copperfield was published as a serial from May 1849 through November 1850. Then it was published in book format in 1850.

47. Bistro, e.g.: EATERY.

49. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE.  [b. March 17, 1997]

There just are not enough superlatives for this athlete.

50. Ye olde rascal: KNAVE.

52. "Huzzah!": YAY.  Merriam-Webster lists huzzah as a noun that is often used interjectionally to express joy or approval.

56. Short snoozes: NAPS.  

Scott Metzger creates the best pet comics.

58. Old hoops gp.: ABA.  The American Basketball Association was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. more about the relaunch

59. "Hello, ewe!": BAA.  Cute clue.  

Translation:  Hi mom!

60. Startled cry: EEK.

61. Watery expanse: SEA.  About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered. That's quite expansive!

The grid:  

Joseph did not have a lot of wiggle room constructing this grid.
Ending with PIE meant the only two themers
he could switch around were the two 10-letter answers. Well done!

Now it is time to clean up the dishes. Have a great-ful week, everyone!

Monday November 17, 2025 Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle from seasoned constructor, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano. Enrique's puzzles are known for their sparkly fill. We have some fun examples of that today. Let's get into it!

Theme:        Geological Time Scales  

The circles in each of today's themers alerted solvers that a three-letter word for a geological unit of TIME could be found twice in the full answer.

20 Across. *Overseer of a theatrical production: STAGE MANAGER.  

26 Across. *Law that governs interstate electricity transmission: FEDERAL POWER ACT.

45 Across. *Little Free Library instruction: TAKE ONE LEAVE ONE.  

As an added bit of fun, notice that AGE, ERA, and EON are in order from shortest to longest.  

Sussing 20-Across meant that I had six gimmes waiting. That helped to make for a smooth solving experience. No complaints from me. This is a Monday, puzzle, after all.

I won't waste any more time. Here is the reveal:

51 Across. Repeatedly, or what's found in the answers to the starred clues: TIME AND AGAIN.  I smiled a smile of recognition and quickly typed in "TIME After time" but ran out of boxes -- which momentarily perplexed me. Nevertheless, I found Enrique's reveal to be equally delightful. Well done!

Now that we know the gimmick, it's about TIME we look at the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Tea infuser material: MESH.  I am a tea drinker so I have a few of these. (I am sure I would find more if I opened more drawers.) I bought the top, right one at Sally Lunn's in Bath, UK. It has a metal MESH. The green one has a plastic MESH. The other one just has little holes, no MESH. 

5. Give a poke: PROD.  

9. __ and pains: ACHES.  

14. Inkling: IDEA.

15. Like some overcooked meat: ROPY.  The more I tried to find a fitting definition, the more grossed out I got. "Viscous" is pretty close.

16. Accessory used by Woody in "Toy Story": LASSO.  

Riders in the Sky     ~     Woody's Roundup

album:  Toy Story 2 (Original Soundtrack) (1999)

17. Indication: SIGN.     and     18 Across. Portentous 17-Across: OMEN.  

19. Very much so: TRULY.  

Also, Truly Scrumptious was the name of the lead female character in the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang played by Sally Ann Howes. I think you already know that the movie was based on the book by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame.

23. Little bit: TAD.

24. Part of a good story?: MORAL.  Good one! We are not talking about any old above-average story. We are talking about a story that promotes making good (MORAL) choices. Such stories usually end with, "And the MORAL of this story is...."

33. Come to deserve: EARN.  

34. Knotted accessory: TIE.  Here's a 2:28 min. video on how to TIE a Windsor knot. I like the camera angle.  

35. Croc kin: GATOR.  Crocodile and alliGATOR are both shortened.

36. "Just __ thought!": AS I.  

Honest John from Pinocchio

37. Declared for the NBA draft, e.g.: WENT PRO.  National Basketball Association is shortened, so is PROfessional. "Going pro" or "turn pro" refers to when an athlete relinquishes their amateur status, as would be the case when being drafted to a PROfessional team.

40. Yale student: ELI. Yale University students are nicknamed ELI after benefactor Elihu Yale.

41. Techno keyboard: SYNTH.  A SYNTHesizer is an electronic musical instrument. They are typically played with keyboards.

43. "__ you decent?": ARE.  Translation:  Do you have clothes on?

44. "Don't come any closer!": STOP.  

The Supremes     ~     Stop! In the Name of Love     ~     1965

49. Enjoy thoroughly: SAVOR.  

50. "Eternals" actress McHugh: LIA.  Lia will celebrate her 20th birthday tomorrow. 🎂 Eternals was a 2021 movie that was external to my radar. Lia played the character Sprite.

57. Gem that may be natural or cultured: PEARL.  What's the difference?

60. First Nations people: CREE.

61. Pakistani language: URDU.

62. Spur into action: IMPEL.  

63. Prong: TINE.  Def.:  (noun) a slender pointed projecting part.

64. Melodic vocal quality: LILT.

65. Blender setting for baby food: PUREE.

66. Ooze: SEEP.

67. Big name in potato chips: LAY'S.  As it turns out, just last month Lay's announced it's biggest rebranding in nearly a century. In its news release, Lay's said that 42% of people who eat Lay's potato chips do not realize they are made with real potatoes (I am not making that up.) so they want to show more potatoes on the bag. Read all about the big changes and see the new bag design here.  

Lay's bags 1944-2025 (but not the new one)

Down:

1. Fail to notice: MISS.

2. Revise, as prose: EDIT.  EDIT's etymology says that it is a back-formation from editor, meaning that the word editor predates the word EDIT. I found that surprising.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog game company: SEGA.  Sonic the Hedgehog started out as a video game. It was later made into a TV series and a movie.

4. Surf with one's toes off the board: HANG TEN.  Fifty years ago, this surfing maneuver was a symbol of West Coast lifestyle. It requires a longer board than surfers use nowadays.

On a related note, in 1960 the Hang Ten clothing company was launched in Seal Beach, CA. Their merchandise featured the bare feet logo. In my neck of the woods, it was the Izod crocodile of the 1970's. more Hang Ten company history  

5. One sharing a limo ride to a formal dance: PROM DATE.  This is the "ride to the prom" scene from Napoleon Dynamite (2004). It's 4 min. long. Be patient or fast-forward.  

6. Slender tomato: ROMA.

7. Up for new experiences: OPEN.

8. Bundle of energy: DYNAMO.

9. Catwoman, for Selina Kyle: ALTER EGO.  While you might not know who Selina Kyle is, pouncing from "Catwoman" to "super hero" to the answer was not too much of a stretch.

10. Italian city known for marble: CARRARA.  Do you want to know what a Carrara marble mountain looks like? Or perhaps you want to know how to pronounce this word? Watch this 2-min. video.  

11. "The Wild Robot" voice actress Stephanie: HSU.  Stephanie will celebrate her 25th birthday a week from tomorrow. 🎂  The Wild Robot is a movie that came out last year.

12. Night school subj.: ESL.  subject and English as a Second Language

When I lived in Japan, I was grateful for the city-sponsored Japanese language classes. My fellow students represented many countries.

13. Source of tofu and tempeh: SOY.  I have both in my refrigerator. If you are OPEN to learning more, read this article.  

tofu (l.) & tempeh (r.)

21. Unit of corn: EAR.

22. Pai __: casino game with tiles: GOW.  wikiHow says that this "is a Chinese betting game that uses tiles instead of cards."

25. Not punctual for: LATE TO.  

White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

26. Decadent meal: FEAST.  In WHOVILLE, their FEAST was "Who-pudding and rare Who-roast-beast, which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least!"  

27. Course that should boost a GPA: EASY A.

28. Beverages: DRINKS.

29. Songwriter/actor __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.  Can you believe it's been 10 years since Hamilton opened on Broadway?

30. Poppy part: PETAL.  This is California's state flower. Each flower has four PETALs. I took this picture last May.  

31. Double-dot symbol: COLON.  

32. Menudo ingredient: TRIPE.  TRIPE is stomach tissue used for food. Menudo is a traditional Mexican soup made with TRIPE. 

37. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" town: WHOVILLE.  In this clip the Whos sing their joyous Christmas song even though the grinch took all of their presents.

38. Not post-: PRE-.

39. Oh-so-profound: REAL DEEP.  

Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

42. Source of a medicinal oil: TEA TREE.  A tree that is a member of the myrtle family. Oil from the tea tree is used in shampoos and skin care products and to treat skin infections. It has been used in some cultures to treat other skin conditions, including acne, burns, and insect bites. The scientific name is Melaleuca alternifolia.  source

44. Beach bird: SEAGULL.  

46. __ de plume: NOM.  This is a name a writer uses instead of their legal name.

47. Raises, as a monument: ERECTS.

48. Routing word: VIA.

52. Grammy winner India.__: ARIE.  [b. Oct. 3, 1975]  This singer/songwriter performs in our puzzles often. I wonder if she has ever sung an ARIA.

53. State bird of Hawaii: NENE.  The NENE is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and the Big Island, but you can also see these beautiful birds at the zoo in Waikiki on Oahu.

54. Opera highlight: ARIA.

55. With no particular purpose: IDLY.

56. Trail mix ingredients: NUTS.

57. Dice-y spot?: PIP.  The dots on dice are called PIPs.  

Also, Gladys Night hung out with three cool Pips.

58. Source of green eggs: EMU. ... but not ham.

When I was teaching at a one-room school, I made green eggs and ham with my students on Dr. Seuss' birthday. I had Araucana hens at the time so I brought in a few of their green eggs. When the kids were not looking, I put a drop of green food coloring in a bowl. Then I let the kids crack the eggs into the bowl which was just above their eye level. When they whisked it together they oohed over the green mixture. Next we cooked it up with some ham cubes. So fun!

59. Boston Marathon mo.: APR.  It is traditionally held on the third Monday in the month of April. Cruciverbalists will be interested to know that the race course includes four miles through Natick, MA.  details here

The grid:  

Enrique's grid has two 12-letter and two 15-letter themed answers.

That's all for today. See you next time!

 

 Notes from C.C.:

Our dear blog friend Inanehiker (Nina) lost her mother last Tuesday. You can read Jorae's obituary here. Please keep Nina and her family in your thoughts during this difficult time.