Wednesday, Oct 22nd, 2025 ~ Emma Oxford

  BLUFFY McLIARPANTS

It seems fitting that I should get a poker/card-playing theme - sadly, I was down on Long Island this past weekend to attend the wake of my dear friend Greg B., whom I'd known for nine years, as he died last Tuesday after a three-year battle with brain cancer.  I had not seen him since the diagnosis, as the disease had made it diffiuclt for him to retain your name or the thread of a conversation, so he opted to spend his time ( rightfully ) with his wife and daughter.  I was grateful to him for inviting me to his home for a poker game once a week, and you knew it was poker night because he would wear a shirt with "Bluffy McLiarpants" across the front; the image above was my response to that shirt; I wore this at the card table to "distract" the other players 😵.  We've seen several Emma Oxford puzzles for the LA Times, and today's grid was a pleasant solve for me; no circles, just a few names, and a Wednesday difficulty.  The themers which represent the "stages" of a card game;

18. 1977 Top 20 single by Boz Scaggs: LIDO SHUFFLE - Cool song

23. "Love your work!": I'M A HUGE FAN - we would fan first, to see who dealt first

38. Engagement ring option: PRINCESS CUT - done by the player to the dealer's right

54. Aspiring musician's goal: RECORD DEAL - always to the left

59. Dramatic presentation often staged during Lent: PASSION PLAY - we would PLAY high/low games, with a "stack" of chips, and the winners would "split" the pot; you could also go 'both ways', and if you won, you would "sweep" - thus, the words on my T-shirt

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Civil War POTUS: ABE - I wondered what his middle name was; POTUS is the abbr for President of the United States, so I wondered what A_L would be - more here

4. Anklebones: TARSI - crossword staple

Such beautiful Tarsi

9. Lawn ornament in a hat: GNOME

14. Bagel topping: LOX - I stopped in to see Cooper ( also my brother, who shares the same house with the dog ) and had me another bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese - it's better than it sounds~!

15. Not suitable: INAPT

16. Aspirational, as goals: LOFTY - my lofty goal is to be recognized for my fantasic board games - still trying to figure out how to get them produced

17. Hill worker?: ANT - not the quaint reference to the "US Capitol", on the "hill"

20. DEA agent: NARC

22. 44th first family: OBAMAS

27. Drive-__: THRU

30. Polite assent in Seville: SIS, ENOR - Si, C.C.~!

31. Court figs.: DAs - District Attorneys

33. Rower's implement: OAR

34. "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN

36. Face With Tears of Joy, for one: EMOJI - 😂

41. Selected: CHOSE

43. Cars: AUTOS

44. Zeus, e.g.: GOD - "high -ODs" . . . 

45. Skip the grass seed: SOD - low "-ODs"

48. Cloaks: MANTLES - I watched two "classic" movies over the weekend - "The Curse of Frankenstein" ( that's Fron-ken-schteen - see 7D. ) and "The Horror of Dracula", both starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - two actors who would later have roles in the Star Wars films

Tis the season~!

52. Highlander of ancient Peru: INCA

56. Zeus's daughter: ATHENA

58. Not fooled by: ONTO

64. Do some mending: SEW

65. The Ivies, e.g.: OCTET - those eight being these

66. Leader of the girl group Red Velvet: IRENE - we've seen her here before - KPOP

67. Before, before: ERE - "Able was I . . . "

68. Some Southwest landmarks: MESAS

69. Things to read on the road: SIGNS - 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯 if you're gonna rock down to . . . .

... and not recharge your smart phone 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯

70. Australian airport code: SYDney

DOWN:

1. "Ironic" singer Morissette: ALANIS - I linked her and the song in a previous puzzle

2. Brand of scouring powder: BON AMI

3. Bonuses: EXTRAS

4. Up to, for short: TIL - unTIL

5. Alex and __ jewelry: ANI - I had ANN to start, but she showed up later at 62D.  Here's a shocking story behind the woman who founded the jewelry company

6. "Tubular!": "RAD~!"

7. "Spaceballs," for one: SPOOF - Mel Brook's parody of the Star Wars films; it's a tough call as to which of his other spoofs is better  - Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein~?

Dark Helmet & Colonel Sandurz

8. Bleak assessment: IT'S BAD

9. Down in the dumps: GLUM

10. Skim, in the dairy aisle: NO FAT

11. Branch: OFFSHOOT

12. The NHL's Canadiens, on a scoreboard: MTL - abbr for Montreal; I had MON - MTL is nearly a unique fill; The "Habs" - too early in the season for me still, CandianEh!

13. Quiet part of a hurricane: EYE

19. "Pitch Perfect" actress __ Mae Lee: HANA - filled via perps

Her IMDb

21. "Here's to you!": "CHEERS~!"

24. Boxers or briefs: UNDIES - which are you~?  Or do you go "commando"~?

25. Formal dress: GOWN - were undies "formerly" worn beneath that gown . . . ?

26. Actor Stoltz: ERIC - I liked him in Pulp Fiction

Prank caller~!

28. "The Big Bang Theory" character: RAJ - I asked my brother, sitting across his dining room table, for this answer - he likes it, but I cannot stand to watch a single scene of this show

29. New England sch.: URI - University of Rhode Island - my "CT nextdoor neighbor"

32. __ fiddle: SECOND - HA~! FIT-AS-A- worked, too~!

35. Teacher's org.: NEA

37. High-priority activity, per some guidebooks: MUST-DO

38. Downloads before a long road trip, perhaps: PODCASTS - ROAD MAPS worked, too, but duped

39. Japanese sport: SUMO

40. Rating unit: STAR - I give this crossword four-and-a-1/2 out of five "Moe Stars" 

41. Much of the F/X in the MCU: CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery, the Marvel Comic Universe; I am not a fan of this genre, tho I did like Deadpool

42. Babe: HON - I prefer this quaint three-letter SO nickname to "bae"

46. Black-and-white treat: OREO

47. "Mystic River" novelist Lehane: DENNIS - I have read the book; one of a just a handful from authors whose work gave me an emotional response - another was The Secret Place by Tana French

49. Inserts in some frames: LENSES - those kinds of frames

50. Diner or bistro: EATERY

51. Lost steam: SLOWED

53. Lost: AT SEA

55. Island off Naples: CAPRI

57. Battleship successes: HITS - the Milton-Bradley ship-hunting game

59. Juice brand with distinctive bottles: POM

60. Nail, as a test: ACE - R.I.P. ACE Frehley of KISS

Shock Me - the extended "smoking guitar" solo from 1977

61. Relay segment: LEG

62. "The Baby-Sitters Club" writer __ M. Martin: ANN - more here

63. "Affirmative": "YES."

For Greg

Splynter

Sunday, Oct 19th, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

• "EASY DOES IT" 

x x  TIMES Crossword Puzzle

The _os  _ngles Times building 

Splnyter stepping for our Sunday Bloggess C.C., who takes the honor of being today's constructor.  I usually skip Sunday's puzzle and work on my Wed blog, but it was a JazzB week, so here we are.  My solve had lots of "well, it fits, but it's wrong" answers ⁽⁺⁾ today.  No circles, a fair number of  names, a balanced spread of 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-letter words, 88 squares ( if my math is correct ) of theme fill - but - they're 'missing' the "L" and "A" from in-the-vernacular phrases, leading to some humorous, unique fill.  The themers, and the reveal in the final Across;

23A. *Ensemble for finals week?: (LA)TEST FASHION

28A. *Slug made from an old can?: (LA)TIN QUARTER

58A. *Christmas tree in an atelier?: ARTISTIC F(LA)IR

83A. *Courses full of twists and turns?: (LA)MAZE CLASSES - birthing technique

110A. *Organizer for a nail tech?: MANI(LA) FOLDER

119A. *Treadmill setting for a Roman emperor?: CAESARS PA(LA)CE

32D. *Pride of a jacked security guard?: ANTI-THEFT A(LA)RM

43D. *Thanksgiving stuffing dishes that aren't up to snuff?: SA(LA)D DRESSINGS

130. Mardi Gras city nickname, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: NOLA - New Orleans, LouisianA, "The Big Easy" ( the 'other' theme title ) or, parsed for the theme, "No L A"

And "L A" We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Layer outside the germ: BRAN - I do the DOWN clues first; I had B - - N to start

5. Like a perennial: HARDY - durable - they keep coming back~!

10. LAPD alerts: APBs - No LA~! #1

14. No. 1 pals: BFFs - Text-speak, Best Friends Forever

18. Sacred flower in Buddhism: LOTUS

I'll take this Lotus - the Turbo Esprit

20. In the know: AWARE - toyed with ALERT⁽⁺⁾ because this cluster was a bit messy with wrong fill

21. Helpful hint: CLUE

22. Ontario lake: ERIE

25. Purple boba tea flavor: TARO

26. Roof overhang: EAVE

27. Hit lists: TOP TENS

30. Playing surface that favors topspin: CLAY - I so wanted FELT here, as in pool tables

33. Video camera button: RECord - I am making a table for my brother for Christmas, and I am thinking about shooting a video of the process - I bought this thing for holding my phone:

34. Bro or stepbro: SIBling

36. Total score: TALLY

37. "Mulan" invader: HUN

38. Maker of off-road vehicles: TONKA - HONDA⁽⁺⁾ fit, and a good 60% correct, but Bzzzt 

40. Guitar licks: RIFFS - I am very familiar with this concept - it's good to go back to songs that were once difficult for me to play and now find easier from practice and learning scales

42. Runner-up: LOSER

46. Visiting the area: IN TOWN - I had planned to drive to Cincinnati, OH at the end of the month for the 25th anniversary of "The Golem", the made-for-TV movie I worked on, but now I'm told it's just a showing in a theater - no cast or crew were invited to attend - 12hrs is a long way to drive to sit in a cinema.

48. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO

50. Striped stone: AGATE

51. Egyptair hub city: CAIRO

52. David of "ABC World News Tonight": MUIR - filled via perps

54. LED component: DIODE - Light-Emitting, that is

57. Focalin target, briefly: ADHD - no clue, had ADHG via crossings

61. Greeting to a mate: G'DAY - an Aussie, mate~!

62. Genetic material: DNA

63. Application in some massages: HOT OIL - the subject of massages came up at the gym last week; they are offered in my club, but I have never actually HAD a massage - perhaps I should treat myself this Christmas

64. Creole chef Chase: LEAH - again, filled via perps; more here

66. Holds nothing back: LETS RIP

69. Course track for a future JD: PRE-LAW - "JD" being a learning moment for me - the Wiki

71. Falcons city: ATLANTA - their NFL team

74. Marathon setting: GREECE - I had AVENUE - but this is the city, not the run

75. Person who calls the shots: REFEREE - meh~?

77. Quindim ingredient: YOLK - with YOL -, I WAGed the "K"

78. Kale and cabbage: GREENS

80. Traditional mo. for a Bavarian beer festival: OCTober - happening NOW

81. Sultry growl: RAWR - I recall having this fill just recently, and not too many people cared for it

87. Make airtight: SEAL

89. Strip in the kitchen: STEAK - with - 24D. Cook wear?: APRON - cute misdirections

How's that for an apron - care for some (un)dressing with that salad~?

91. Parks of Alabama: ROSA

92. Crocheted mat: DOILY

93. "Snowfall" actor Damson __: IDRIS - my final fill; good to see an alternative to "ELBA"

95. Like most awards: ANNUAL

97. Mount __: Washington estate: VERNON - my gym is located in Vernon, CT . . .

98. Arizona State's city: TEMPE - my ex is located in Arizona . . .

99. Some choral singers: ALTOs - and my voice is located in the baritone range.

100. Harsh: ACRID

103. Classic muscle car: GTO - "Goat" - here's where the name G T O comes from

104. Doll with neon hair: TROLL

106. Dorm VIPs: RAs - Resident Assistants

108. Hack (off): LOP

109. Secondhand: USED

114. Tofu nutrient: PROTEIN - I have "plateaued" at the gym; my trainer has now dropped my calorie intake to 1900/day, with 30-35% Protein, 30-40% Carbs, and 25-35% Fat

117. 50-50: EVEN

118. Persian greeting?: MEOW - Persian, the cat, that is

123. Religious subgroup: SECT

124. Bend at a barre: PLIE

125. Minor key?: ISLET - Minor = small :: Key = island

126. Underground worker: MINER - the "other" MINOR

It's the key of  "B sharp"

127. Inquires: ASKS

128. Straight people, casually: HETS - Clunky, sorta meh; Heterosexuals - don't usually hear it spoken

129. Love, in arias: AMORE

DOWN:

1. Club alternative: BLT - sa'miches

2. Eggs in ikura sushi: ROE

3. Tags on social media: ATS - more commonly "@"s 

4. Like some brownies: NUTTY - I like my PB chunky, but not my brownies

5. Light a fire under: HASTEN - ah. Not IGNITE⁽⁺⁾

6. "Doggone it!": "AW HECK~!"

7. Desert rarity: RAIN

8. Smeltery waste: DROSS - SLAG was too short

9. Currency at pachinko parlors: YEN - in retrospect, this makes sense

More here

10. Start of a show: ACT I

11. Nursery nutrients: PLANT FOOD; the set of 8- & 9-letter down fills; 14D. Poses done in a taproom: BEER YOGA; 82D. "Happens to everyone": "WE ALL DO IT"; 88D. Some light cosmetics: LIP TINTS

12. Head-to-toe garments: BURQAS - I had the "K", not the "Q" at first

13. Han River capital: SEOUL 

15. Campus group: FRAT - Not ROTC⁽⁺⁾

16. __-second rule: FIVE - I frequently adhere to this phenomenon, despite what Mythbusters proved

The Five-Second Rule tested

17. Oracle: SEER

19. OAK alternative: SFO - I was stumped by this - I am not West coast, so I did not recognize the airport codes of California's Bay Area tarmacs - and now there's controversy . . . 

28. Classic Ford: T-BIRD - I had the less-than-classic, but still way-cool, 1986 Turbo Coupe

29. Ristorante menu preposition: ALLA - penne ALLA vodka, e.g.

30. Spanish girl: CHICA

31. Like some eclipses: LUNAR - Not TOTAL⁽⁺⁾

35. Fund that might grow for decades: IRA

38. Like some rear admirals: TWO-STAR

39. "Yeah, right!": "AS IF~!"

Wayne's World

41. Heebie-jeebies: FRIGHT - not CREEPS⁽⁺⁾

44. Sharing a cultural identity: ETHNIC

45. Orangutan: RED APE - I tried BIG APE⁽⁺⁾

47. Warbler lookalike: ORIOLE

49. Scouring brand: BRILLO

52. Wii Sports avatar: Mii - how you appear in the game; this is my Facebook Avatar

53. Golden State sch.: UCLA - No LA~! #2

55. Lentil dish: DAL

56. Product that may reduce dark circles: EYE GEL

59. Castle structures: TOWERS - I loves me a castle, especially with towers

60. Domain: REALM - Not ARENA⁽⁺⁾

65. Capital city in Anatolia: ANKARA

67. Like new tires: TREADED - But what about F1 racing~?

68. Motion detector, e.g.: SENSOR

69. Toast at a Bavarian beer festival: PROSIT - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - crossing IDRIS, a bit of a Natick

70. Go back: RECEDE - Not RETURN⁽⁺⁾

72. Ruthless ruler: TYRANT - Not DESPOT⁽⁺⁾

73. Forever and a day: AGES - Not EONS⁽⁺⁾

76. Put away: EAT

79. TV pioneer: RCA

84. French novelist Émile: ZOLA - seen this name in Crosswords before

85. Cotija-covered corn: ELOTE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

86. Council of clerics: SYNOD

90. Bouillon brand: KNORR - they make sides dishes in bags, too

94. Feudal laborer: SERF

96. Miss. home: USA - I was not fooled by this, but I did hesitate - Mississippi is in the US of  A

97. Deadly snake: VIPER - not ADDER⁽⁺⁾

99. Gene arising from mutation: ALLELE

101. End-of-game pitcher: CLOSER - Not RELIEF⁽⁺⁾

102. Revolve: ROTATE

105. Extra pep: OOMPH

107. Twitch: SPASM - I had a SPASM in my last puzzle blog

109. Let fall, as hair: UNPIN

That's a BIG PIN

110. Steep-sided plateau: MESA

111. Urban rtes.: AVEs

112. Giraffe feature: NECK

They're "necking"

113. Fleecy mamas: EWES

"Youse" got to check out this mama in fleece-lined tights~!

115. Move quickly?: RELO - move = relocate :: quickly = abbr 

116. Magnet end?: ISM - magnetISM - the beginning of Monster Magnet's album Last Patrol, but the link didn't hold up . . . .oh well

119. "Spy Game" org.: CIA

120. "So I should take that as __?": "A NO~?"

121. Cartoon frame: CEL

122. Dynastic period, e.g.: ERA

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 8th, 2025 ~ Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin

 MAVERICK⁽'⁾S PACERS

I'll take one~! The AMC Pacer

I really enjoyed today's collaboration between two solid crossword constructors Amie & Amanda.  A sports teams theme we have seen before, where the monikers are combined to make a new, funny/punny answer. Today's team names are from the National Basketball Association, the professional organization of a game I have no interest in whatsoever - I'd rather watch golf.  I think it has to do with the squeak of sneakers on hardwood - that and the fact that one only needs tune-in to the last 30secs to see who wins, IMHO.  Lot's of 3LWs, only five(ish) names, and all the theme answers are unique; 

20. Peddles pearls of wisdom?: HAWKS NUGGETS - Atlanta / Denver - see below

28. Observes casual Friday at the office?: BUCKS BLAZERS - Milwaukee / Portland *¹

49. Gains barbers' equipment?: NETS CLIPPERS - Brooklyn / Los Angeles - *²

58. Microsoft virtual work gathering, and what can be found in 20-, 28-, and 49-Across: 

TEAMS MEETING - When I worked at Westhampton Architectural Glass, the only thing we used TEAMS software for was to plan lunch; someone would put up, about 11am, a hint about what they were interested in eating, e.g. "pizza?" - and for the next hour, we would debate what to eat and who was going to pick up the food 😜

The list of all NBA teams

Some other pairings - MAGIC WIZARDS is too easy;

Lightning Affect~? = SPURS THUNDER

Steals from NASA~? = KNICKS ROCKETS

*¹ - Technically, it's the TRAIL Blazers . . .
*² - Technically, a BOROUGH of NY, not the city . . .

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Annoy: IRK

4. Bridge action: BID - Not TIE, as in span - that's the wrong kind of bridge - I like this type - 19 bizarre bridges, 12 unusual bridges

Scary~?  Then you suffer from 66A., the Gephyro version

7. Floated in the air: WAFTED 

13. "Good Grief" director Levy: DAN - name #1 - I'm following the "Hahtoolah Convention"

14. Pros: ACES

16. Iggy the Beanie Baby, for one: IGUANA - AND - 29D. Humphrey the Beanie Baby, for one: CAMEL - I still have one Beanie Baby, and three Webkins; had a pet iguana Zeus, too - name(ish)

Yes, Iggy is supposed to be blue . . . 

17. Big fuss: ADO

18. Noodle with a sarashina variety: SOBA - I'm getting the hang of all these four-letter food-types; SOBA, NORI, UDON, MISO, etc

19. "Well, that came out of nowhere": RANDOM

23. "Never mind, I guess": "...OR NOT."

24. New prefix: NEO

25. Sword handle: HILT - not a week goes by without a Wed dupe of a Monday fill . . . .

32. Single-celled organism: AMOEBA

35. "__ Te Ching": TAO - name(ish) - the Wiki

36. Legend-ary achievement?: EGOT - The Grand Slam of Entertainment - Emmy (TV), Grammy (music), Oscar (Hollywood/movies) and Tony (Broadway/stage)

37. Fin. neighbor: NORway

38. Music box?: AMP - I liked this clue for a crossword staple

40. Emoji alternative: GIF

Now The Harlem Globetrotters I can watch~!

42. "Kings & Queens" singer Max: AVA - name #2 - I know the Aerosmith song

43. Like some faces: OVAL - I liked making my avatar on Facebook - but I have a "pear-shaped" face

45. Settings for some TV dramas: ERs - ER is an obvi example, plus tons of others seen here;

I'm not one for any hospital drama, but I did like House, MD

47. Many a suitcase: ROLLER - I "Van Halened" my roller suitcase

I'm on my way to Panama - get it~?

52. "Can I get a __?": "I messed up": "RE-DO~?" or a Mulligan, in golf-speak

53. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SAO - name(ish)

54. Athlete Ledecky who went viral by swimming with a glass of chocolate milk on her head: KATIE - well, I did not know about this - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - name #3

Yup, a glass of milk - but not a $5 Shake . . . .

61. Wyndham chain: RAMADA

64. Viral post: MEME

65. Sully: MAR - stain, dirty, damage, ruin, etc.

66. Exposure therapy target: PHOBIA - what's yours~? I am afraid to reveal mine - which, uh, by default, makes clear it's Phobophobia

67. Garment worn under a dress: SLIP

68. One who sounds just like you: EWE - ah, not APE - a very clever meta clue

69. Sitcom about a couple living in a haunted house: GHOSTS - I've only seen the ads for this show

70. Tense NBA periods, for short: OTs - and a bonus 'Easter Egg'

71. Good to go: SET - "got my go-bag, I'm set~!"

DOWN:

1. State that's home to the Museum of Clean: IDAHO - learning moment - the website

2. Weather tracker: RADAR

3. Not just assumed: KNOWN

4. Low-pitched brass instrument: BASS TUBA - this seems a bit redundant for me, but here's more - this clue/answer needed to show up on a Jazzbumpa trombone Wednesday~!

5. Screen symbol: ICON - clecho with - 31. Screen symbol: STAR - I filled them correctly the first time

6. Prove false: DEBUNK - the X-Files word

7. Pipe cleaner center: WIRE - Huh - I didn't know I had a wire at my center....how ironic, having left the pipe organ company, that I made the cover of  The Diapason magazine, and featured inside as well

That's Splynter in the overalls, 35lbs heavier - sheesh

8. "__ All Along": "WandaVision" spinoff: AGATHA - name #4 - more on IMDb

9. Like some small candy bars: FUN-SIZE - 'tis the season~!

10. Small amount: TAD

11. Musician Brian: ENO - name #5

12. Beaver project: DAM

15. Most wise: SAGEST

21. Expensive Japanese beef: KOBE - I tried WAGU, but it's Wagyu

22. Evacuation kit: GO-BAG - here's the 411 from 511 on what to have in yours

26. Following the rules: LEGAL

27. Treasure __: TROVE

30. Frawnche wine valley: LOIRE - Good WAG on my part; must have seen it in CWs before

32. Mystery writer?: ANONymous

33. Boxing pro: MOVER - I suppose this could be either "type" of boxer - the one who packs your stuff, and the "float like a butterfly" sparring expert

34. Give a speech: ORATE

39. Rainbow producer: PRISM - my brother has been reinvesting in classic albums on LP "vinyl" again

41. Permanently: FOR KEEPS

44. Papers needed for some trips?: LSD TABS - har-har~! Monster Magnet's first EP was "25...Tab", featuring a 32min trippy song - and a trippy video someone made here

Dave Wyndorf, lead singer, can be heard saying "make me a sa'mich" - among other things NSFW

46. Involuntary muscle movements: SPASMS - depends on the quality of the Acid, I guess~?

48. Future DA's exam: LSAT - LS 'dee' Acid Trip~?

50. Make changes with a collaborator: CO-EDIT - I'm guessing both "A" authors did on this one....

51. Large citrus fruit: POMELO - ORANGE fit as well; here's a cool image of a lot of citrus fruit

55. Multiplied by: TIMES - L x W = A; length TIMES width equals area

56. "I'm __": "You blow me away": "IN AWE~!"

57. "Snowy" bird: EGRET

59. Smallish batteries: AAAs

60. Give off: EMIT

61. D&D, for one: RPG - Roll Playing Game - in my youth, I was all about Dungeons & Dragons

62. "That hits the spot": "AHH~!"

63. Cow sound: MOO

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 84th birthday to dear Jayce! Your steady presence in our little crossword family means so much to all of us. 

May today bring you comfort, a few smiles, and the quiet joy of knowing how deeply you're valued. Sheng Ri Quai Le, John!

Jayce and his wife on their wedding day

Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2025 ~ Katherine Simonson

HERE'S A DOLLAR . . .

Get yourself a fig leaf, man~!

Katherine has had several puzzles published in the LA Times - her last was here, Friday Sep 12.  Today we have an odd-sized grid, 14 x 16, which allows for the "passing" of synonyms for "BUCK", as they progress from the start of the first themer, and shift by four letters to the last one - clever.  Yes, circles, but I think that it's for clarification purposes, not an anagram-like necessity.  I am even more impressed that we have barely a handful of names, most being crossword staples. 16 3LWs, an even 20 of four- and five-letter words, plus two new, unique* fills;

18. Enthralled by the theater: STAGESTRUCK - I have not heard of this ( usually, I'm STAR struck ) but in my search, I discovered a movie, and at least one company that does stage/exhibit production - I would like to work with a company like that, building sets, props, special effects, etc.

31. Green-and-yellow farm playthings for kids: JOHN DEERE TOYS* - I have a similar "toy", but it's a Massey Ferguson; here's the son of my friend Melina on his "tractor"

45. Folks who get creative in court: SKETCH ARTISTS* - I grew up seeing these renderings on the evening news, not knowing the reason why; I believe the first major "televised" court case I can recall, if I am not mistaken ( and I frequently am ) was the OJ trial - and now it's part of an exhibit of courtroom sketches

From a New York Times article

58. Shift responsibility to someone else, and an apt title for this puzzle: PASS THE BUCK

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Ill-fitting: INAPT - this word speaks awkwardly, IMO

6. Ground-breaking tool: SPADE - I showed you all my broken spade in the Sep 10th blog

11. Passed with flying colors: ACED

15. Zenith's opposite: NADIR

16. Stand in art class: EASEL

17. Theater box: LOGE

20. Apple variety: iMAC - the ol' computer/fruit deception

21. Outlets: EXITS - Doors, not electrical receptacles

22. Swimwear brand founded in Australia in 1914: SPEEDO - kinda like a 20th century "fig leaf" - and yeah . . . TMI clothing, IMO

24. Viola clef: ALTO - filled via perps

Relative position of Middle "C"

27. Scallions' kin: LEEKS

30. Squirming: ANTSY

34. Krauss of bluegrass-country: ALISON - Odd spelling; I know she collaborated with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant on the album Raising Sand in 2007, and again with Raise the Roof in 2021

Please Read the Letter

35. "One more thought ... ": "ALSO . . ."

36. Bubbly drink: POP - Soda, Cola, Coke - depends on your location/dialect

39. Fled: RAN

40. Frozen Four org.: NCAA - College ice hockey

43. Early bloomers: TULIPS

48. Quick bread at tea: SCONE - My parents were born & raised in England - I have had scones

51. Detective story?: ALIBI - and the name of my ex-GF's cat in Florida

52. Boundless: VAST

53. Smoothie fruit: PAPAYA - I mix in "berry medley" with chocolate protein powder, and "tropical" with vanilla - no papaya in my smoothies, but I'd try it

55. Lower back bones: SACRA - plural of sacrum

Why does this image make me think of the movie "ALIEN"~?

57. System operator: USER

64. Spot for curlers: RINK - These curlers

65. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTÉE

66. First Greek letter: ALPHA

67. Intrusive: NOSY

68. Veggies for chips: SPUDS

69. Intel job: RECONnaissance - The etymology of  this Frawnche word

DOWN:

1. LiMu business: INSurance - Most insurance advertising is extremely annoying, IMO - I am covered by Geico, and their commercials are the only ones that I can tolerate - and WHY is it such a huge presence in the market~? There's an INS ad every TV break

2. D.C. ballplayer: NATional - baseball for C.C.

3. 1990 accessibility law, for short: ADA - Americans with Disability Act - required knowledge for me as a commercial/residential drafter/designer.  The website has this section, which never occurred to me.

4. Statue toppers: PIGEONS - Ah.  That kind of "topper"

The caption: "I'm extremely conflicted here."

5. Dino with long teeth and short arms: T-REX

6. Small sofa: SETTEE - Check out the "legs" on this settee

The curvy ones - uh, well, that's not too distinctive

7. Text analyst: PARSER - a  bit meh.

8. Tempe sch.: ASU - Arizona State University - the region where my ex-wife now lives - not quite the whole continent away, but close enough....

9. Advent mo.: DECember

10. Community group with lodges: ELKS

11. Extraterrestrial visitors, perhaps: ALIENS

12. Extraterrestrial visitor, certainly: COMET - I just finished "Seveneves" by Neal Stevenson, a science fiction novel with a fair amount of the story involving a comet

13. "Yikes!": "EGADS~!"

14. Wooden duck, e.g.: DECOY

19. "Hush": "SILENCE~!" - I tried 'BE QUIET' first

23. Shareholder dividend: PAYOUT

24. Slightly cracked: AJAR - Again Doors, not minds . . . .

25. Title person in a Kinks hit: LOLA - I was never a fan of the song - this one was better, IMO

Come Dancing

26. Lean: THIN - oops, not TILT - see below

28. Mauna __: alphabetically first of two Hawaiian volcanoes with similar names: KEA - thanks for the hint~! The other is LOA

29. Mo. town: STL - Not "Detroit", which is related to the muscial Motown

32. Party animal?: DONKEY - as in "Pin the Tail On the. . ."

33. Big bird: OSTRICH - our second "Big Bird" of the puzzle - LiMu ads feature an Emu

36. Tuscan tower town: PISA

Saw this on FB under "Dad Jokes"

37. Makes a choice: OPTS

38. Covert summons: PSST~!

41. One step __ time: AT A

42. Knee stabilizer, for short: ACL - the ligament that is prone to injury

44. Suitable for habitation: LIVABLE

45. Snidely critical: SNARKY

46. Sounded like a 59-Down: HISSED - AND - 59. Nile snake: ASP

47. Becomes less intense: ABATES

48. Rebuff: SPURN

49. Label printer maker: CASIO

50. Blossoms: OPENS

54. Gibbons, e.g.: APES

56. Nurture: REAR

60. Early Beatles bassist Sutcliffe: STU

61. Scanned lines on a pkg.: UPC

62. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO

63. Mo. neighbor: KANsas - who knew that Kansas lived next to Chairman "Moe"~?

Splynter