Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Norman M Aaronson

I'm so SMART and BRIGHT!

16-Across. Whatever the outcome: WIN OR LOSE.  Wise.

24-Across. "Please lower your voice": KEEP IT DOWN.  Keen.

45-Across. Fabric piece for a sewing circle: QUILT BLOCK.  Quick.

55-Across. Cameo role, e.g.: SMALL PART.  Smart.

And the Unifier:

35-Acr0ss. "It's not all bad news ...," and what the circled letters in this puzzle literally are?: ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.

Here's the Grid so you can see how the circles, which spell a synonym for intellectually "bright", are on the "sides" of each theme clue.

What other bright clues and answers can be found?

Across:

1. Stick (out): JUT.

4. Raw fish dish: SUSHI.  Yummers!

9. Enjoy recess in a schoolyard: PLAY.

13. Darth Vader's childhood nickname: ANI.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

14. "Come on in!": ENTER.

15. Tylenol alternative: ALEVE.  They are not exactly the same.  Aleve is a NonSteroidal Anti-Inflamatory Drug (NSAID) pain reliever.  It's effectiveness last longer than Tylenol, however it may have a greater risk for stomach issues.  Tylenol is better for fever reduction and pain but does not have anti-inflammatory properties. 

18. Fan frenzy: MANIA.

19. Hibernation spots: LAIRS.

20. Covering that keeps a pant leg dry: GAITER.

21. Copied: APED.

26. Edit: REVISE.

28. Purple garden flower: IRIS.

29. Idaho's capital: BOISE.  Do any of you play the daily puzzle on The Economist?  The theme of last week's puzzle was American State Capitals.  Boise, however, was not one of the answers.

30. Penny: CENT.  We learned recently that the last penny has gone to press.

32. "The Raven" poet Edgar Allan __: POE.  Edgar Allen Poe (Jan. 19, 1809 ~ Oct. 7, 1949) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

39. Pastrami bread: RYE.

40. Young blokes: LADS.

41. Mani-pedi place: SALON.

42. Stash away: STOW.

44. Fully enjoys: SAVORS.

50. Site with handmade goods: ETSY.

51. Loosens, as shoelaces: UNTIES.

52. "Such a tease!": OH, YOU!

54. Amy of "Enchanted" and "Disenchanted": ADAMS.  Amy Lou Adams (b. Aug. 20, 1974) is known for her dramatic and comedic roles.  Her first major role was in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.  Her first leading role was Giselle in the 2007 film Enchanted.

59. Rented again: RELET.

60. Snorer's affliction, maybe: APNEA.

61. Piña colada liquor: RUM.  Yummers!

62. Walked (on): TROD.

63. Fisherman's __: waterfront district in San Francisco: WHARF.

64. Brimless hat with a tassel: FEZ.

Down:

1. Mandible: JAW.

Anatomy of an ant head.

2. College, to Aussies: UNI.

3. Word before can or Man: TIN.  The aluminum paint used to make the tin man appear tin, was actually quite toxic.  Buddy Ebsen (Apr. 2, 1908 ~ July 6, 2003) was cast as the Tin Man, however, the paint made him very ill and he was replaced by Jack Haley (Aug. 10, 1898 ~ June 6, 1979)

4. "Buona __": Italian "Good evening": SERA.  Today's Italian lesson.

5. Different from: UNLIKE.  You can also Unlike someone on Facebook.

6. Retail outlet: STORE.

7. "Steppenwolf" novelist Hermann: HESSE.  The band Steppenwolf is named after this 1927 novel by Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 ~ Aug. 9, 1962).

8. Fury: IRE.

9. Tartan patterns: PLAIDS.  When I was in high school, my mother made me a MacLeod plaid skirt. 

10. Slowly, in music: LENTO.

11. Arthur Miller's "__ From the Bridge": A VIEW.

12. Be homesick (for): YEARN.

15. Rare and expensive Italian violin: AMATI.  The Amati family were violin makers in the 16th and 17th  century.  

17. Getting on in years: OLDISH.  When does one actually become "oldish"?  Isn't old age 10 years more than your actual age?

20. Circumference: GIRTH.  In addition to his six wives, Henry VIII (June 28, 1491 ~ Jan. 28, 1547) was known for his girth.

21. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.  Ann Arbor is home of the University of Michigan.

22. Pink garden flower: PEONY.

23. Party notice sent with a click: EVITE.

25. Problematic engine sounds: PINGS.

27. "Get it?": SEE.

30. Move on all fours: CRAWL.

31. __ al-Fitr: end of Ramadan: EID.

32. Cockpit figure: PILOT.

33. Scents: ODORS.

34. Itty-bitty: EENSY.

36. Splotches: BLOBS.

37. Luggage-checking org.: TSA.

38. Put money away for the future: SAVE UP.

42. Covered in goo: SLIMED.

43. Statistical tool for checking a hypothesis: T-TEST.  A t-test is a statistical tool used to determine if the means of two groups are significantly different.

44. Anna's "Breaking Bad" role: SKYLER.  Anna Kathryn Gunn (b. Aug. 11, 1968) is best known for portraying Skyler White on Breaking Bad.

45. Two pints: QUART.

46. Lower than: UNDER.

47. Writer Calvino: ITALO.  Italo Calvino (Oct. 15, 1923 ~ Sept. 19, 1985) was an Italian novelist who was born Havana, Cuba.  He has been considered one of Italy's greatest writers.  

48. Extra zip: OOMPH.

49. __ masala: spiced chickpea dish: CHANA.  Yummers!  It looks delicious.

53. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.

55. Wood-cutting tool: SAW.

56. Dog park sound: ARF.

57. Regret: RUE.

58. Celebrity gossip site: TMZ.  As in Thirty-Mile Zone.  Who knew?

חתולה

Tuesday September 24, 2024 Norman M Aaronson

Tiny Bubbles.  Notice that each theme answer is in the Down position and the first word of each answer is in circles.  The circles Bubble Up and the word in the circles can be a type of a Bubble.

3-Down. Melodramatic series: SOAP OPERA.  Soap Bubbles.

5-Down. Professional who helps correct communication disorders: SPEECH THERAPIST.  Speech Bubbles.

9-Down. Summer coolers: AIR CONDITIONERS.  Air Bubbles.

And the unifier:

36-Down. Rises to the top, or what can be found in this puzzle?: BUBBLES UP.  YooperPhil reminded me that there is a soda called BubbleUp.  

Across:

1. Flat-topped landform: MESA.  Everything you wanted to know about Mesas but didn't know to ask.

5. South Pacific island group: SAMOA.  The Samoa Islands look like a paradise in the pacific.

10. Wraparound dress in Hindi cinema: SARI.  I just The Henna Artist, by Alka Joshi, which delves into Indian culture in the 1950s.  The author describes in detail the wearing of Saris and the meaning of various materials and designs of the dress.

14. Nutrient in leafy greens: IRON.

15. St. __ Girl beer: PAULI.  St. Pauli Girl Beer is a German beer.  The name comes from the former St. Paul's Friary in Bremen, which was next to the original St. Pauli brewery established.  St Pauli Girl's Beers has been available in the United States since 1965.  The beers are brewed in compliance with the German Purity Laws of 1516.

16. Like most Olympic years: EVEN.

17. Super-vision?: X-RAY.

18. Enthusiastic: EAGER.

19. Mr. Peanut accessory: CANE.

20. Congressional helper: PAGE.

22. More frightening: SCARIER.

24. "No seats" B'way sign: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.

26. Sch. near Hollywood: UCLA.  As in the University of California, Los Angeles.  The UCLA Bruins lost to the LSU Tigers last Saturday in Death Valley.

29. Eggy brunch dish: OMELET.  Yummers!

30. Store with printing services: COPY SHOP.

32. Small quibble: NIT.

33. Under the covers: ABED.

34. Coarse woolens: TWEEDS.  This has become a crossword staple that appears often in the Tuesday puzzles.

36. Chem. in some plastics: BPA.  As in BisPhenol A.  Bisphenol A is a chemical compound used in the manufacturing of various plastics. It is a colourless solid which is soluble in most common organic solvents, but has very poor solubility in water.  BPA is produced on an industrial scale by the condensation reaction of phenol and acetone.  

39. Cayenne automaker: PORSCHE.  Everything you should know about the Porsche Cayenne before finalizing the purchase.

41. Sniffler's boxful: TISSUES.

43. Approx. affected by weather: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.  Heavy rain or a snow storm can delay travel time.

44. "Be that as it may": YES, BUT.

46. Online bidding site: E-BAY.

47. Downtime, briefly: RNR.  As in Rest and Relaxation.

48. Like content that can be revised: EDITABLE.  Not to be confused with Edible, although that, too, would "revise" the content.

50. Tater Tots brand: ORE-IDA.  Yummers!  Who doesn't like Tater Tots.

53. "Ouch!": YEOW.

54. "__ the games begin!": LET.

55. Harmonica ancestor: PANPIPE.

57. Smeller: NOSE.

59. Sitting on: ATOP.

60. "Who knew!": I'LL BE.

63. "NFL Primetime" network: ESPN.  The name of the network, which was established in 1979, originally was named Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.  The name was so long that in 1985, it was renamed to just ESPN.

66. Aggravate: RILE.

67. Makeup mishap: SMEAR.

68. Ballet skirt: TUTU.

69. Pond croaker: TOAD.

70. __ down: softens: TONES.

71. Tiff: SPAT.

Down:

1. Stir: MIX.

2. Be off the mark: ERR.

4. Taylor-Joy of "The Menu": ANYA.  Can you believe that we made it all the way to 4-Down before encountering a person?  The Menu is a comedy thriller about a couple who trek to remote island to sample a lavish $1,250/person menu.  Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy (b. Apr. 16, 1996) portrays one of the diners.  [Name # 1.]

6. Duracell size: AAA.

7. Coffee holder: MUG.

8. Fútbol cheers: OLÉs.  This has become a crossword staple.

10. Hidden: SECRET.

11. To no __: without success: AVAIL.

12. "Girls5eva" co-star __ Elise Goldsberry: RENÉE.  I am familiar with neither Girls5eva, a television musical comedy, nor Renée Elise Goldsberry (b. Jan. 2, 1971).  [Name # 2.]

13. Dormant: INERT.

21. Director Van Sant: GUS.  Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (b. July 24, 1952) has directed many films, including the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, which launched the careers of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.  [Name # 3.]

23. Not quite correct: AMISS.

24. Garlic stalk available at springtime farmers markets: SCAPE.  What are Garlic Scapes?

25. Automaton: ROBOT.

27. Home Depot rival: LOWES.

28. Mimic: APE.

31. Fabric store meas.: YDS.  Fabric is sold by the Yard.

35. Piano practice piece: ÉTUDE.

37. Writer Norman Vincent __: PEALE.  Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 ~ Dec. 24, 1993) was a theologian, but is best known for his book The Power of Positive Thinking.  [Name # 4.]

38. Thus far: AS YET.

40. Singer Lauper: CYNDI.  Cyndi Lauper (née Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper; b. June 22, 1953) was big in 1980s.   Her 1983 debut album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  [Name # 5.]

42. Mediterranean __: SEA.

45. "Queen __": pop music nickname: BEY.  Also known as Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981).  [Name # 6.]

47. Very muscular: RIPPED.

49. Pair: TWO.

50. Visually stimulating images: OP ART.

51. Quantitative comparison: RATIO.

52. Sherlock's teen sister: ENOLA.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not create Enola Holmes.  She was added to the family later.  [Name # 7, Fictional.]

56. Red resident of Sesame Street: ELMO.  [Name # 8, Fictional.]

58. Gels: SETS.

61. Actor Cariou: LEN.  Leonard Joseph Cariou (b. Sept. 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor.  I recognize him from his recurring role on Murder, She Wrote.  [Name # 9.]

62. Sweetie: BAE.

64. Sch. support group: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.

65. Pecan or cashew: NUT.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה