Monday June 30, 2025 Amie Walker and Darby Ratliff

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's theme is:  

not that this is a test or anything....

20 Across. Place to see some spectacles?: GLASSES CASE.  A bit of misdirection is always fun. Perhaps you were thinking of a spectacular display?  

25 Across. "Abbott Elementary" star: QUINTA BRUNSON.  Congratulations to you if this one was a gimme. It was ESP for me. I checked our archives. Quinta's full name was a themed answer on 10/22/24;  she appeared in a clue on 5/29/25;  and she was mentioned in the write-ups on 10/25/23 and 10/29/24. It is time for me to remember her name. 

42 Across. Coach at a health club: PERSONAL TRAINER.  

You could say that Mr. Miyagi was a
PERSONAL TRAINER for the Karate Kid (1984).

52 Across. Manager who opens up a shop, or an apt description of 20-, 25-, or 42-Across: KEY HOLDER.  I was not familiar with this title. As the clue indicates, it is an employee with added responsibilities, such as arriving early to unlock a business.

Also, the circles spotlight three KEYs of another variety -- computer KEYs. Furthermore, the KEYs are held within the themed answers:  ESC, TAB, and ALT. I liked how our puzzle setter placed all the KEYs so that they span the two word answers. I noticed that these three keys are in the top-to-bottom order that matches my keyboard. I wonder if that was intentional.

Next, we will enter the other clues & answers:

Across:

1. Fashion mag known for quizzes: COSMO.  Magazine is shortened, so is COSMOpolitan. 

6. Dog's foot: PAW.

9. Fan out, as toes: SPLAY.  When dogs lay with their legs SPLAYed, it is called splooting.  

14. Proprietor: OWNER.  OWNERs are usually KEY HOLDERs.

15. Prefix with system: ECO-.

16. Self-assurance: POISE.

17. Media watchdog org. that focuses on queer inclusivity: GLAAD.  This organization was founded on November 14, 1985.  website

18. Big boat that held animal pairs: ARK.  

19. Answers an invite, briefly: RSVPS.

23. Korean car company: KIA.

24. Pizzeria order: PIE.  Dean Martin sang about one in 1953.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza PIE, that's amore.  ♪♪

32. Mom's sister: AUNT.

33. Neckwear worn by Mickey Mouse at Aulani Resort: LEI.  This is a Disney resort on the island of Oahu's leeward side. Their website says aulani means "messenger of a chief".  

34. Ladybug feature: SPOT.  Cute clue! A ladybug's spots are not random. They serve as a deterrent to predators.  more about ladybug's spots

36. Laser tag sound: PEW.

37. Runs at full speed: GALLOPS.  It is surprising how smooth it feels on a horse's back at full gallop.

41. "__ bit confused": I'M A.

45. Digital counterpart: ANALOG.

46. Beat in a hot dog contest, e.g.: OUT EAT.  This answer has four vowels and two T's.

47. Spots for facials: SPAS.

48. Tax season helper: Abbr.: CPA.

51. "__ la vie!": C'EST.  That's life! (French)

55. Opposite of 39-Down: ANTI.     and     39 Down. In favor of: PRO.

58. Major fad: MANIA.  

Beetlemania came to mind.

59. "I so agree with you": AMEN.

63. Vanilla __: BEAN.  It takes 9 months from pollination to bean; 9 months to cure the bean; and 9 months to enhance the flavor in a humidor.

64. Humidor item: CIGAR.  "Vanilla BEAN" did not fit.

65. __ sago: tapioca dessert served hot or cold: TARO.  Google says this is a Cantonese dessert.

66. Karaoke selection: SONG.  Karaoke translates to "empty orchestra" in Japanese.  

67. Came to the surface: AROSE.

68. Dutch semisoft cheese: EDAM.  made in the Netherlands

Down:

1. Gear tooth: COG.

2. Hooting bird: OWL.  I have always been fond of burrowing OWLs. They are less than 10 in. (25.4 cm.) tall and are active during the day. This video was made by someone with a trail camera.  Burrowing Owl Facts

3. Catch (on): SNAG.  It took me a bit to catch on that this was like when your sweater catches on a bench splinter.

4. HelloFresh product: MEAL KIT.  HelloFresh delivers meal components to your house.

5. Confer holy orders upon: ORDAIN.

6. Samosa vegetables: PEAS.  During the fall I stock up on Trader Joe's mini spicy pumpkin samosas; however, those do not have PEAS in them.

7. Land measure: ACRE.

8. Pans that might require special burners: WOKS.

9. Wrist injury: SPRAIN.

10. To have or to hold: POSSESS.  I like this allusion to wedding vows.

11. "I will never __ this down!": LIVE.

12. Nile snake: ASP.

13. "I accept!": YES.

21. Stayed put: SAT.

22. Apple core, for short: CPU.  This apple is a computer with a Central Processing Unit.

25. Largest borough of New York City: QUEENS.  I just needed one perp to guess at this one.  

26. Open, as a present: UNWRAP.

27. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.

28. Bike signal: BELL. I have a bell on all of my bikes. I use them to notify other Rec Trail users that I am about to pass but they are usually too busy looking at their phones to hear me.

29. Barrel of laughs: RIOT.

30. Weighs in: OPINES.

31. Vegetarian restriction: NO MEAT.

32. Dad, in Korean: APPA.  

35. Like sourballs: TART.

37. Canadian honker: GOOSE.  I recently learned about how the Artic Barnacle GOOSE builds its nest on a high cliff then the goslings do a freefall to meet their parents at the bottom. Apparently their bones are soft enough to survive the fall during a 36-72 hour window. This video is bananas!  

Spoiler alert: the chick survives!

38. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.

40. Sriracha, for one: SAUCE.  

43. Satisfying, as thirst: SLAKING.  Def. (verb) (1.) <archaic> Subside; abate.  (2.) crumble.

44. Say over and over: ITERATE.  Is "reiterate" redundant?

48. Seat at the table: CHAIR.  Literally.

49. Father of many, many puppies in "101 Dalmatians": PONGO.  I pulled this one out of the punchbowl!

50. Ms. Marvel, for Kamala Khan: ALIAS.  

Canadian actress Iman Vellani played Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel
 in the 2022 Disney+ series.

53. Org. with a pool, often: YMCA.

54. Truth alternative in a party game: DARE.

55. Crunch muscles: ABS.

56. Prefix with classical: NEO-.

57. Beach vacation souvenir: TAN.  My old boss used to say that a vacation's good vibes fade at the same rate as the TAN.

60. Steamed: MAD.  

61. Notable span: ERA.

62. Snack, cutesily: NOM.  

Here's the grid. We do not usually see vertical symmetry on Mondays.

Two notes before I close:

1. Thanks to RustyBrain for covering for me last week!
2. Please join me in wishing our blogmistress C.C. a very happy birthday!  🎂 

Monday June 23, 2025 Janice Luttrell

Rise and shine! It’s RustyBrain again, this time trying to fill sumdaze’s shoes, although my canal boats might not fit into her ballet slippers.

Today's constructor, Janice Luttrell, has been delivering quality crosswords for a decade now. True to form, this one was a smooth solve, but I think I turned up a hidden theme that may or may not have been intentional. Only your square-dresser knows for sure! Let’s see how it all turns out, starting with the revealer:

56. The Byrds No. 1 hit whose lyrics come from Ecclesiastes, and what can be found at the starts of 20-, 27-, and 48-Across: TURN TURN TURN. We are invited to find synonyms for TURN at the beginning of each theme answer. Not only that, but it's three TURNs, one for every season each themer! Told ya she was good. 

20. Soaker with jets: WHIRLPOOL TUB. WHIRL = TURN. WHIRLPOOL TUBS are often known by the popular brand name Jacuzzi. Ahh...

27. Unexpected change in circumstances: TWIST OF FATE. TWIST = TURN. If not for a strange TWIST OF FATE, these four could have been the Fab Four.

46. Public relations pros, informally: SPIN DOCTORS. SPIN = TURN. Also a popular rock group.

I think I'll dust off my old turntable and play some more records from my collection:

Across:

1. Olympic diver Louganis: GREG.

5. Like lit barbecue coals: HOT. And first half of a popular classic rock group, HOT Tuna.

8. Juice box insert: STRAW. And the beginning of another classic rock group, the STRAWberry Alarm Clock.

13. Christmas carol: NOEL.

14. "Who does __!?": THAT.

16. Vulgar: CRUDE.

17. Word puzzles involving quotations: ACROSTICS. Quote ACROSTICS are really tough! I hardly ever finish one.

19. __ and repeat: RINSE. It's a great marketing ploy to sell more shampoo, but this company is refreshingly honest.

20. [theme]

22. "Toodles!": SEE YA.

23. Clodhopper: OAF.

24. Tofu base: SOY.

27. [theme]

32. Father of Jesus, familiarly: ST JOSEPH. "Oh, please. Just call me Joe." Pope Pius IX declared him to be a patron of the sick, hence the product tie-in.

36. Capital on the Willamette River: SALEM. The Willamette is a major tributary of the Columbia River in Oregon.

37. Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL.

38. "Let's Make a Deal" choices: DOORS.  "Would you like to trade that rubber chicken for one of these three DOORS?" Also, another popular rock group.

41. Give a hoot: CARE.

42. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.

44. Tried to control, as a horse: REINED IN. Santa had trouble reining in horses, so he chose reindeer instead.

46. [theme]

49. Agreeable answer: YES. YES is one of my favorite bands. Their album "Close to the Edge" is considered a progressive rock masterpiece.

50. __ alai: JAI. JAI ALAI used to be very popular in Florida, but nowadays there are only a few frontons (courts) left. 

51. New Haven Ivy Leaguer: YALIE. A YALIE is a five letter Eli.

56. [theme]

60. Ballet leaps: JETES. The only JETES that Miami Dolphins like.

63. Tricolor feline: CALICO CAT.

64. Major shindig: EVENT. Like a rock concert!

65. Raw minerals: ORES.

66. "Whose __ Is It Anyway?": LINE. Drew Carey was the original host of this improvisational comedy TV series.

67. Smartphone messages: TEXTS. "Your aunt passed away. LOL" Just a friendly reminder that LOL doesn't mean Lots Of Love.

68. Informal top: TEE. 

69. Animal's retreat: LAIR.

Down:
1. Chews like a chipmunk: GNAWS.

2. La __-Posay: L'Oréal brand: ROCHE. News to me. I don't carry them in my tool box.

3. Spooky: EERIE.

4. Acclaim: GLORY.

5. Link letters: HTTP. HyperText Transfer Protocol is the language used for loading webpages and other resources across the internet.

6. Cleveland's state: OHIO. Before "Who's Line," Drew Carey had a sitcom set in Cleveland, home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In keeping with rock'n'roll tradition, here's the OHIO Players.

7. Handheld snack topped with salsa: TACO. TACO's remake of "Puttin' on the Ritz" always reminds me of Young Frankenstein. And another album cover.

8. Places to pick up kittens: SCRUFFS. SCRUFF being a colloquial term for the nape of the neck.

9. Chicago paper, for short: TRIB. The venerable Chicago TRIBune.

10. Campaign for office: RUN. This time we have half of a popular rap group, RUN-DMC. Their cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" was a huge crossover hit.

11. Free game pop-ups: ADS.

12. Supersmall: WEE. A smaller version of WEE is wee.

15. Letter-shaped groove: T-SLOT.

18. Window shutter boards: SLATS.

21. Chinese philosophy: TAO.

24. Starter course, often: SALAD.

25. "SNL" alum Cheri: OTERI. Some names just lend themselves to crosswords.

26. Arabian Sea country: YEMEN. YEMEN is as far south as you can go and still be in the Middle East.

28. Join at the altar: WED.

29. Stock exchange launch, briefly: IPO. Initial Public Offering

30. Not quite able to pay: SHORT.

31. Clock front: FACE. Almost Rod Stewart and the FACEs

32. Smart-alecky: SASSY.

33. Overused plot device: TROPE.

34. Rock legend Joplin: JANIS. Are you catching on that "rock legends" is a sub-theme?

35. "Riviera" actress Lena: OLIN.

39. __ Speedwagon: REO. And the hit's just keep on coming!

40. Knight's title: SIR.

43. Fine-tunes: ADJUSTS.

45. "No Strings Attached" boy band: NSYNC. NSYNC (pronounced "in sync") sprang Justin Timberlake on us. 

47. Crew blade: OAR.

48. __ de Mayo: CINCO.

52. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.

53. Holy namesake of a Lesser Antilles island: LUCIA. Saint LUCIA. Many islands in the Caribbean Sea are named after saints - St. Kitts, St. Vincent, and all of the U.S. Virgin Islands, to name a few.

54. Tehran native: IRANI. 

55. Keyboard key: ENTER.

56. Big top: TENT. 

57. Small fruit pie: TART.

58. Peter Fonda title role: ULEE.

59. Greet the day: RISE.

60. New York NFLer: JET. Bane of Dol-fans everywhere.

61. Holiday lead-in: EVE.

62. __-Mex cuisine: TEX. In South Florida, Mexican restaurants leave out the Texas part and instead combine it with Cuban and South American fare. It's all good.

Wow, that's a lot of albums...

I think it's a record!

Monday June 16, 2025 Kathy Lowden

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. If you woke up this morning thinking, "I'm in the mood for some silly rhymes," then today is your lucky day!

Theme:      

Ready, Freddy?

20 Across. "Why should I care if the peasants are starving?," snarled the __: MEAN QUEEN.

26 Across. "Teach your kids some manners! And get better snacks," snapped the __: BITTER SITTER.

43 Across. "Don't try and tell me the route -I've been doing this job for 20 years," growled the __: CRABBY CABBIE.

54 Across. "I need this work done yesterday!," shouted the __: CROSS BOSS.  

No reveal was needed today. Each themer is a two-word phrase where the first word is an adjective describing a cranky attitude and the second word is a human. All the clues are quotes. I liked this tight set! 

Moody Foodie???

Across:

1. Large group of bees: SWARM. SWARM is the collective noun for a large group of bees. My backyard neighbor has bees. They SWARM (verb) every year. It is fascinating to watch!

6. Female deer: DOE.  Some other four-legged mammal whose females are called DOEs are goats, antelopes, and rabbits. But today is Monday so ....

9. Expressed disapproval: TSKED.  

"handy"  haha!

14. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE.     and     48 Across. Rio automaker: KIA.

Last Monday we had 49. Across. Where Katie Ledecky won four Olympic golds:  RIO.

15. Wane: EBB.

16. Swiftly: APACE.  Def.:  (adverb) at a quick pace; swiftly.

If you read this one too swiftly, you might have thought it said "Swiftie".  

Taylor Swift fans call themselves Swifties.

17. Leaves the motor running: IDLES.  

18. Dove's sound: COO.

19. Come up with, as an idea: HIT ON.  

~  another meaning for HIT ON  ~
DH and I met running. He came up alongside me and said, "How you doin'?"

22. Clickable symbols: ICONS.  

23. Alums-to-be: SRS.  high school seniors  

Zits readers know that Pierce recently confused two types of seniors.

24. Sea urchin, on a sushi menu: UNI.  (rhymes with "Moonie")

Out of the 950 species of sea urchin, only 18 are edible.

I hear college students in The UK love UNI.

25. Consumed: ATE.  Yet when we describe people as consumers, the first thing to come to mind is not eaters.

32. Must: HAVE TO.

35. Rejections: NOs.

36. Went by skateboard: RODE.  

Rad Dog

37. Photographer's request: SMILE.  

Peg   ~   Steely Dan   ~  1977

"So won't you SMILE for the camera." 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯

38. Little one: TOT.

39. Goes out with: DATES.

40. Second to none: BEST.

41. Feel poorly: AIL.

42. Passionate: ARDENT.

46. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  federation and United Arab Emirites

47. Substance that may be crushed or cubed: ICE.

51. Heroic tales: EPICS.

57. Puts in order: RANKS.

58. Ray gun sound: ZAP.  Sometimes it is "pew".

59. Tests for doctoral candidates: ORALS.

60. Sock terminus, often: ANKLE.  

ANKLE socks

61. Lennox of R&B: ARI.  [b. Courtney Shanade Salter on March 26, 1991 in Washington, D.C.] I watched two videos and had to pass on both. Perhaps someone reading this is a fan and can suggest their favorite Ari Lennox song.

62. __ mignon: FILET.

63. Eye maladies: STYES.

64. TiVo button: REC.

65. Daring achievements: FEATS.  Ultramarathoners complete FEATS with their feets. 

Down:

1. Reads quickly: SKIMS.

2. Flamingo, for one: WADER.  

3. Book of maps: ATLAS.

4. "Non, je ne regrette __": Edith Piaf song: RIEN.  ESP for me but when I listened to the song, I recognized it. The title translates to, "No, I regret nothing." Edith's version came out in 1960.  

5. Wood used for grilling: MESQUITE.  

They are beautiful trees inhabiting arid and semiarid regions throughout
the southwest U.S., Mexico, South America, northern Africa, and eastern Asia.

6. Web of lies: DECEIT.  

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

8. Black, to poets: EBON.  EBONy.  "To poets" is a hint that the answer is somehow abbreviated.

9. Setting for many Gauguin paintings: TAHITI.  

Parau Api. What's new?, 1892. by Paul Gauguin

10. Silk Road enterprise: SPICE TRADE.  This link takes you to a 518-word article on the Silk Road. Some of the SPICEs that were TRADEd include cloves, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, frankincense, black pepper, cinnamon, and saffron.

11. The Green Hornet's aide: KATO. I thought he had a lamp so I first tried that. KATO was his crime-fighting sidekick.

12. Business maj.: ECON.  major and ECONomics

13. Fox holes: DENS.

21. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

25. Stubborn animal: ASS.

26. Prize at a rodeo: BELT BUCKLE.  

27. Sherlock's teen sister: ENOLA.

28. Go bad: ROT.

29. Fundraiser freebie: TOTE.  I have so many! I keep a TOTE full of TOTEs in my car.

30. Genesis garden: EDEN.

31. Take a breather: REST.

32. U.K.-based bank founded in Asia: HSBC.  Once known as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, HSBC began in Hong Kong in 1865 to finance trade between Europe and Asia. Today they are in 58 countries and territories, including the U.S. and Canada. 

33. U.S. citizen: AMER.  The abbreviation in the clue let us know that AMERican would be shortened.

34. Travel document: VISA.

38. Involuntary twitch: TIC.

39. Uses a towel: DRIES OFF.

41. Favorable vote: AYE.  All those in favor....

42. Basics: ABCS.

44. Voices lower than tenors: BASSES.  Last Monday we had 8-Down. Low opera voice: BASSO.  

There are detailed differences between the two; but, basically, basso is an Italian word and usually refers to opera or classical singing. Also note that this week we were looking for a plural answer because of voices.  

45. Film about a real person, informally: BIOPIC.  The word BIOPIC often makes the list of misles (pronounced with a long /i/). These are words that people often mispronounce in their heads while reading them because they do not match the pronunciation with the spelling. Their name comes from misled which people sometimes misread as MY-zel-ed. In the case of BIOPIC, people often read it as bi-OP-ic (rhyming with myopic). Some other misles are:  awry, colonel, corps, infrared, sword, and Yosemite.

48. Fluffy-eared marsupial: KOALA.  

today's "So cute!" moment

49. Small part of an archipelago: ISLET.  According to NOAA, an archipelago is an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago includes 36,563 islands.

50. Aides: Abbr.: ASSTS.  ASSisTS

51. Historical spans: ERAS.  

52. Huff and puff: PANT.  This common nighthawk is PANTing. Read more about how birds PANT at this U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service page.  

53. Deep black: INKY.

54. Policy honcho: CZAR.

55. Not medium or well: RARE.  Think "meat cooking options".

56. Camembert kin: BRIE.  fromage  

Click to enlarge.

The grid:  

I'll be away when today's blog posts. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

Read you later, alligator!