Tuesday May 20, 2025 Amie Walker & Jess Shulman

RustyBrain again, back by popular (?) demand. Actually, I fooled Hahtoolah into thinking I have everything under control. Shhh!

Our constructors, Amie Walker and Jess Shulman, have teamed up before, most recently in March with their TRASH TALK theme. Let’s see if they’ve cleaned up their act:

3D. Quick way to meet a bunch of people: SPEED DATING. Sitting across from someone for several minutes is a better way to judge personal chemistry than simply looking at pictures swiping left or right on an app.

7D. Right this second: HERE AND NOW. Really? How do you expect me to find a pic of HERE AND NOW that does justice to an instantaneous moment on the infinite time continuum? Dear Amie and Jess, please change this clue so I have an easier time. Thank you.

21D. Gotham City searchlight: BAT SIGNAL. For nights when he forgets his Bat Beeper.

29D. Spot for doodling: SCRATCH PAD. “Doodlepuff better not doodle on her new scratch pad!”

And the Unifier:

25D “Anything fun on the agenda today?” or a hint to the starts of 3-, 7-, 21-, and 29-Down: WHATCHA UP TO. Are you UP TO SPEED? I’ve had it UP TO HERE! Next, is UP TO BAT. And finally, it’s UP TO SCRATCH. The first and last are adjective phrases, while the middle two are idioms, but they all sound legit. The themers are vertical, which seems to be the case lately. It makes them a little harder to process, which can add to difficulty. Since it’s a Tuesday, and we don’t want to get too befuddled, we have a nice hint where to look, and UP TO which also leads us up to the top of each stack. Two chances to win!

Okay, we’re now UP TO date.

Across:

1. Core muscles worked by crunches: ABS. Never see this clued as Anti-lock Braking System.

4. Sign between Cancer and Virgo: LEO. Hint: it’s the 3 letter one.

7. Assistant: HELPER.

13. Mario Kart circuit: LAP. I drive on I-95 everyday, so I don't need a video game to get my thrills.

14. Italian mountain: ALP. In the singular, an ALP is a high mountain pasture, like can be found in the Alps.

15. Accept as true: BELIEVE.

16. Shiver with fear: TREMBLE. Thunder claps cause our dog, FuzzyBrain, to TREMBLE. Unfortunately, we live in Florida, the lightning capital of the US, averaging 1.2 million strikes per year! We play soothing music during storms and that helps a little, but don’t get me started about the 4^th of July…

18. Put up, as a building: ERECTED. I loved my Erector Set as a boy. Pictured is young Otis, coming up (and down) with an idea.

19. Cookie with a Coca-Cola variety: OREO. When will these snack companies learn that nothing beats the original flavor? Except Doritos, of course, when they came up with Cool Ranch.

20. Podcast pause: AD BREAK.

22. "The Incredibles" supersuit designer Mode: EDNA. Pixar denied EDNA was modeled after the great (8 Oscars!) costume designer, Edith Head. Years later, the studio admitted, “Well, maybe...”

24. Like some solstice traditions: PAGAN. Many of our Christian holidays were originally part of ancient PAGAN rituals and festivals. Christianity was an easier sell to pagans by adapting their celebrations rather than tossing them out. “And you still get to decorate the tree.”

25. "SmackDown" org.: WWE. World Wrestling Entertainment – not my cuppa tea.

28. Took care of a friend's pup, say: DOGSAT. This seems like a good place to insert a pic of FuzzyBrain, sitting.

30. Laconic reply to 25-Down, perhaps: NOTHIN. Laconic means terse or concise, thus a one-word answer. But when I noticed that this answer (dropped the G), and the referenced Revealer (WHATCHA for What are you) were both elided, I thought that would figure into the theme. Figured wrong.

32. "It just clicked!": AHA. Oho!

34. Heart charts, for short: ECGS. ElectroCardioGramS aka EKGs (from the German spelling).

 
35. Hates the thought of: DREADS.

36. Head, in French: TETE. French lesson du jour.

38. Era in power: REIGN.

40. Latin "Not you too!?": ET TU. Spoken by Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play as he is being assassinated and sees his friend Brutus among the conspirators. Little did he know his last words would become crosswordese.

41. Challenging riddle: ENIGMA. To Churchill in 1939, Russia was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Nowadays, their motives are much more transparent.

43. "Money doesn't __ on trees": GROW. I can’t wait until fall when I’ll rake it in.

45. Revolutionary Guevara: CHE. Much more than just a face on a TEE shirt.

46. California burger joint: IN-N-OUT. Watch out Golden Arches, the Golden Archers are aiming for you.

47. Fairly recent: NEWISH.

49. Pester: NAG. NAG pesterers are horse flies.

50. "Get off my lawn!": SCRAM. “Please, mister, I just wanna get my Frisbee back.”

52. Kid-lit's "Frog and __ Together": TOAD. "But they'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for TOAD."

54. Surprised greeting: OH HELLO. “OH, HELLO, Othello.”

56. Wait in hiding: LURK. I LURKed on this blog for several years, enjoying everyone’s take on the daily puzzle, before finally deciding to join in on the conversation. I’m glad I did! And if you haven’t made the leap yet, please do. All the best people are here!

58. Rumormongers: GOSSIPS.

61. "Come on in!": IT’S OPEN.

63. Warm up before cooking: PREHEAT. Here’s my new “smart” oven either telling me it’s 10:11pm or time to change the oil.

64. To the __ degree: NTH.

65. "__ Te Ching": TAO. The Tao Te Ching is classic Chinese text that guides adherents in finding wholeness and inner tranquility in harmony with Tao. The three main beliefs of Taoism are compassion, frugality, and humility. We could all use more of that in this world.

66. Secretary of state who negotiated the Alaska Purchase: SEWARD. William Seward served under Lincoln. Although his purchase of Alaska from Russia was derided as a “folly” at the time, the US has reaped many benefits from the land, more than covering the 2 cents per acre we paid (understatement of the year).

67. __ sauce: SOY.

68. Texter's "I'll be there soon!": OMW. On My Way, a continuation of last week’s textspeak theme.

Down:

1. Choir voice: ALTO. To sing higher than that, you'll need a riser.

2. Support for a ballerina: BARRE. "National Endowment for the Arts" didn’t fit.

3. [Theme]

4. Research setting: LAB. "Come up to the LAB and see what's on the slab."

5. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.

6. Newspaper section with views: OP-ED PAGE. I thought OP-ED was short for “Opinions & Editorials” but just learned it’s “Opposite the Editorial Page.”

7. [Theme]

8. "The Luminaries" Booker Prize winner Catton: ELEANOR. Unknown ELEANOR – her award-winning novel falls under “theater-fiction,” a genre that incorporates people, practices and settings from the stage.

9. Kiss from a 10-Down: LICK.

10. Fur baby: PET.

11. Night before: EVE. The anticipation is killing me!

12. "Colorful" Taylor Swift era: RED. One of her 16 (!) eras highlighted on tour. They correspond to her 11 albums plus some additional errors, er, eras.

15. Icy nautical hazard: BERG. Like with many other things, it’s the part you can’t see that gets you.
 

17. Prefix with chrome or tone: MONO. I prefer stereo. Especially one for $1 million.

21. [Theme]

23. Get older: AGE.

25. [Theme]

26. Area component: WIDTH. When multiplied by the height or length of a rectangular object. If the object is not rectangular? Well, then you’re on your own.

27. Come after: ENSUE. Reviews of my favorite movies often include, “Hilarity ENSUEs when…”

29. [Theme]

31. Casual top: TEE. TEE, which is short for T-shirt, which is short for TEE shirt, or something like that. Anyway, you can make your own by coloring this one in, then cutting it out. Probably should enlarge it first, though. Money saving tips from yours truly.

32. Had food at home: ATE IN.

33. Body dye in some wedding traditions: HENNA. A natural reddish dye derived from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree. It’s used to make intricate and beautiful temporary tattoos.

37. Alter __: EGO. RustyBrain is my alterEGO, kinda like Batman except I don't wear a cape.

39. Movie creatures that multiply if they get wet: GREMLINS. And remember, kids, never refuel them after midnight!

42. More sentimental: MUSHIER. Think any Hallmark Channel movie.

44. Cleverness: WIT. Brevity is the soul of WIT, so

48. Alone: SOLO. Han SOLO, alone.

51. Chill: REST. I usually think of “chill” to mean relax or remain calm, but not because you are tired and need a REST.

53. Atlanta WNBA team: DREAM. The name of this Women's National Basketball Association team was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech.

54. Job inspection org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. I'm a contractor (where I puzzle things out every day), and I hope funding cuts don’t have a negative impact on worker safety.

55. Director Preminger: OTTO. The influential director never won an Academy Award.

57. Not just guess: KNOW. I guess I already KNOW this.

58. Rte. provider: GPS. Global Positioning Satellite. So many satellites have been launched over the years that they are falling back to earth at the rate of a dozen per day. They mostly burn up in the atmosphere, but that still seems like an incredible number.

59. Mine find: ORE.

60. Use a needle and thread: SEW. This clue is so-so.

62. Timid: SHY.

Stay tuned for Hahtoolah’s triumphant return next week. Same bat-time; same bat-channel.

Tuesday May 13, 2025 Rebecca Goldstein

RustyBrain here, pinch-hitting for Hahtoolah. This is my first time at bat. Many thanks to C.C. for calling me up from the minors to be on the best team in the sport!

Today, Rebecca Goldstein's grid features on-deck circles. Some people don't like circles on the playing field, but I don't mind them. Let's see how the game goes:

17A. "That was a great day": I REMEMBER IT WELL. On the day my first son was born, I watched the Winter Olympics in the waiting room (I don't know what was keeping my wife, RightBrain) as the Jamaican bobsled team came barreling down the track. The boy has always been tickled that they made a movie about his birthday. Circled letters are IRL = In Real Life.

22A. Wearable that can detect heart rate: SMARTWATCH. From science fiction to reality. Who'd a thunk? Circles spell SMH = Shaking My Head.

35A. Numbered element in a drawing: LOTTO BALL. Tricky! I like to paint outside the lines. Circled is LOL = Laugh Out Loud.

49A. Morsel in Hansel and Gretel's trail: BREADCRUMB. Something tells me that these two leave more than a trail of BREADCRUMBs behind them. Circles spell BRB = Be Right Back.

55A. Like someone who spends too much time on the internet, and like this puzzle's circled letters?: EXTREMELY ONLINE. EXTREMELY ONLINE usually refers to people who can't tear themselves away from the computer screen while surfing the internet. But in this case, it's because the circled textspeak is split to the EXTREMELY far ends ON the same LINE. Ta da! Pretty good although the circles made it easy to find the extremes, but that's Tuesday for you.

And here comes the first pitch:

Across:

1. Low-pH solution: ACID. Low-pH water can corrode your pipes. It's not great in your body, either.

5. Drastic haircut: CHOP. I think "crew" would be more drastic.

9. Bit of a stink?: WHIFF. "What's that lovely stench you're wearing?" SLAP!

14. Tortoise racer: HARE. Because "The Turtle and the Rabbit" doesn't have the same ring to it.

15. E-tron carmaker: AUDI. E-tron is a family of electric and hybrid cars by AUDI. The four rings of their logo each represent one of the car companies that formed Auto Union, the racing juggernaut of the 1930s. It later would be bought by Volkswagen and rebranded as AUDI, one of the original four brands.

16. Ancient Greek region: IONIA. Cruise destination for ancient Greeks on vacation.

17. [Theme]

20. Former student: ALUM.

21. Says loud and proud: ASSERTS.

22. [Theme]

26. Comfy top: TEE. This one is pretty soft. They get harder as the week goes on.

28. Skewered dish: SATAY. A staple of Thai cuisine, it's usually marinated chicken served with peanut sauce. Delish!

29. Muslim monarch: EMIR. Our crossword friendly ruler, right up there with "tsar."

31. Actor and advocate for science communication Alan: ALDA. Another crossword fav.

33. [Not my error]: SIC. I never make misteaks [sic].

34. Princess from the planet Alderaan: LEIA. I think Han Solo liked her buns.

 
35. [Theme]

38. Book that's hardly light reading: TOME. Fun clue.

39. Chest muscle, for short: PEC.

40. "RuPaul's __ Race": DRAG.

44. Bellicose god: ARES. The son of Zeus and Hera was the black sheep of the family. He lived in a humble abode atop Mount Olympus when not on vacay in IONIA.
 

45. References in a research paper: CITES.

47. "Yo," in Rio: OLA. Portuguese for "Hi." In Spanish (since we didn't have a lesson today) it's "Hola."

48. Galaxy brain?: CPU. Central Processing Unit. No relation to me.

49. [Theme]

51. Leftover schmutz: RESIDUE.

54. Self starter?: AUTO. A life story written by you about yourself is an AUTObiography.

55. [Theme]

60. "The Leftovers" producer Lindelof: DAMON. Aha! The something new I learn every day doing crosswords. I guess I don't watch enough TV.

61. Hang on to: KEEP.

62. Comes to a close: ENDS.

63. Signs of what's to come: OMENS. Also, a scary movie franchise.

64. Attempts or assists: STAT. Sport STATistics. Not, "Get down the court STAT! I'm attempting to make an assist!"

65. Relax: REST. Always nice to end the puzzle with a REST.

Down:

1. Sushi-grade tuna: AHI. AHI is the Hawaiian term for bigeye or yellowfin tuna. Yum!

2. Sweet sundae sauce: CARAMEL. Yum again! This is turning into a food blog!

3. Home country of novelist Sally Rooney: IRELAND. The acclaimed Irish author was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. Quite a feat as she was only 31 at the time.

4. Raise objections: DEMUR.

5. Pic taker: CAM. Small PICtures require small CAMeras.

6. Networking center: HUB.

7. "__ to Neptune": Phillis Wheatley poem: ODE. Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to publish a book of poetry, unimaginable given that she was a slave. Her popular works help to dispel notions Black inferiority.

8. "Our Flag Means Death" subject: PIRACY. I thought this meant the Jolly Roger, but turns out it's a popular TV show about pirates. Arrrr!

9. Clever folks: WITS. RightBrain says I'm quite a wit! Well, half of one at least...

10. Gordie known as "Mr. Hockey": HOWE.

11. Lethargy: INERTIA. I first thought of the physics definition of INERTIA and couldn't see how it fit, so I was going to look it up. Then lethargy struck...

12. Coffee maker insert: FILTER. Which FILTER is better? Bleached or unbleached?

13. Not true: FALSE. That can't be true!

18. Ambulance staff: Abbr.: EMTS. Emergency Medical Technicians

19. "Or so": ISH. Kinda, sorta.

22. Restorative space: SPA. Ahhh...

23. Squander: WASTE.

24. Working hard: AT IT.

25. Tex-Mex-inspired casserole: TACO PIE. Not to be confused with Frito Pie, where chili is poured directly into a single serving bag of corn chips for a meal on the go! It's better than it sounds.

29. Unagi fish: EEL.

30. Not so hot: MILD. I've got some in a drawer if you need any.

32. Soothing salve: ALOE. Another old x-word friend.

34. Tied, as a corset: LACED.

36. Meditative mantras: OMS. This takes me back to one of my favorite progressive rock bands, the Moody Blues and their song "Om."

37. Testing phase: BETA. My high school English teacher made us memorize the Greek alphabet. I never knew why, but it's come in very handy over the years, even in crosswords oddly enough.

38. "Have I ever steered you wrong?": TRUST ME. "Should we ask for directions?"

41. Gymnast's floor performance: ROUTINE. It's a bird! It's a plane! It's amazing that they can do this!

42. Nuts with a high water footprint: ALMONDS. Growing ALMONDS accounts for approximately 15% of the total water usage in California. That's nuts! But they are nutritious and tasty, so I'm torn.

43. Chitchat: GAB. Is GAB a gift?

44. Test for coll. credit: AP EXAM. A good score in high school on an Advanced Placement EXAM may earn the student college credit.

45. Small streams: CREEKS. Now, where's my paddle?

46. Multifunction printer function: SCAN. "That's nice, but do you have one in a smaller size?"

48. Operating principle: CREDO.

49. Word after beach or ski: BUM.

50. One may be a foot long: RULER. I always carry a RULER with me when I go to lunch because you never know...

52. On board device?: IRON. Stumped me for a second, then I realized "on board" almost sounds like ironing board.

53. Rooms for movie night: DENS.

56. Allow: LET. Also, a LET in tennis (the ball touches the net but still goes in) "allows" you to take another serve.

57. Vote for: YEA. Make a choice.

58. Make a choice: OPT. Vote for.

59. No. from a contractor: EST. One thing I never hear from a contractor is "No." But his ESTimate number keeps growing.

Well, folks, it's bottom of the ninth and our constructor swings for the fences. It's going...going...gone! RB knocks it outta the park! 

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

I'm so happy that the witty RustyBrain has agreed to join our team. He'll be pinch-hitting for a while. 

 

Here he is at the Truman Little White House in Key West a few years ago.