Thursday July 9, 2026 Robin Stears

Robin Stears is cutting the rug today. After constructing crosswords for 30 years, she's still got the moves!

17. Dance move performed when entering a room?: DOORSTEP. A DOORSTEP is just outside a door, while a threshold is the bottom of the doorframe itself. 

21. Cancan move performed while skydiving?: DROP KICK. A DROP KICK is a rarely used tactic in American football, it's only been used successfully once since 1941. Doug Flutie, in his last play in the NFL, kicked it in a game between the Patriots and the Dolphins in 2006.

35. Tango move on "Yellowstone"?: RANCH DIP. Yellowstone, the TV show, takes place on a ranch, where RANCH DIP is presumably served at parties.

46. Five-point spin on the dance floor?: STAR TURN. A STAR TURN is an idiom that refers to the most prominent performance in a show.

56. Leap at a military ballet?: BASE JUMP. BASE JUMPing is an extreme sport where participants parachute from a fixed object rather than an aircraft. BASE is an acronym for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), and Earth (cliffs).

66. Pas de deux move performed where the road divides?: FORKLIFT. Pas de deux is a ballet term referring to an intricate dance duet, probably much more graceful than a warehouse FORKLIFT.

While there is no revealer, we have six (!) themers that all end in a dance move: STEP; KICK; DIP; TURN; JUMP and LIFT. With this many themers, the grid was pretty crowded leaving a lot of short fill which made this easier than usual for a Thursday. I have two left feet, so I found it better to play in the band than be out on the dance floor. 

Let's take the rest for a spin:

Across:

1. Hotel waiters: CABS. Nice misdirect for the dance's opening number.

5. Carried the day: WON.

8. Cuts it close: SHAVES. Literally, it's using a razor - figuratively, it means a narrow escape.

14. Skip past: OMIT.

15. "__ takers?": ANY.

16. Nikon product: CAMERA. 

17. [theme]

19. Unexpectedly funny: IRONIC. Funny strange, not funny haha, I ASSUME.

20. Adopt, as an alias: ASSUME. Believe it or not, my name isn't RustyBrain. 

21. [theme]

23. Makeshift swing: TIRE. Some are fancier than others.

Oh, yours was just a round one?

25. Bard's before: ERE.

26. Network supported by "viewers like you": PBS. And viewers like me! I've volunteered to man the phones at a Public Broadcasting Service fundraiser.

29. Number of legs on a prawn: TEN. Prawns are the larger biological cousins to shrimp.

If you like legs more than wings, these are for you.

30. Shows up: ARRIVES.

35. [theme]

38. Half an Everest expedition: ASCENT. The other half, the descent, is considered more dangerous because after reaching their goal, climbers are exhausted and less focused.

39. Actor Sharif: OMAR. Everyone's favorite OMAR was also a world-class bridge player.

He apparently liked backgammon as well.

40. Club VIPs: DJS. Disc Jockeys. 

42. Inner: Prefix: ENTO. I wanted the more common ENDO, as in ENDOscope and ENDOskeleton. 

43. Curt: ABRUPT.

46. [theme]

49. James M. Cain's "__ Pierce": MILDRED. The film version of his novel won Joan Crawford the Best Actress Oscar for the title role in 1945.

51. Spanish gold: ORO. Lots of ORO at the bottom of the ocean from sunken Spanish galleons off the Gold Coast of Florida.

52. Contact site: EYE. As in contact lens. 

53. Singer Yoko: ONO. The first time Paul McCartney met Yoko, he said, "Oh, no!"

Here she is making EYE contact.

54. Wasabi __: PEAS.

56. [theme]

61. Coffee shop emanations: AROMAS.

65. Artful dodger?: EVADER.

66. [theme]

68. Spot: NOTICE.

69. Apple core, for short: CPU. Central Processing Unit, a computer's "brain" (no relation). 

70. Store that sells Frakta shopping bags: IKEA. It's Kits in Every Aisle.

71. Sounds like a bird: TWEETS. Seems like only yesterday when TWEETS only applied to birds.

72. Slump: SAG.

73. Like a lawn at dawn: DEWY. This is when it dawned on him that he lost.

Truman celebrating his upset victory in 1948.

Down:

1. Led Zeppelin's final studio album: CODA. Like the output from many groups, I like the early albums better.

2. Famous __ cookies: AMOS. Much more famous than these cookies, which are for the Byrd's.

3. "About me" summaries: BIOS.

4. Move with a swagger: STRUT.

5. Used sprinklers on: WATERED. Unless your lawn is already DEWY.

6. United: ONE.

7. "Blue Bloods" org.: NYPD. Blue Bloods was a TV series about the New York Police Department starring Tom Selleck.

8. Annabella of "The Sopranos": SCIORRA. She played Gloria Trillo, Tony Soprano's mistress in Season 3.

9. __ Ferry, West Virginia: HARPERS. HARPERS Ferry is famous as the site of abolitionist John Brown's 1859 raid, which helped spark the Civil War. Because of its strategic location between North and South, the town changed hands eight times during the conflict.

10. Wildly out of control: AMOK. I wanted to spell it AMUK, which was IRONIC because it didn't fit.

11. Start of Caesar's boast: VENI. "VENI, vidi, vici" translates to "I came, I saw, I conquered." It was spoken by Julius Caesar in a report to the Roman Senate over a quick and decisive victory. That's as succinct as it gets. 

12. Actor Bana: ERIC. ERIC Banadinovich is an actor from Down Under who came out on top!

13. Burlap bag: SACK.

18. Suffix that means "maker": SMITH. I grew up in Williamsburg, VA where there are many craft shops plying colonial trades, such as: blackSMITH, tinSMITH and gunSMITH. A friend mine from high school apprenticed as a silverSMITH. 

Amazing quality from only simple tools.

22. Mens __: criminal intent: REA. Oddly, I learned this phrase from watching Legally Blonde.

24. Wednesday's roommate at Nevermore: ENID. From the Addam's Family spinoff, Wednesday. Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday, and Emma Myers plays Thursday ENID.

Wednesday and Enid

26. Many a charity tourney: PRO-AM.

27. Deer friend of Flower and Thumper: BAMBI.

28. Warning from a doghouse: SNARL.

31. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICE-T. The Grammy-winning rapper also carved out a successful acting career and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

i
32. Locale: VENUE.

33. Log passage: ENTRY.

34. Granite or marble: STONE.

36. Yucky stuff: CRUD.

37. Comfy loungewear: PJS. Short for Pajamas.

Pajama shorts

41. "Enough!": STOP.

44. Assignment: PROJECT.

45. Terms of service: TENURES.

47. Accent piece: AREA RUG.

48. "The Fountainhead" protagonist: ROARK. The Fountainhead is a 1943 philosophical novel by Ayn Rand that champions individualism, egoism, and artistic integrity.

50. __ Pérignon: DOM. I can think of better ways to spend $250+ than a bottle of champagne. 

55. Utterly reliable: SOLID.

56. Not erect: BENT.

57. Solemnly swear: AVOW.

58. Fully appease: SATE.

59. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE. EDIE played Carmela Soprano, Tony's wife. 

You better not mention Gloria.

60. Some USO patrons: PFCS. Private First Class soldiers may attend shows put on by United Service Organizations, an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment and other programs to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

Bob Hope spent 50 Christmases overseas!

62. Podcaster's purchase: MIKE. Bzzzt! No one spells it this way. It's MIC, short for microphone.

63. Several: A FEW.

64. Remain: STAY.

67. Happy Greek cry: OPA. Oh, Pa! I'm so happy!!

Be good. RB

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 56th birthday to our sweet Tony (Anon-T)! Every time I need someone to cover the blog, Tony is there without hesitation. Thank you for always being so generous with your time and willing to help. Hope you have a wonderful birthday, Tony!

 

 

Tony At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017

 

Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Robin Stears

A Riot a Minute:  The first word of each theme answer, including the unifier, is a description of a type laughter.  Several of these terms seemed a bit antiquated to me.

17-Across. Canned responses featured on many classic sitcoms: LAUGH TRACKS.

. 

28-Across. Alcohol, in 1920s speakeasy slang: GIGGLE WATER.  I was not familiar with this term.  It even predates my parents.

46-Across. Egg, in diner slang: CACKLEBERRY.  I was not familiar with this term, either.  Apparently, Cackleberry is a slang term for a hen's egg because it is a combination of the word "cackle" (the sound a hen makes), and "berry", which is roughly the shape of an egg.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Bozo, and a feature of 17-, 28-, and 46-Across: CHUCKLEHEAD.  Also known as a blockhead.

Any other laughs?

Across:

1. Curved segments: ARCS.

5. Happy shout: HOORAH!

11. Scoreboard figs.: PTS.  As in Points.

14. Actress Petty: LORI.  Lori Petty (b. October. 14, 1963) was in many films in the 1990s.

Then and now.

15. Saint of Ávila: TERESA.

16. Nev. neighbor: ARI.  Arizona is the neighbor of Nevada.  The Hoover dam is on the border of these two states.  Hi, Lucina!

19. Bled, as dyed fabric: RAN.

20. Fix a sloppy cartographer's work: REMAP.

21. Generic painkiller: ASPIRIN.  The active ingredient of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.  It is derived from willow bark and has been known to relieve pain for over 3,500 years.  Aspirin, that we purchase from the drug store was developed in the late 1890s by chemist Felix Hoffmann (Jan. 21, 1868 ~ Feb. 8, 1946) at Bayer.  Aspirin taken in large quantities, however, can cause gastric bleeding.

23. Fictional lion whose name is Turkish for "lion": ASLAN.  Aslan is a major character in The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis (né Clive Staples Lewis; Nov. 29, 1898 ~ Nov. 22, 1963).

24. Course for intl. students: ESL.  As in English as a Second Language.  This has become a crossword staple.

26. Shape of a tornado: CONE.

27. Cowboys, on scoreboards: DAL.  Think football and the Dallas Cowboys.

32. Attempt: STAB.

34. "__ too shabby!": NOT.

35. Rather thick: DENSE.

36. Share a border with: ABUT.

38. Needs one more candle on one's cake: AGES.

39. Jackrabbits, e.g.: HARES.  Jackrabbits are hares, but are not rabbits.

41. Peach or coral: HUE.

42. Milky gemstone: OPAL.  Everything you ever wanted to know about opals.

49. Quaint "Hurry up!": HIE.

50. Rich person's suffix: -AIRE.  Hand up if you are a Billionaire.

51. Stat that may increase with a homer: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

52. Love, in Torino: AMORE.  Today's Italian lesson.

54. Before daybreak: PRE-DAWN.

57. Striped African antelope: ELAND.

58. Touchdown hr.: ETA.  Not football, but flying in a plane.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

63. Oil field structure: RIG.

64. Force: COMPEL.

65. Buy in, in poker: ANTE.  //  And 66-Across. Call, in poker: SEE.  //  And 1-Down.  Winner takes __: ALL.

67. __ rasa: blank slate: TABULA.  Today's Latin lesson.

68. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  Stay is career-making song Lisa Anne Loeb (b. Mar. 11, 1968).  The song was from the movie Reality Bites, and was the first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 for an artist without a recording contract.

Down:

2. Greets like a tiger: ROARS AT.

3. Villain de Vil of "101 Dalmatians": CRUELLA.

4. Greek letter on the AutoSum button in Excel: SIGMA.

5. URL intro: HTTP.  We had this recently.  HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

6. Poetic "above": O'ER.

7. Pop star Rita: ORA.  Rita Sahatçiu Ora makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzle.  She is a British singer, actress, television personality, and fashion icon.  She was born in Kosovo in 1990.

8. Think back to: RECALL.  Do you have total recall?

9. Gives a proper "Jeopardy!" response: ASKS.

10. Locking device: HASP.

11. Colorful, chatty birds: PARROTS.

12. Company noob: TRAINEE.

13. One seeking redemption: SINNER.

18. Put up, as art: HANG.

22. "Just watch me!": I CAN SO!

23. Some Super Bowl highlights: ADs.

24. Awards "quadruple crown": EGOT.  The EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) Awards is often seen in the puzzles. 

25. PD rank: SGT.  As in Sergeant in the Police Department.

29. Occupied: IN USE.

30. Groundskeeper's tool: EDGER.

31. Tiny: WEE.

33. Spoke in a husky voice?: BARKED.

37. "The Fresh Prince of __-Air": BEL.  A Will Smith sit-com that ran in the 1990s.

38. Subtle glow: AURA.

39. Scrunchie, for one: HAIR TIE.

40. Farm measure: ACREAGE.

41. Feminine pronoun: HER.

43. Bus. card info: PHONE NO.

44. Broadcast time: AIR DATE.

45. Gymnast Suni: LEE.  Suni Lee (née Sunisa Phabsomphou Lee; b. Mar. 9, 2003) is an American artistic gymnast.  In the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, she was the all-around gold medalist and won the bronze medal on the uneven bars bronze medalist.

46. Tangy buds in chicken piccata: CAPERS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about capers.

47. Deaden: BE NUMB.

48. Ivy university featured on "Gilmore Girls": YALE.  I never watched Gilmore Girls, but Yale was an obvious fit.

53. Taj __: Indian tourist site: MAHAL.

55. Bank holding: Abbr.: ACCT.  As in Account.

56. "OMG!" kin: WHOA.  Really?

57. Purnell of "Yellowjackets": ELLA.  Ella Summer Reed Purnell (b. September 17, 1996) is a British actress who began her career as a child model.

60. PC core: CPU.  As in Central Processing Unit.

61. Kenan's former comedy partner: KEL.  Kenan and Kel was a sit-com from the late 1990s that starred Kenan Thompson (b. May 10, 1978) and Kel Mitchell (né Kel Johari Rice Mitchell; b. Aug. 25, 1978).  Kenan later went on to star on Saturday Night Live.

62. "Smitten Kitchen Every Day" cookbook writer Perelman: DEB.  I am not familiar with Smitten Kitchen Every Day.  Apparently, the Smitten Kitchen began as a cooking blog.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

White Rabbit on this First Day of July.