Saturday, December 13, 2025, Stella Zawistowski

 Saturday Themeless by Stella Zawistowski

This puzzle made me feel like Stanley Kowalski yelling at Stella in Streetcar Named Desire. I had to check a few words in Across Lite as Stella's take was not the same as mine. Couple that with two impossible long fills, and I struggled in several places. I think I may have worn out my ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ symbol

Stella is posing as an angel on the right side of this picture from her CrossFit Gym in South Brooklyn, NY.

Across:

1. Crunk kin: TRAP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Don't know either one, except they are both full of lyrics that can't be published here. Google if you must.

5. Throw again: REROLL 😀 If the throw of the dice in craps is judged to be unfair or illegal, a REROLL must be done

11. Omaha prize: POT - There is no real connection to the city 20 miles from me

14. Supportive of: WITH.

15. Target of some copyright infringement lawsuits: OPENAI - Hard to tell what is original and what is not

16. Hardwood: ASH - The source for many Louisville Sluggers

17. Dad, in Korean: APPA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

18. Jarring tonal shifts: DISSONANCE - I supervised JH lunch rooms for 23 years 😳

20. Two-part bet: PERFECTA - In a PERFECTA bet, a winner has to name the winner and second-place finisher in that exact order. This ticket below would only win if the #2 horse won and the #6 horse finished second

22. Union station?: ALTAR 😀

23. __ Drafthouse Cinema: movie chain based in Austin: ALAMO.

24. Believe: HOLD - "We HOLD these truths to be self-evident,..."

26. Generational wisdom: LORE.

27. Unsatisfactory explanation: BECAUSE REASONS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

"Because reasons" is a colloquial, often dismissive, phrase used to indicate that no further explanation for a decision or situation will be given. 

Example: 

If someone asks why you are wearing a silly hat, you could reply, "Because reasons," instead of explaining that it was a gift from your grandmother.

30. "Oh my stars!": I DECLARE.

31. Change places: MOVE.

32. Year of the Four Emperors emperor: OTHO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It was the year 69 A.D. More

33. Miami-__ County: DADE.

34. Only city in Samoa: APIA 

 Togafu'afu'a Rd Corner Vaea St, 
Apia, Upolu Samoa

35. Seen: REGARDED.

39. Self-awareness?: PROPRIOCEPTION ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Yikes! Proprioception is your body's ability to sense its own position and movements. It's a complex automatic process that you can also fine-tune.

41. Alison Bechdel's "Fun __: A Family Tragicomic": HOME -  A discussion and a sample page

42. Condiment made with pickled mango: AMBA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A middle eastern condiment

43. "Lilo & Stitch" theme: OHANA.

44. Shinto shrine gateway: TORII - This red TORII gate in the background is in Omaha's beautiful Lauritzen Gardens. It was a present from Omaha's sister city of Shizuku, Japan.

46. "Day by Day" musical: GODSPELL - One of my fav musicals

48. Make no progress: TREAD WATER - A skill needed in water polo

50. Work hard: MOIL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

52. Can. leaders: PMS - Members of Parliament

53. Thin layer: LAMINA - Our laminated countertops have all been replaced by granite.

54. "Black Beauty" novelist Sewell: ANNA.

55. Ten chin-ups, say: SET.

56. Throws up: ERECTS 😀 - Some new, small houses are being thrown up near us but still start at $300,000.

57. Minimal noise: PEEP.

Down:

1. Name on a JFK hotel designed by Eero Saarinen: TWA - You can see TWA on the hotel in the middle of the background at JFK

2. Had far-reaching effects: RIPPLED.

3. Chill: AT PEACE - Chill as an adjective. "He is really chill."

4. Reference in a doctor's office: PHARMACOPOEIA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  The 2019 edition 

5. Teased relentlessly: RODE.

6. Literary figure who embodies the values of a civilization: EPIC HERO - Homer from ancient Greece

7. Make whole again: RESTORE.

8. Less, in a way: ON SALE.

9. Language known as Isan in northeastern Thailand: LAO - A crossword friend dressed in Saturday cluing 

10. First Asian player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame: LINA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My first thought was of Michael Chang.

11. Color of the Year company: PANTONE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I got this but thought of Crayola first

12. Accolades for "Flow" and "The Shape of Water": OSCARS.

13. "Et voilà!": THERE.

19. Full of jarring tonal shifts: ALL OVER THE MAP - Jarring is in two clues today

21. Third strike, at times: FOUL TIP - If the catcher catches it in his glove, it is a strikeout. 

23. Singer Carter who won "American Idol" in 2024: ABI ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

25. Price, informally: DAMAGE.- 😀

28. Region whose name means "desert": SAHARA - The great desert of northern Africa, 1610s, from Arabic çahra "desert" (plural çahara),

29. Moxie, e.g.: SODA POP.

33. Lavish and then some: DECADENT.

34. Subject of some air battles?: ARM REST 😀 

35. Without emotion: ROBOTIC.

36. Start to make a call, perhaps: DIAL ONE.

37. Celeb news site: E-ONLINE.

38. "The Double Helix" subject: DNA.

39. Pitiful cry: POOR ME.

40. "Sign me up!": I'M GAME.

41. Letters signifying encryption: HTTPS - Our website: https://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/. where the S stands for secure.

45. Not serious: IDLE - IDLE threats are not good strategies for teachers 

47. Sp. titles: SRAS.

49. "This means __!": WAR.

51. Spot for a toy: LAP 😀

Thursday, November 13, 2025, Stella Zawistowski

Theme:  Typography.

Stella Zawistowski is a super crossword constructor who is consistently ranked in the top ten solvers at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.  She loves a hard puzzle and used to run a website called Tough as Nails.  Stella has resolved to take it a little easier on solvers these days, and for me, this one went well until I hit a couple of crossing unknowns in the far southeast.  Let's dig into it and see how everyone else did.

The theme clues and answers, in symmetrically placed rows, are:

17-Across. Raised type?: STILT WALKER.  You may have imagined embossed letters on a page, but this is the TYPE of person who is raised up by stilts.

24-Across. Against type?: DEBBIE DOWNER.  You may have imagined someone opposed to the printing process, but this is the TYPE of person who is pessimistic and dampens the mood of others.

38-Across. Movable type?: NOMAD.  You may have imagined the individual metal letters used to print books, but this is the TYPE of person who moves from one place to another without a permanent home.

47-Across. Blood type?: COUNT DRACULA.  You may have imagined one of the classes of human blood distinguished by the presence of antigens on red blood cells, but this is the TYPE of person -- or really just one person -- who thrives on the consumption of human blood.

57-Across. File type?: OFFICE CLERK.  You may have imagined a filing cabinet, or a tool with ridges to smooth rough surfaces, but this is the TYPE of person who files documents in an office.

So far, you're thinking, my TYPE of puzzle, right?  Here come the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Sega hedgehog: SONIC.  Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series developed by Sega to compete with Nintendo's Mario. The first Sonic game was released in 1991 and the franchise continues to be a flagship for Sega.

Sonic the Hedgehog

6. Mark of approval: STAMP.

11. Posed (for): SAT.

14. Cause of some food recalls: E. COLI.  Escherichia coli are bacteria: some good for us, some bad.

15. Wispy streaks in the sky: CIRRI.  Plural of cirrus, a wispy cloud formation at high altitude.

16. Blubber: CRY.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Regatta blade: OAR.  A regatta is a series of boat races, and depending on the type of boat, an oar might be required.

20. "That ship __ sailed": HAS.  Speaking of boats, "that ship has sailed" means the time for a particular opportunity has passed.

21. Connecticut university founded in 1701: YALE.

22. One of the four countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands: ARUBA.  The Kingdom of the Netherlands comprises the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.  The last three of these are Caribbean islands.

24. [Theme clue]

28. Gentleman's opposite: LOUT.

29. Snide snickers: HEHS.

30. Corset components: STAYS.  The stays of a garment are stiff pieces meant for shaping.  DH wears collar stays with his dress shirts.

Vertical stays are sewn into the fabric of this corset.

32. Catching in an ambush: WAYLAYING.

37. "Yuck!": EWW.

38. [Theme clue]

39. Short time out: NAP.

40. Opening-night event, often: CAST PARTY.

43. Realty ad count: BATHS.  ROOMS and ACRES would also have fit.  Or BDRMS if we're abbreviating.

45. Sad sigh: ALAS.

46. Mood: VIBE.

47. [Theme clue]

51. Abruptly cut contact with: GHOST.  This sort of thing didn't happen so much when human relationships were mostly in person.  

53. "Chill, will ya?": EASY.

54. Some TVs and fridges: LGS.  LG is a brand of electronic appliances.

56. Slam (into): RAM.

57. [Theme clue]

61. Intention: AIM.

62. "Go, me!": I ROCK.  I am filling in this puzzle!  I am such a smarty pants!

63. Chabert of "Party of Five": LACEY.  OK, whoops!  Who, now?  Party of Five aired on Fox from 1994 to 2000, with a total of six seasons.  Lacey Chabert played one of five siblings whose parents died in a car accident.  I have never heard of this show.

That's Lacey perched on her brother's lap at right.

64. Garment that rarely works with a backless gown: BRA.  Not a good look, unless you get creative like the lady in the picture below.

65. Doesn't shy from: DARES.  Who dares to do the Down clues?

66. "Come on in!": ENTER.  Let's enter the final phase of this puzzle.

Down:

1. Short meeting?: SESH.  "Sesh" is modern shorthand for "session," which could be a meeting.

2. Legs on a spider, e.g.: OCTAD.

3. Legal deterrents to loud parties: NOISE LAWS.

4. Feeling feverish or not so hot: ILL.  The wrong kind of E. coli can do this to you.

5. Commuting option: CITY BUS.

6. Get to the top of: SCALE.  Think of scaling Mount Everest ...

7. Like many New York City subway stations: TILED.  In recent years, white subway tile -- horizontal rectangles -- has been a big trend in home kitchens and bathrooms.  Don't ask me why!  I have never ridden the NYC subway system and am not acquainted with its charms.

8. Vessel in Genesis 7: ARK.

9. Emergency food ration, for short: MRE.  Meal Ready to Eat.  Used by the US Armed Forces where other food is not available.

10. Orinoco biter: PIRANHA.  The Orinoco river flows through Venezuela and Colombia, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.  It is home to over 1,000 fish species, one of which is the black spot piranha.  Not to worry:  more people eat piranhas than piranhas eat people.

Pygocentrus cariba, or black spot piranha

11. Clean with elbow grease: SCOUR.

12. Many a Moroccan: ARAB.

13. Banks with style: TYRA.  Tyra Banks is a supermodel, actress, producer, and writer.  She broke color barriers on the covers of Sports Illustrated and GQ, appeared in a host of TV shows and movies, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show for The Tyra Banks Show.

Tyra Banks

18. Hostess's estimate: WAIT.  Oh, a restaurant hostess!  

23. OpenTable alternative: RESY.  OpenTable and Resy are software companies that sell reservation and table management systems to restaurants.  If you've made a restaurant reservation online recently, you've probably used one or the other.

25. Son: BOY.

26. "Wunderbar!": OH YAY.

27. Join together: WELD.

30. Crimson Tide org.: SEC.  The University of Alabama (Crimson Tide) is in the Southeastern Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

31. Pan Am rival: TWA.  Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) were American airlines that once dominated global air travel.  

32. "Do your __!": WORST.  Go on!  Let's see if you DARE.

33. Invoice fig.: AMT.  A figure on an invoice is probably an amount.

34. Brainy one: INTELLECT.

35. "Not my thing": NAH.

36. Waymo tech: GPS.  Waymo, the self-driving rideshare vehicle, uses a Global Positioning System.  We have lots of them in West Los Angeles, and they are great drivers.

38. Bread served with raita: NAAN.  Yummy Indian food.

41. Volkswagen that shares a name with a New Mexico town: TAOS.

42. Faraway dwarf planet: PLUTOID.  A plutoid is a dwarf planet that orbits the sun farther than Neptune.  Eight objects are classified as plutoids: Pluto, Orcus, Haumea, Makemake, Quaoar, Sedna, Gonggong, and Eris.

43. Commuting option: BICYCLE.

44. __ Simbel, Egypt: ABU.  Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two enormous rock-cut temples in Upper Egypt.  Carved out of a mountainside in the 13th century BC, they feature rock relief figures of Ramesses II.

Abu Simbel

46. Ming collectible: VASE.

47. One in 1,000?: COMMA.  Yes, there is one comma in 1,000.

48. Clear, as a windshield in winter: DE-ICE.

49. Holders of barbells: RACKS.  A handy way to keep your barbells off the floor.

barbell rack

50. Feel similarly: AGREE.

51. Screen __: GRAB.  A screen grab is a still image of a frame from a video, whereas a screenshot is an image of a computer or mobile device's screen at a particular moment.  

52. Subject of the r/Tressless subreddit: HAIR.  This online discussion group is actually devoted to issues of hair loss.

55. Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt: SKYR.  I have purchased skyr and should have known it, but I could not recall the vowel.  I tried A, E, I, O, and U, forgetting that Y sometimes acts as a vowel.

58. __ diavolo sauce: FRA.  This spicy tomato sauce takes its name from an 18th century Italian guerrilla leader nicknamed Fra Diavolo or Brother Devil.

59. In favor of: FOR.

60. "The Wheel of Time" role: LAN.  The Wheel of Time is a 14-volume series of fantasy novels by Robert Jordan.  It was adapted into an Amazon Prime Video series which aired for three seasons from 2021 to 2025.  Lan is a warrior and last survivor of a fallen kingdom.  All of which is even further from my knowledge base than LACEY in "Party of Five."

Here's the grid.  The red triangles mark the ones I flubbed.

Dear Reader, did you have the INTELLECT to solve this puzzle correctly?  Did you find it EASY?

Or did you think it was the WORST puzzle ever?

In either case, you'll find someone to AGREE with you in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

Happy birthday to Big Easy (George), husband of Louisiana Tennis Hall of Famer Diane! George has been such a caring friend, always checking in on my RA and housing worries. Hope it's a beautiful day where you are, George!

Big Easy and his wife Diane

Saturday, May 31, 2025, Stella Zawistowski

 Themeless Saturday by Stella Zawistowski

Seeing our weight-lifting crossword aficionado from Brooklyn as the author can indicate we have a workout ahead. However, this puzzle provided for a very nice solve. Solving is greatly facilitated when the long fills come into focus. BTW, The Omaha World Herald carries her Commuter Crossword Puzzle everyday.

At the left you can see Stella with two trophies she won at an ACPT event and she said of herself:

 I was a "Constantly-About-to-Throw-Up Nervous Wreck." I did manage to make a trip to the hardware store with my second fifth-place finish in a row and first place in NYC (the latter made easier since Andy Kravis was attending a wedding):

Across:

1. "Paradise Lost" figure: SATAN.

6. Hamburger __: MENU - Not something you would see at McDonalds. It is set of shortcut icons that can be used in user interfaces. The name comes from the resemblance of some the icons to triple hamburger patties. More

10. Ennea- minus one: OCTO.

14. Honolulu Marathon landmark: ALOHA TOWER.

16. Blank space: VOID.

17. Step after reentry: SPLASH DOWN - Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins return to Earth on July 24, 1969.

18. Supermodel who wrote the kids book "What Are You Hungry For?": EMME.

19. Turf: SOD.

20. Is on the hunt: SEEKS.

21. Globally available sweets: OREOS - Just when you think you have read every clue for OREOS...

22. Renege (on): BAIL.

23. Question of desire: WANT IN - My one bad cell was where WANT I_ crossed TIMO_ 12. Shakespearean Athenian: TIMON. I first put WANT IT and TIMOT. 🤨 

25. Really clean: SCOUR.

27. "Inside the Actors Studio" host: LIPTON - Here he is trying to deal with Robin Williams

28. Rogan josh accompaniment: NAAN.

29. Slow roller across the infield: TARPAULIN 😀 It's a slow roller but you can get caught under it.

32. Word before mirabilis or horribilis: ANNUS - I think you can infer what annus horribilis would mean

34. Stylist's selection: HUE.

35. Miu Miu parent company: PRADA - I did find a Miu Miu purse online that was marked down to $4,200. 😳

36. Versatile rides: TEN SPEEDS.

38. Avalon, for one: ISLE - The Isle of Avalon is a mythical island featured prominently in Arthurian legends, often associated with healing, magic and the afterlife. 

39. Slips: ERRORS.

40. Wasabi product: PASTE.

42. "Grief Is for People" memoirist Crosley: SLOANE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

43. Short curls?: PERM - The curls can be short and are short-lived. 😀

44. French greeting: SALUT.

45. Unmoving: INERT.

47. End: AIM.

50. Nutrient in shellfish: IRON.

51. Heinz product: STEAK SAUCE.

53. Brie feature: RIND - the answer below is yes. It's a natural, bloomy rind that develops during the cheese-making process, and it's a key part of the cheese's flavor and texture. 

54. One who is just not having it: PICKY EATER 😀

55. Winged goddess: ISIS.

56. Sets as a price: ASKS.

57. "Which ones?": THOSE.

Down:

1. Flip response: SASS.

2. Purina brand: ALPO.

3. Related: TOLD.

4. "I knew you were bluffing!": AHA.

5. Capital on New Providence: NASSAU.

6. Virtual representation: MODEL.

7. Tree hut dweller on Endor: EWOK.

8. Up-to-the-minute media: NEWS WIRES - Newspapers are not up-to-the-minute.

9. Tapped container: URN.

10. Strain on local infrastructure: OVER TOURISM.

11. Get outdone by everyone: COME IN LAST - "Finished Last" worked at first.

13. Metered tributes: ODES.

15. Sometimes-singular possessive: THEIR.

21. Draftable?: ON TAP.

22. Game show extras: BONUS ROUNDS.

24. Messenger, e.g.: APP.

25. Sound: SANE.

26. Mexico : enchiladas :: Italy : __: CANNELLONI.

27. Heaps praise on: LAUDS.

28. 2019 W.S. champ: NAT - Then they traded away the heart of the team. In two years they were 65 - 97. First to worst.

29. "Just as I predicted": THERE IT IS.

30. Unmoving, perhaps: IDLE.

31. Scottish denial: NAE.

33. Lean cuisine consumer of yore: SPRAT 😀

37. Unimaginable span: EON.

40. Up a lot?: PERKY - I'm not a fan of morning TV

41. Creativity-inspiring gift: ART SET - So many ways for me to fail 😗

42. Garments that may feature gota patti embroidery: SARIS.

43. Range makeup: PEAKS - Mountain range

44. Speaker on some devices: SIRI. 

46. Violin section?: NECK.

47. Set-it-and-forget-it mode: AUTO - This might happen

48. Sweetens, in a way: ICES - ICE a bakery item.

49. __ mortals: MERE - I always say, "Everyone has a story"

51. Apt rhyme for 52-Down: SPA and 52. Apt rhyme for 51-Down: AAH. 😀