Monday September 29, 2015 Taylor Johnson

Howdy! It''s RustyBrain and we've made it halfway through sumdaze's absence. I sure miss her!

Taylor Johnson is playing with his food today, despite his mom's scolding.

16A. *"Neato!": COOL BEANS.

38A. *Mensch: GOOD EGG.

9D. *Head honcho: TOP BANANA.

33D. *Influential person: BIG CHEESE.

63A. Marketing term for nutrient-rich fare, or what the answers to the starred clues are: SUPERFOOD. SUPERFOODs are nutrient-dense foods such as berries, leafy greens, nuts, whole grains and legumes. It's the good stuff we should eat more of. 

AWESOME theme; BAD fill. Too many proper names are a DRAG, and one of them sank me. I had "Wiener" instead of WEENIE and fixed the ending to IE, but left the I in place for iLIA. Grrr. Another possible Natick (in red on grid) was at the cross of KENDI and TALENTI, but I guessed right with an N. It didn't feel like Monday material.

On the plus side, I really liked the theme. Five common phrases, and they went in all directions. No wonder the rest relied on [im]proper answers. As I went through, I thought the reveal would have something to do with paleo. Many SUPERFOODS are part of a paleo diet, and all these happen to be ones in common.

So, it's a mixed grocery bag. Let's continue shopping:

Across:

1. Hushed "Hey, over here!": PSST. Be quiet! I'm getting PSST!

5. "What __ I supposed to do?": WAS. Past tense of my first try: AM I.

8. The Beehive State: UTAH. Here's how you can tell if a girl is from UTAH:

12. Flour for chapati and roti: ATTA. 

13. Director Kazan: ELIA. Name #1 (using the "Splynter Convention"). 

15. Love, in Italian: AMORE.

16. [theme]

18. Tangy bud in a piccata recipe: CAPER. Yummers!

19. Multiplex array: SCREENS. Multiplex array: CANDIES. Fun Fact: Movie candies often come in small boxes because they are quieter and make sharing easier, reducing spillage.

20. "Sorta": ISH.

22. Spoiled: BAD.

23. "How To Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. __: KENDI. Name #2. Unknown, but he's a National Book Award winner and an important voice in anti-racism.

24. Indigenous name of Mount Rainier: TAHOMA. Name #3. "Sorta" knew.

26. Those people's: THEIR.

28. Bar purchases: ROUNDS. 

31. Italian model on the cover of many romance novels: FABIO. Name #4. Here he is about to be smacked in the face by a goose while riding a roller coaster at my old haunt, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. He should have honked.

34. Spiritual guide: GURU.

36. Move suddenly: DART. Was FABIO quicker than a goose? Alas, no. He required a few stitches on his nose.

37. Comedian Wong: ALI. Name #5. There's something funny about this one.

38. [theme].

41. Opposing vote: NAY.

42. Fireplace stack: LOGS.

44. Hankering: URGE.

45. Utility bill info: USAGE.

47. Pendant with a photo: LOCKET.

49. "Hamilton" actress Renée __ Goldsberry: ELISE. Name #6. NAY. Another unknown. I need to get out more.

51. Zedonk or zorse: HYBRID. A zedonk is a sterile hybrid offspring of a female donkey and a male zebra. The much rarer reverse cross—a male donkey and a female zebra—is called a "zonkey." Even though they look alike, please don't confuse them. They are very sensitive.

53. Loses, as fur: SHEDS.  Zebroids (the general term for HYBRIDs above) shed their thin summer coats in the fall and grow a thicker, shaggier winter coat. When spring arrives and daylight hours increase, they shed their striped pajamas to prepare for warmer weather.

56. "__ willikers!": GEE.

58. Spanish sun: SOL. That's odd. I always thought we shared the same sun. 

59. "Gnarly!": AWESOME. 

61. One-named "Skyfall" singer: ADELE. Name #7. I knew this because she only has one name to remember. 

63. [theme]

65. Yellowstone grazer: BISON. Yellowstone gazer: TOURIST.

66. Sailing: ASEA.

67. Like water surrounding a startled cuttlefish, maybe: INKY. This one's very scared.

68. Slow-cooker dish: STEW.

69. Burnable data-storage medium, for short: CD-R. CD-R stands for Compact Disc Recordable, and they can only be written on once. CD-RW is the Read/Write version that allows multiple recordings.

70. Golf pegs: TEES. 

Down:

1. Campaign support gps.: PACS. Political Action CommitteeS. 

2. Soup base: STOCK.

3. One of 500+ in the Mall of America: STORE. Because "screaming kids" didn't fit.

4. Gelato brand in clear jars with brown screw-top lids: TALENTI. Name #8. I don't STOCK up on this.

5. Hot dog, casually: WEENIE. 

6. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

7. Sloth, for one: SIN. "What did I do to deserve this distinction?"

8. Actress Thurman: UMA. Name #9. She's tall, but famous around here for her short fill.

9. [theme]

10. Vicinity: AREA.

11. Group of buffalo: HERD. Unlike BISON who are seen but not HERD.

14. Nepal's continent: ASIA.

15. "Gesundheit" elicitor: ACHOO. Technically, the answer should be "hatschi," which is German onomatopoeia for the sneezing sound.

17. Sleeper who takes all the blankets: BED HOG. Here's double trouble; a bunk BED HOG!

21. "I dunno" gesture: SHRUG. 

24. Plodded: TRUDGED.

25. Coffee, slangily: MUD. Of all the slang expressions for coffee, MUD is the worst. It evokes stale coffee at work that's been sitting in the pot all day. 

27. "Young Frankenstein" assistant: IGOR. Name #10. Finally a fun one!

29. "What a __!": DRAG. Not sure why this has an exclamation point. I doubt anyone gets very excited about something that is tiresome. Unless, of course, they mean you're racing in a Top Fuel Funny Car!

30. Eyelid affliction: STYE.

31. Autumn: FALL.

32. Potatoes, in Indian cuisine: ALOO. Bench warmer "Potatoes" ALOO is the black sheep of the famous baseball family. 

33. [theme]

35. Instagram video: REEL.

39. Closing section of a song: OUTRO. As you suspected, it's at the opposite end of the intro.

40. Productive oil well: GUSHER.

43. Pie in the __: SKY. Pie in the FACE - because it's funnier!

46. Deems appropriate: SEES FIT.

48. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" actor Buddy: EBSEN. Name #11. Well known actor, but not from this 1961 film. "Let's see, it's Monday so I'll clue a minor role for a famous actor." I remember the movie, but not his immortal turn as Doc Golightly.

50. "Cross my heart!": I SWEAR.

52. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA. Name #12. Common crossword fill, but still...

54. Lorna __ cookies: DOONE. Name #13. The cookies are named after the protagonist in the romance novel from 1869 because she loved shortbread cookies. I think. I confess I haven't read it.

55. Chimney output: SMOKE.

56. Chats on and on: GABS.It's a gift.

57. Revise a manuscript: EDIT.

59. Mimicked: APED.

60. "Grand" ice cream: EDY'S. Name #14. It's delicious but still a proper name.

62. Burner setting: LOW.

64. L.A. school: USC. University of Southern California. 

Monday September 22, 2025 Robert E. L. Morris

Round 2 of RustyBrain's Tour de Lundi's in lieu of sumdaze.

Robert "Everyone Loves" Morris is no stranger to the square dance here at the Corner. In this puzzle, he shows off his fancy footwork.

58A. Jukebox musical featuring Gloria Estefan songs, or where to find the ends of 17-Across and 10-, 24-, and 33-Down: ON YOUR FEET. The end of each themer is also a part of one's foot. Simple and effective - except I didn't know a jukebox musical was a show that uses preexisting songs to tell a story. 

17A. Architectural component of many a stained glass window: GOTHIC ARCH. The tall, pointed GOTHIC ARCH was an improvement over the round Roman ones because the steeper sides directed forces down more vertically. So, rather than having massive columns as in the Romanesque churches, the new columns could be more slender. 

10D. Pencil game that often has no winner: TIC-TAC-TOE. Known as "Noughts and Crosses" in Britain, TIC-TAC-TOE's origins can be traced back to ancient Egypt where the game has been found on roofing tiles. Therefore, workers have been screwing around on the job for millennia before I came along and turned it into an art form.

24D. Billiards game: SIX-BALL. In pocket billiards (pool), SIX-BALL is a shortened form of nine-ball. But, for some oddball reason, eight-ball is a longer version of both. 

33D. Flatfish native to the northern Atlantic: DOVER SOLE. DOVER SOLE is a highly-valued, sweet and mild-flavored flatfish from European waters. And eating fish is good for your soul.

I found too many proper names, including an insurance company mascot, but my only real QUIBBLE was a few wayward abbreviations (see 43A & 4D).

And now, the game is afoot:

Across:

1. Animation pioneer Disney: WALT. If WALT had lived long enough, he might have created a CGI emu.

5. CGI emu who wears sunglasses in insurance ads: LIMU. Newest Disney character: Lester LIMU.

9. Chichén __: Mayan ruins: ITZA. ITZA site to see!

13. Word of woe: ALAS.

14. Ain't right?: AREN'T. Yes it is.

16. "Carpe __!": "Seize the day!": DIEM.

17. [theme]

19. Ranch division: ACRE. The smallest division is the single-serving size.

20. Lures: ENTICES. 

21. 2,240 pounds: LONG TON. The LONG TON is also known as an imperial ton, a displacement ton, or a British ton, but there's not a ton of difference between them.

23. Big name in tractors: DEERE. This old piece of farm equipment is manure spreader. Nowadays, we call it a politician.

24. Lady of Spain: SENORA.

25. Shape-fitting video game: TETRIS. I have very good spatial sense and amaze my friends with how much I can pack into a small moving van. I think of it as 3-D TETRIS. 

28. Computer pros: TECHS. Computer cons: BUGS

31. Puts in: ADDS. "You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out..." I'm also available for weddings!

34. Bit of black magic: HEX. 

35. Cape __ Island, Nova Scotia: BRETON. 

36. Summer zodiac sign: LEO. It's LEO again. We've seen this constellation all summer long.

37. Nitpick: QUIBBLE. QUIBBLE is just like Scrabble. Well, maybe a little different...

39. Lisbon greeting: OLA. The Portuguese version of "hola," which is the Spanish version of "hallo," which is the German version of "hello," which is...

40. Scarf down: DEVOUR. 

42. One seeking platonic love, informally: ARO. AROmantic is becoming a crossword staple due to its common letters.

43. Slugger Matt who led the NL in homers in 2011: KEMP. Since National League is abbreviated, so is Kempinski. Just kidding! I don't know why the clue uses NL (Matt is technically abbreviated as well).

44. Puccini work: OPERA.

45. Pester continually: PLAGUE.

47. Scamp: RASCAL.

49. Mookie of the Dodgers: BETTS. The only BETTS I know is Dickey, founding member and former guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band.

53. Stronghold: BASTION. 

55. Get ready: PREPARE.

57. French for "mine": A MOI. 

58. [theme]

60. Approximately 2.2 lbs.: KILO. Kilogram.

61. Marshmallow treats: PEEPS. They're not just for Easter anymore!

62. Words often said sarcastically: I BET.

63. Genesis garden: EDEN. 

64. Small amount: DASH. 

65. __ list: TO DO. My wife, RightBrain, calls them "honey do" lists. I sure hope she gets around to them soon.

Down:

1. Fought, as a war: WAGED.

2. Unaccompanied: ALONE.

3. Starbucks order: LATTE. Cafe LATTE is an espresso-based coffee drink from Italy. "Scusi, but why is my order taking so long?"

4. Some concert merch: T-SHIRTS. T-SHIRT is not an abbreviation (as suggested by "merch" which is an abbrev. for merchandise). The "T" refers to the garment's shape when laid flat.

5. Lingerie trim: LACE.

6. Golden yrs. funds: IRAS. Individual Retirement Accounts.

7. Crème de la __: luxury skin care product made with kelp: MER. MER is French for "sea." I should try it because I need all the kelp I can get.

8. Parents' brothers: UNCLES.

9. "Can't argue with that": I'D AGREE. No complaints from me.

10. [theme]

11. Goose egg: ZERO. Because a ZERO looks like an egg, the tennis term for "no score" is love - from the French word for egg, l'oeuf.

12. Prayer ending: AMEN.

15. Suffix for a lengthy fundraising event: THON. As in teleTHON.

18. Slushy drink: ICEE.

22. __ Dame: South Bend school: NOTRE. The Fighting Irish.

24. [theme]

26. Calendar abbr.: THUR. This clue is kinda week.

27. L.L.Bean rival: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc. In clothing, however, Bean's rival is Lands' End.

29. Ian of "The Hobbit": HOLM. He played Bilbo Baggins, Middle Earth's ringleader.

30. Break sharply: SNAP.

31. Gucci of fashion: ALDO. 

32. "Take a __ breath": DEEP. 

33. [theme]

35. Internet journal: BLOG. Just like the one you're reading now!

37. Somewhat: QUASI. That seems about right.

38. Lingerie item: BRA. 

41. Formal speech: ORATION. 

43. Stay in shape: KEEP FIT. Bent out of shape: THROW A FIT.

45. Reviewed harshly: PANNED. The term "being roasted" was a historical slang term for severe criticism (similar to today). That morphed into expressions like "on the pan." 

46. Lyft rival: UBER.

48. Member-owned grocery: CO-OP. IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance) supermarkets are an example of a Retailers' Cooperative. Collectively, CO-OPs give local store owners the buying power to compete with the big chains. We stopped at this one on the way to the Cascade Mountains this summer. Neat as a pin with perfect pyramids of produce and super friendly folks. Buy local!

50. 1990s fitness fad: TAE BO. The opposite of this fashion fad:

51. Trapped on a branch, as a cat: TREED. Tripped on a branch: FLOORED.

52. Minor scuffle: SET TO.

53. Make a cake, say: BAKE.A rhyming clue and answer! 

54. Within: AMID.

55. Unwelcome sounds for a balloon artist: POPS. These are very prickly to make:

56. Work with haste: RUSH. Work with waste: FLUSH. More silly rhymes.

59. Affirmative vote: YEA.

Did you keep instep as we moved along?

Monday September 15, 2025 Freddie Cheng

And just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…ba-dum…ba-dum…it’s RustyBrain!
Sumdaze is taking some well-deserved time off, so you’re stuck with me for a month of Mondays. It’ll be difficult, but I’ll try to be as charming as she is.

Freddie Cheng has been constructing professionally for fifteen years. In this, his 8th puzzle in the LAT, he has the confidence to dare us to rank his puzzle.

17. Half expecting a terrible outcome: FEARING THE WORST. 

28. "What a pity": THAT'S TOO BAD.

39. Demographic statistical standard: NATIONAL AVERAGE.

46. "No problems yet": SO FAR, SO GOOD.

63. Classic family sitcom starring Robert Young: FATHER KNOWS BEST.

Freddie squeezes in five themers, three of which go wall to wall. I zoomed right through to the end as one would expect on a Monday. No revealer, so once I finished I had to backtrack to discover the secret. I found he's incorporated a basic rating system which could apply to almost anything such as star reviews, with 1 star being the worst and 5 stars being the best. The answers are also in proper order, so I give it *****.

Across:

1. "Darn!": RATS. I guess you could darn these?

5. Bubble tea "bubbles": BOBA. BOBA balls are made from tapioca starch and are designed to clog your straw.

9. Subside, as rain: LET UP.

14. Otherwise: ELSE.

15. Many a Dubai resident: ARAB.

16. Clean thoroughly: ERASE. As a reward (?) for being a good student in elementary school (I was an angel *blush*) I was chosen for the privilege of clapping the chalkboard erasers, sometimes creating works of art on the brick walls outside. Sadly, my path to being a pre-Banksy was blocked by teachers unimpressed with my genius.

17.[theme]

20. Clean thoroughly: SCRUB. I'm calling a clue like this (duplicating 16A) a reclusive (re-clue-sive).

21. "In all probability ... ": ODDS ARE. "I don't think you have a royal flush, so..."

22. Ran into: MET. 

24. __ Lanka: SRI.

25. "That's the fellow!": HIM. Sounds British, like "He's the chap!" A lot of clues today seem to evoke the UK.

28. [theme]

35. Japanese noodle: UDON.

37. Cookbook writer Garten: INA. She grows her herbs in a garden.

38. Mario Kart brother: LUIGI.

39. [theme]

43. Yours, once: THINE.

44. Promos: ADS.

45. Small opening: SLIT. 

46. [theme]

50. "Certainly!": YES. (and the obligatory album cover)

51. "__ the season ... ": TIS. Certainly looks like it already in the big box stores.

52. Pinterest pin: PIC.

54. Spiraling: IN A SPIN.

59. Dads: PAPAS.

63. [theme]

67. "The X Factor" judge Cowell: SIMON. British TV personality and record producer.

68. Architectural overhang: EAVE.

69. "By Jove!": I SAY. Something SIMON says.

70. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. "WandaVision" is a surrealistic miniseries by Marvel Comics where each episode is a decade newer than the last, starting with the 50s in black & white and on up through full-color present day. OLSEN plays Wanda, a woman with telepathic powers. 

71. Audition (for): READ.

72. Casual denial: NOPE.

Down:

1. Game officials: REFS. Now you can play at home! For the sanity of your family, a whistle is not included.

2. Oscar winner Guinness: ALEC.

3. Ruler of Imperial Russia: TSAR. Rule of xwords: Russian rulers are TSARs while government policy wonks are czars. Ideally.

4. Clear component of blood: SERUM.

5. Exile: BAN. Expel underarm odor!

6. URL ending for nonprofits: ORG. Short for ORGanists, I think. Ask Splynter.

7. Cricket club: BAT. I couldn't find a cricket bat, so I settled for one with a grasshopper.

8. Detests: ABHORS.

9. Off-color or blue: LEWD.

10. God with a bow and arrow: EROS. The Greek god made people fall in love by striking them with EROS.

11. Actress Reid: TARA.

12. Sputnik power, briefly: USSR. Sputnik was actually powered by three zinc-silver batteries designed to last two weeks, but they made it 22 days and kicked off the space race. Amazing something so small had such a huge impact.

13. Cubs slugger __ Crow-Armstrong: PETE.

18. Skeptical reply: I BET. "I don't believe you have a royal flush, so I BET it all."

19. Amend: EDIT. 

23. Slender: THIN. "I'd like a half pound of salami cut slender, please."

24. German prison camps: STALAGS. The popular 60s TV sitcom, Hogan's Heros, was set at fictional STALAG 13. It took until 1992 for reruns of the anti-Nazi satire to air in Germany. It failed to connect with audiences until scripts were rewritten to make the Nazi characters seem even more foolish.

25. Chases game: HUNTS. Unless the hunter simply sits in a blind and waits for the game to come to him.

26. Boise's state: IDAHO.

27. Recurring theme: MOTIF.

29. "SNL" alum Gasteyer: ANA. She's' more popular in xwords than she was on Saturday Night Live.

30. Flamenco cry: OLE. Flamingo cry: HONK! (They are very noisy birds.)

31. Yours and mine: OURS. Different from "yours, mine and ours."

32. Bagel alternative: BIALY.

33. A&M student, familiarly: AGGIE. Texas A&M is the AGGIEs, but Florida A&M is the Rattlers (rattlesnakes). There are several other A&Ms, including ones in Alabama and Louisiana, so this clue doesn't hold up.

34. Intake guidelines: DIETS. 

36. Totenberg of NPR: NINA.

40. "__ the ramparts we watched ... ": OER. According to my national park guide, Francis Scott Key used the term spangled in his poem "Defense of Fort McHenry" to mean the stars were tilted or askew on the garrison flag. His work was later set to music and re-titled "The Star-Spangled Banner."

41. Brouhaha: ADO.

42. Abbr. on a brandy label: VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale indicates that it has been aged for a minimum of four years in oak barrels for a smoother, more complex flavor.

47. Use a swizzle stick: STIR. British spy 007 would probably kill you with one of those little swords if you did this to his martini. He's very particular.

48. Pig, cutely: OINKER. Meh. This one's a stinker.

49. Quick swims: DIPS.

53. Airplane seating area: CABIN. This one is preparing for takeoff.

54. "Assuming that's true ... ": IF SO.

55. Emery board target: NAIL. 

56. Casino cash dispensers: ATMS. Automated Teller Machines were an early (1960s) volley in the battle to replace human jobs. And the war continues...

57. Casino card dispenser: SHOE. Almost another reclusive! 

58. Teller's partner in magic: PENN. Now celebrating 50 years together, I saw them with my family in Las Vegas around the turn of the century. Great show, but most impressive was afterwards when they both did a meet and greet in the hallway. They hung around chatting (yes, even Teller) and taking selfies until everyone in the audience had a chance to meet them. Class act.

60. Money in the Philippines: PESO.

61. "Now!" letters: ASAP. As Soon As Possible doesn't necessarily mean right now...unless it's my wife saying it.

62. Eye affliction: STYE. My STYE in my little eye...I'm fun on road trips, too!

64. Scottish refusal: NAE. Something James Bond would say if asked, "Should I use a swizzle stick?"

65. Lab eggs: OVA.

66. Tie the knot: WED. "Tying the knot" harkens back to the ancient ritual of handfasting, where a couple's  hands were tied together with ribbons or cords.

So, was this the best of times, or the worst of times? (Ain't I a Dickens?)