Tuesday August 26, 2025 Susan Gelfand

What?! RustyBrain is now pinch-hitting for Hahtoolah? When will the madness end?!

If Susan Gelfand's first born puzzle had gone to class, it would be graduating from high school right about now. This one flowed nicely and was Tuesday appropriate. She obviously aced her lessons!

I had to dig deep in my record collection for this one. If it had been "Five Easy Pieces," well, then we'd be sitting with Jack Nicholson in a diner trying to order toast.

17. "Easy!": PIECE OF CAKE. Finally, an answer that's a real phase, not something convoluted.

28. "Easy!": LIKE CHILD'S PLAY. And another one!

46. "Easy!": A WALK IN THE PARK. Three in a row!

60. "Easy!": NOTHING TO IT. And this makes it a home run.

Nice job, Susan, you've restored my faith in constructors. Not much else to say about these except they're all common phrases that work well with the theme. I like these kind of puzzles where a singular clue leads to multiple answers. And unlike some other crosswords I've reviewed lately, each one is something you'd actually say. Easy does it!

Across:

1. Brother of Chico, Harpo, and Groucho: ZEPPO. It was either ZEPPO or Gummo. In the early Marx Brothers movies, ZEPPO played the straight man while Chico played the piano.

6. 1965 Alabama march site: SELMA.

11. Draft animal: ASS. I worked at the Williamsburg Busch Gardens, and occasionally had to bring bales of hay to the Budweiser Clydesdales. Up close, they were huge "draft" animals with shoes the size of dinner plates.

14. Earth Day month: APRIL. "There is no PLANet B."

15. Starting 11 in soccer, e.g.: A TEAM. Although Premier League matches traditionally start at 3pm, not 11.

16. Org. for Sharks and Ducks: NHL. Organization is abbrev. so the National Hockey League is also.

17. [theme]

19. "__ willikers!": GEE. "Looks like someone's been a bat boy."

20. Obama daughter: SASHA.

21. Shirt with a button-down collar: OXFORD. An OXFORD is a casual shirt that is typically made from heavier fabric than a dress shirt. Oddly, they're rarely worn with Oxfords. 

23. Scoreboard figs.: PTS. Scoreboard figures: POINTS. Scoreboard figs: SPONSOR.

25. Gold, in Mexico: ORO. So I don't confuse this with OSO (Spanish for bear) I think that ORO looks like ORE, which gold is.

27. Makes a wrong choice: ERRS. Dang, I wrote OSO instead of ORO. 

28. [theme]

34. Jungian inner self: ANIMA. I should know this, but I needed an assist from perps.

35. Set up for solitaire: DEALT. My mom said I was a card and needed to be DEALT with.

36. Quick learner: NATURAL. 

39. Pan-frying hazard: SPATTER.

43. Doesn't make the podium: LOSES.

45. Around about: CIRCA. "Roundabout" CIRCA 1972. Hit single from YES off their Fragile album. 

46. [theme]

50. Sulky mood: SNIT.

51. London lavatory: LOO.

52. Right on __: CUE. The opposite of wrong on queue.

53. Build some muscle: TONE UP.

56. Seize by force: WREST. WREST and wrestle are related and derive from the same root meaning "to twist."

59. Museum collection: ART. Because donations wouldn't fit in the slot.

60. [theme]

65. Happy hour haunt: BAR.

66. Cedar Rapids resident: IOWAN.

67. Movie legend Greta: GARBO. Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's silent and early golden eras.

68. Rainbow's backdrop: SKY. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - his band after Deep Purple.

69. Flip-flop: THONG. I was relaxing on Haulover Beach in Miami when a woman near me slipped out of her thong! I was surprised to say the least, until she kicked the other one off as well. That's when I noticed a lot of people were going around bare foot.

70. Inception: ONSET.

Down:

1. Thaw in the microwave: ZAP.

2. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen": EPI.

3. Promotional packet released to the media: PRESS KIT. Here's a home version.

4. Printing measure: PICA. Back before word processors with their plethora of fonts, typewriters basically had two: PICA (wide) and Elite (narrow). Nowadays, printers measure how much toner is left so they can sell you more.

5. Cheers at the Bienal de Flamenco: OLES. The Flamenco Biennial (in English) is a major international flamenco festival that takes place in Seville, Spain, every two years.

6. Serengeti adventure: SAFARI.

7. "The list goes on," briefly: ETC.

8. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.

9. Fastest known shark: MAKO. The "something new" I always learn from crosswords.

10. Discover or MC alternative: AMEX. A MasterCard alternative is American Express. For your convenience, I accept all of them. Send your money to me @ Crossword Corner, especially if you have an unlimited Black Card. Thanks in advance.

11. Soft sweater wool: ANGORA.

12. Fortified wine from Andalusia: SHERRY.

13. Winter coasters: SLEDS. Winter coasters: SNOWFLAKES.

18. "I got it! I got it!": OH OH. I know this one!
-

22. Soft pen type: FELT TIP.

23. Details shared before a night out: PLAN. 

24. Rock legend Turner: TINA.She's timeless.

26. "I was today years __ when ... ": OLD. The “I was today years OLD” meme began on Twitter in 2015, when users posted the phrase to express surprise or humor upon learning something new or realizing it for the first time.

29. Try to equal: EMULATE. 

30. "O Holy Night," for one: CAROL. As played by Carole:

31. __ Plaines, Illinois: DES.

32. Sticky stuff on a tree: SAP. It takes about 40 gallons of maple SAP to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. I guess that's what it all boils down to.

33. Finish second in a horse race: PLACE. Win, PLACE and Show = 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

37. Inquire: ASK.

38. Hula dancer's garland: LEI.

40. Farm vehicles: TRACTORS. I have cousins who are third-generation dairy farmers in Upstate New York. They collect vintage TRACTORS. Or maybe they don't junk the old ones...

41. Light beige: ECRU.

42. Leaf gatherer: RAKE.

44. Skit show with musical guests, briefly: SNL. The show was originally known simply as NBC's Saturday Night because ABC was broadcasting a program titled Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. The opening announcer still says "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

46. Outerwear suitable for cold, frosty, and snowy conditions: ANORAK.

47. Cold, frosty, and snowy: WINTRY. I like when two clues share common words, almost like today's theme!

48. AAA service: TOWING.

49. Car instrument: HORN. I never played the HORN, but I did play the radio.

50. Uninformed guesses: STABS.

54. Group of troops: UNIT.

55. Eeyore's pal: POOH. Whenever I see "Eeyore", my mind sees eyesore.

57. Frozen waffle brand: EGGO. EGGO experienced a resurgence in sales after the Netflix series Stranger Things became a hit. The lead character, a girl named Eleven with psychic abilities, is obsessed with them.

58. Baseball Hall of Famer Musial: STAN. "STAN the Man" is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history.

61. Number needed to tango: TWO.

62. "To All the Boys" series creator Jenny: HAN. One of many bestsellers that I haven't read, but I'm sure it's good. Her novels have been adapted into movies and TV series.  

63. "May __ excused?": I BE.

64. Youngster: TOT. Young spuds are tater TOTs.

May I be excused now?

Tuesday April 29, 2025 Susan Gelfand

Favorite places.  Each profession in the theme clue has a favorite "to-go" place that relates to his or her job. 

20-Across. Journalist's go-to place for getting scoops?: ICE CREAM STAND.  A good Journalist would get Scoops on a story, then go to the Ice Cream Stand for a Scoop of Ice Cream.

31-Across. Novelist's go-to place for spinning yarns?: CRAFT STORE.  A good Novelist Spins Yarns for a story, the goes to the Craft Store for yarn for knitting.

40-Across. Screenwriter's go-to place for envisioning stories?: SKYSCRAPER.  A Screenwriter Envisions Stories, then might climb Stories in the Skyscraper.

52Across. Business writer's go-to place for establishing accounts?: BROKERAGE FIRM.  A Business Writer might Establish Accounts, which are at the Brokerage Firm.

Across:

1. Scallion kin: LEEK.  What's the difference, you ask.

5. Call at the plate: SAFE.  //  And 39-Across. Diamond experts?: UMPS.

9. Furniture in a cozy inn's common room: SOFAs.

14. Tehran's land: IRAN.

15. Colorful breakfast cereal: TRIX.  Trix are for rabbits.

16. Lyric poem: EPODE.  An Epode is a form of lyric poem written in couplets, in which a long line is followed by a shorter one.

17. Savory paste in Japanese cuisine: MISO.  It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus Aspergillus).

18. Tick off: RILE.

19. __ City, Iowa: SIOUX.

23. Movies that aren't silent: TALKIES.

24. Luxury watches such as Seamaster and Speedmaster: OMEGAs.  A brief history of the Omega watches.

This Speedster will set you back about $32,500.

27. Many a time, poetically: OFT.

28. Burlap fiber: JUTE.

30. Nutritional fig.: RDA.  As in the Recommended Daily Allowance.

35. "And not a moment too __!": SOON.

36. 50%: HALF.

37. Hankering: YEN.  Also the currency of Japan.

38. __ sock: TUBE.

43. "Doesn't do much for me": MEH!

44. Club membership charges: DUES.

45. Pillbox, for one: HAT.  Jackie Kennedy was known for wearing Pillbox hats.

46. Attach with a click: SNAP ON.

48. Open-sided garden shelters: GAZEBOs.

55. Steel girder: I-BEAM.

57. Tart: SOUR.

58. Theater box: LOGE.

59. Barista's brew: LATTE.

60. Bearers of gold, frankincense, and myrrh: MAGI.

61. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  Amal Clooney (née Amal Alamuddin; b. Feb. 3, 1978) married George Clooney in 2014.  She holds duel Lebanese-British citizenship.

62. Performed an optical procedure, perhaps: LASED.

63. Idyllic place: EDEN.

64. Well-mannered fellow: GENT.

Down:

1. Set a boundary: LIMIT.

2. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA.  Erica Ruth Hill (b. 1976) is an American journalist who has been with CNN since last year.

3. Painter's canvas holder: EASEL.

4. Merchandise that's not the real deal: KNOCK OFFS.   We had expensive Omega watches above.  Can you spot the knock off?

5. U2's "Where the __ Have No Name": STREETS.

6. Opera solos: ARIAS.  One of my favorite arias.

7. Festival showing: FILM.

8. Post-breakup pair: EXES.

9. Bagel variety: SESAME.

10. Express a viewpoint: OPINE.

11. Dairy or grains: FOOD GROUP.

12. Garage converted to rental space, e.g., for short: ADU.  Apparently this is short for Accessory Dwelling Unit.  Unknown to me.

13. Driver's license datum: SEX.

21. Falling-out: RIFT.

22. Reusable bag: TOTE.

25. Photoshop company: ADOBE.

26. More reasonable: SANER.

28. Baby kangaroos: JOEYs.  Kangaroos typically have one baby at a time. A female kangaroo can give birth to several joeys per year.  The word Joey comes from the aborigine language and joey means ‘small animal’. Joey is the collective norm for any small animals.

29. Caterer's coffee containers: URNS.

31. Pals: CHUMS.

32. Quick-cooking noodles: RAMEN.

33. Collections of letters: ALPHABETS.

34. Youngster: TYKE.

35. Waver over a capital building: STATE FLAG.  There is a mother pelican feeding her babies with her own blood in the center of the Louisiana state flag.  A white ribbon beneath the crest displays the state motto, "Union, Justice, Confidence" in blue. The flag was officially adopted on July 1, 1912, one hundred years after Louisiana became a state.  Louisiana joined the union in April 1812.

40. Done for: SUNK.  //  And 44-Down. Done for: DOOMED.

41. Embarrassment: CHAGRIN.

42. Bulldoze: RAZE.

47. Go on and on: PRATE.

48. Tire pressure indicator: GAUGE.

49. Ecological community: BIOME.  A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location.

50. Church pipes: ORGAN.  Hi, Splynter!

51. Silvery fish: SMELT.

53. Name in a Salinger title: ESME.  For Esme is a short story that was originally published in 1950.

54. Took the high __: ROAD.  The term Taking the high road means behaving in a moral and ethical way, even when faced  the temptation to act in a less honorable way.  It implies choosing a course of action that is righteous and upright.

55. Under the weather: ILL.

56. Sheep sound: BAA.

Here's the Grid:

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