Tuesday, January 6, 2026 Robert S Gard

I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band.  If you can read backwards, you will see the circles spell out the name of a rock band, hence "back-up" bands.

17-Across. "This could've been a lot worse": IT'S NOT SO BAD.  BOSTON.  The American band Boston was formed in 1975 in Boston.  What an original name.

31-Across. Jewel boxes: CD CASES.  AC/DC.  AC/DC is Australian rock band and was formed in Sydney in 1973, although the founding brothers, Angus (b. Mar. 31, 1955) and Malcolm Young (Jan. 6, 1953 ~ Nov. 18, 2017) were both Scottish.

37-Across. Antiwar gathering of world leaders: PEACE SUMMIT.  MUSE.  Muse is an English band that was formed in 1994.  It's the youngster in this quartet.

44-Across. Hit that may go out of the park: HOME RUN.  R.E.M.  R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in 1980.

And the unifier:

59. Supporting musicians, or what can be found in 17-, 31-, 37-, and 44-Across: BACK-UP BANDS.

You can see the Backup Bands in the circles below.

Across:

1. Pantry platform: SHELF.

6. Contrail, essentially: VAPOR.  A contrail, also known as a condensation trial, it is the  line-shaped cloud formed by aircraft engine exhaust mixing with the cold, humid air at high altitudes.

11. Auction offer: BID.

14. Humped beast at a desert oasis: CAMEL.  One hump or two?  One-humped camels are Dromedaries.  They are the ones that live in the Sahara desert.  The two-humped camels are Bactrians.  They can be found in the colder Central Asian steppes.  The primary difference is their habitat.  Both store fat in their humps for energy, not water, and have closeable nostrils to keep the sand out of their noses.

15. "Go me!": I RULE!

16. Eggs, to a biologist: OVA.

19. __ or nothing: ALL.

20. Draped dresses in Hindi films: SARIs.  A brief history of the Sari.

21. Paleontologist's find: FOSSIL.

23. Tire gauge meas.: PSI.  As in Pounds per Square Inch.

26. Schleps: TOTES.  Anyone watch Elsbeth?  She is always carrying tons of tote bags.

28. High point of a trip to Sicily?: ETNA.  This volcano has become a crossword staple.

29. Play with, as a trampoline: JUMP ON.

34. Reject: SPURN.

35. Confident about: SURE OF.

40. "Women Talking" novelist Toews: MIRIAM.  Women Talking is a 2018 novel by Miriam Toews (b. May 21, 1964).  The book is based on actual events in a remote Mennonite community where women were drugged and sexually assaulted by men. 

41. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA.  Erica Ruth Hill (b. July 20, 1976) is a television journalist and has worked for CNN, CBS and NBC.

47. Alternative to "Yours truly": AS EVER.  I think this phrase is now associated with Meghan Markle.

48. Extremely dry: ARID.  In the arid desert, where you will find a one-humped camel.

49. Finish by: END AT.

52. "That's gotta hurt": OOF!

53. Sentra automaker: NISSAN.

56. Archer's projectile: ARROW.

58. Distress signal: SOS.

64. Tree with serrated leaves: ELM.  I understand that street is a real nightmare.

65. Remove a wooden pin from: UNPEG.

66. Listless feeling: ENNUI.  A word seen only in the crossword puzzles.

67. Filmmaker Ang: LEE.  Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) often makes guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

68. Warty hoppers: TOADS.

69. 28 of the cards in a Monopoly set: DEEDS.

Down:

1. __-fi: SCI.

2. Topper: HAT.

3. 911 responders, briefly: EMS.  As in Emergency Medical Services.

4. Periscope part: LENS.

5. Experience elation: FLOAT ON AIR.

6. Pop in on: VISIT.

7. Came up: AROSE.

8. Trivia night venue: PUB.

9. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.

10. Try again: REDO.  A crossword staple.

11. Sings one's own praises: BOASTS.

12. Means to administer medication: IV LINE.

13. Texas city with the Cowboys and the Wings: DALLAS.  The Dallas Wings are a professional basketball team in the WNBA.

18. Sci-fi franchise with "Legacy" and "Ares" installments: TRON.

22. Bioluminescence produced by marine microorganisms: SEAFIRE.  Everything you wanted to know about marine microbes.

23. Garments that might have feet, familiarly: PJs.

24. Dine, quaintly: SUP.

25. Grumble from the recently roused: I'M UP.

27. Rugby play with tight formation: SCRUM.

30. Some organic chemistry students: PRE-MEDS.

32. Blue pol: DEM.  As in Democrat.  Enough said.  No politics.

33. Joins one's partner in retirement?: COMES TO BED.

35. River through Paris: SEINE.

36. Mex. neighbor: USA.

38. Grand __: French wine classification: CRU.  The term Grand Cru, which is French for "great growth",  denotes the highest tier of vineyard classification for superior French wines.

39. DVR pioneer: TiVo.  An archaic line of digital video recorders.

42. Corp. leader: CEO.  As in Chief Executive Order.

43. Dog park sound: ARF.

44. Gretel's brother: HANSEL.  In case you are unfamiliar with the German folktale, here is a brief history of of the story as depicted by the Brothers Grimm. 

45. Baltimore ballplayer: ORIOLE.

46. "Did you notice I was gone?": MISS ME?

47. Org. working against age discrimination: AARP.  As in the American Association of Retired People.

50. Unclothed: NAKED.

51. Pharmacy offerings: DRUGS.

54. Sit alongside: ABUT.

55. Billionth: Pref.: NANO-.

57. Taper off: WANE.

60. Tax prep pro: CPA.  As in Certified Public Accountant.  Tax season will be gearing up for these professionals.

61. SSW's opposite: NNE.

62. Disappointing firecracker: DUD.

63. Female sib: SIS.  As in Sister.

That's all for this first Tuesday of 2026.  Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2026.

חתולה

Tuesday, November 4, 2025 Robert S Gard

Smile and Say Cheese!

17-Across.  *  Belt taken with lime and salt:  TEQUILA SHOT.

24-Across.  *  Challenge for an antsy toddler:  SITTING STILL.

39-Across.  *  Problematic backward pass in football:  BAD SNAP.

51-Across.  *  Spotted pattern on faux fur, say:  LEOPARD PRINT.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Close call in a race, or what the answer to each starred clue has: PHOTO FINISH.  The word that "Finishes" the two-word phrase in each of the theme answers is related to a photograph.

Across:

1. Blue Ribbon lager:  PABST.

6. Source of some memes:  IMGUR.  No a clue!  Apparently, Imgur is an online image-hosting and  sharing community founded by Alan Schaaf (b. Oct. 21, 1987) in 2009. It allows users to upload and share photos, GIFs, and images.

11. Sandwich known by its initials:  BLT.  

14. Shady picnic spot:  ARBOR.

15. Stop: CEASE.

16. Use oars: ROW.

19. Here, en français: ICI.  Today's French lesson.

20. Slotted fastener: HASP.

21. Useful connections: INs.

22. To be, en español: ESTAR.  Today's Spanish lesson.  I believe there are two forms of the verb "to be" in Spanish ~ Ser and Estar.  The former describes formal characteristics and the latter is used for temporary conditions and emotions.  I'll let Lucina expound on these subtleties of these two verbs.

28. Mapped biological sequence: GENOME. A Genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism.

31. Specks: IOTAS.

32. Revise, as text: AMEND.

33. Numerous: MANY.

35. Poet's "by way of": THRO.

38. Jaguar competitor:  BMW.  //  And 67-Across. Jaguar competitor: LEXUS.

42. As __ usual: PER.

43. Simple: EASY.

45. Fix, at the vet:  SPAY.

46. Piano exercise:  ÉTUDE.  More of today's French lesson.

48. One measurement of a rectangle: WIDTH.  //  And 2. Length x 48-Across, for a rectangle: AREA.

50. Owie: BOO-BOO.

55. Marketing dept. employee: AD REP.

56. [facepalm]: OOF!

57. Beers like Smooth Hoperator, briefly: IPAs.  A brief history of India Pale Ale.

61. Satirist's gift: WIT.

66. Unspecified degree: NTH.

68. Inspirational word or phrase: MOTTO.

69. Reluctant to socialize: SHY.

70. Simply be: EXIST.

71. Actor/activist Davis: OSSIE.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis, b. Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist.  In 1948, he married fellow actress Ruby Dee (née Ruby Ann Wallace, Oct. 27, 1922 ~ June 11, 2014).

Down:

1. Off the beaten __: PATH.

3. Patio cookouts, casually: BBQs.

4. "Grub's up!": SOUPS ON!

5. Prefix with -athlon: TRI-.

6. Terse turndown: I CAN'T.

7. Soccer star Lionel: MESSI.

8. "Oh, come on!": GAH!

9. GI show gp.: USO.  As in the United States Organizations.  When I see USO, I think of Bob Hope.

10. Give an exam again: RE-TEST.

11. Spot to order bangers and mash: BRITISH PUB.  You can bet a pint of 57-Across to go with your bangers and mash.

12. Train that makes lots of stops: LOCAL.

13. Spin, as a baton: TWIRL.

18. With fewer calories, on a label: LITE.

23. "Pronto!": STAT.

25. Film buff's online resource: IMDB.  As in the Internet Movie DataBase.

26. Doofus: NINNY.

27. Spanish painter Francisco: GOYA.  This artist usually goes by just Goya, although is full name is Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Mar. 30, 1746 ~ April. 16, 1828).

28. "Welcome Back, Kotter" actor Kaplan: GABE.

29. Stone of "Poor Things": EMMA.

30. Interesting enough for the front page, say: NEWSWORTHY.

33. Hybrid grad program for physician-scientists:  MD-PhD.  As in a Medical Doctor and a Doctor of Philosophy.

34. Loose __ goose: AS A.

36. Start over: REDO.

37. Dunk Club cookie: OREO.

40. Subj. for Neil deGrasse Tyson: ASTR.

41. Low-level worker: PEON.

44. "Eek!": YIPE.

47. Big name in pizza snacks: TOTINOS.

49. Make a pattern using light and shade: DAPPLE.

A Dapple Dog.

50. Punch, slangily: BIFF.

51. Mower targets: LAWNS.

52. "The Buccaneers" writer Wharton: EDITH.

53. Exec. branch head: POTUS.  As in the President of the United States.

54. Hen's perch: ROOST.

58. Cherry centers: PITS.

59. Sparkling Italian wine: ASTI.

60. Croc, e.g.: SHOE.

63. Malicious spell: HEX.

64. __Clean: stain remover: OXI.

65. Texter's "I'd say": IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I know this was an abbreviated commentary, however, due to a family emergency, we were called out of town on short notice.