Thursday March 5, 2026 Susan Gelfand

Susan Gelfand has been constructing crosswords for over five Winter Olympics! To celebrate the victories of both the men's and women's USA Hockey teams, she offers us a POWER play. She trying to stay current.

If you unwrap them, there's chocolate inside!

No reveal, just five nice phrases that begin with something an electrician would deal with.

17. Electrician's favorite method of payment?: CHARGE CARD.

25. Electrician's favorite exercise?: POWER WALK.

36. Like an electrician's favorite sweater?: CABLE KNIT.

51. Like an electrician's favorite eyeglasses?: WIRE FRAME.

61. Electrician's favorite shopping venue?: OUTLET MALL. My favorite of the bunch. 

Nothing shocking here, so it didn't put up much resistance for a Thursday. Minimal proper nouns (only two of which were people) was a big plus. Thanks Susan! 

Let's CHARGE ahead.

Across:

1. Rx orders: MEDS. MEDICATIONS. The "Rx" symbol is derived from the Latin word recipe or “recipere,”which means to take, often the first word in a prescription. It was later abbreviated to Rx.

5. Accumulate: AMASS.

10. Jacksonville team, familiarly: JAGS. JAGUARS football team.

14. Farmland unit: ACRE. 

15. Valletta's island: MALTA.

16. HarperCollins romance imprint: AVON. 

Ding. Dong. Romance calling!

17. [theme]

19. Was dressed in: WORE.

20. Vicinity: REGION.

21. "You __ my day!": MADE.

23. Chef-training sch. in Hyde Park: CIA. Julia Child is the most famous "chef spy," having worked for the OSS (precursor to the CIA) during WWII. Wait, that has nothing to do with this! They're talking about the Culinary Institute of America.

24. Floating: ALOFT.

25. [theme]

27. "Au contraire, __ frère": MON. "On the contrary, my brother." Those Frenchmen, they have a different word for everything!

28. The WNBA's Sky, on scoreboards: CHI. The CHICAGO Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association.

30. Tease: NEEDLE. 

31. Nav. rank: ENS. An ENSIGN is the lowest commissioned officer rank in the Navy, and is equivalent to a Second Lieutenant.

32. Shucks: HULLS. I wrote HUSKS before shucking it.

35. Fly like an eagle: SOAR. Land like an eagle: SORE.

Two bald eagles crash landed but survived the fall.

36. [theme]

39. California valley that was one of the first American Viticultural Areas: NAPA. Viticultural pertains to growing grapes for wine production.

42. Flight part: STAIR. Flight part: STAGE. 

43. Craze: FAD. It's all the rage!

46. Make true: EVEN UP. In carpentry, "true" means perfectly straight and aligned.

49. Chinese philosophical concept: TAO.

50. "Is that __?": A NO. Yes, it's A NO.

51. [theme]

54. Game with a caller: BINGO. 

56. Game with a chaser: TAG. I thought this might be a drinking game of some sort. Like every time I enter the wrong word first, I have to take a shot. If this review stops making sense near the bottom, now you know why.

57. Move like molasses: OOZE.

58. Lounged around: LOAFED. I wrote LOLLED at first...bottoms up!

59. Perched on: ATOP.

61. [theme]

63. Caffeine-rich nut: KOLA. I had COLA first, which goes nicely with shots of rum.

64. Trademarked refrigerant: FREON. Is it cold in here, or is it just me?

65. French cheese with a rind: BRIE.

66. Notable periods: ERAS. The one at the end of this sentence is not notable.

67. Some Slavs: SERBS.

68. Min. divisions: SECS. Three minute divisions are Triple SECS. 

Down:

1. Knotty craft: MACRAME. 

2. Level: ECHELON.

3. Creatures on the flags of Wales and Bhutan: DRAGONS.

Wales (left) and Bhutan (right) 

4. Calligraphy stroke: SERIF.

5. "Could not agree more": AMEN.

6. Big name in laptops and lipstick: MAC. I knew the Apple product, but not MAC Cosmetics. 

7. San Antonio field trip destination: ALAMO. I remember going there.

8. Scarecrow contents: STRAW. Now, if it only had a brain...

9. Make melancholy: SADDEN.

10. Mandible: JAW. Here's Richard Kiel in his memorable role as JAWs, a villain with metal teeth, in two James Bond movies: The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Turns out his bite was worse than his bark.

11. Toast spread: AVOCADO.

12. Silverback, for one: GORILLA.

13. Puma, for one: SNEAKER. True, but I like to buy them in pairs. Conversely, here's a puma SNEAKER:

18. "Heard": GOTCHA. Roger that.

22. Quaint preposition: ERE.

25. Contents of some weekly organizers: PILLS. I don't think this person knows how they are supposed to work.

26. Dominic of "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale": WEST. Dominic WEST is an English actor, director, producer, and musician.

29. Center of activity: HUB.

33. Lead-in to "It Go" and "It Be," in song titles: LET. "LET It Go" from Disney's Frozen, and "LET It Be," from the Fab Four.

34. Manta ray kin: SKATE. SKATEs and manta rays are both cartilaginous fish (like sharks), but they have significant differences. SKATEs lay eggs, have stocky tails with small thorns, and live on the seafloor. Conversely, manta rays give birth to live young, have long, whip-like tails without stingers, and are large, filter-feeders that swim near the surface.

36. Sugar stalk: CANE. Sugar stalker: NINJA.

37. "Hedda" writer/director DaCosta: NIA. NIA daCosta is an award-winning American filmmaker.

38. Asimov collection first published in 1950: I, ROBOT. I, ROBOT serves as a cautionary tale, warning against issues like unchecked AI and monopolized control. Written in 1950, it predicted a world with "smart" machines that are integrated into daily life, and is still relevant today.

39. Fresh perspective: NEW TAKE. I entered NEW FACE, which fit with KOLA (misspelled with a "C"). It worked for a while, but now I'm tipsy.

40. Cockpit occupant: AVIATOR. We hope so, anyway.

41. Covered walkway: PERGOLA. 

43. Fuss and feathers: FANFARE.Tar and feathers: FORFEIT. Tarring and feathering was a form of punishment and public humiliation used primarily in 18th-century America. 

A Cure for the Refractory (Williamsburg, Va)

44. Sporting a halo: ANGELIC. Just like my kids...now that they're out of prison.

45. Absent-minded scribbles: DOODLES. Some are worth more than others.

John Lennon

47. Strange sight in the night sky: UFO. An Unidentified Flying Object is now called a UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena), but we still don't know what it is.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

48. Reads for errors: PROOFS. Or proofreads. 

52. Sky blue: AZURE.

53. Olympic track unit: METER. 

55. Sonnet line quintet: IAMBS. For example, "Mary had a little IAMB..."

58. Binoculars part: LENS. Pet peeve: In movies, they use a mask like this to simulate looking through binoculars, but when you actually use them, you see a single round image like a telescope. 

Is that alien from a UFO or a UAP ?

60. Faux __: PAS.

62. Arcing throw: LOB.

Stay positive and let the negativity discharge.

Be good. RB

Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Susan Gelfand

Don't leave mad, just leave.  

20-Across. Departure instructions for an ornithologist?: LEAVE THE NEST.  Birds leave the Nest.

35-Across. Departure instructions for a railway worker?: MAKE TRACKS.  Railway workers leave the Tracks.

42-Across. Departure instructions for a student pilot?: TAKE FLIGHT.  Pilots leave when they take Flight.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Plan for ending involvement, or an apt title for this puzzle: EXIT STRATEGY. 

Here's the grid:

Across:
1. Closes, as a parka: ZIPS.

5. Animal that may sleep upside down: SLOTH.  Sloths are interesting creatures.  They are so incredibly slow that it can take them a month to digest a leaf.  Did you know that they can swim?  They are faster in water than on land.

10. Morning joe: JAVA.

14. Prepare for publication: EDIT.

15. Secret stash: CACHE.

16. Decorative pitcher in still lifes: EWER.

Still Life with Ewer, by Willem Kalf

17. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.

18. Catchall option on a survey: OTHER.

19. Smartphone message: TEXT.

23. Keyboard key with an arrow: ENTER.

24. Behr product: PAINT.

28. Zodiac sign boundaries: CUSPS.

31. Green vegetable in a pod: PEA.

33. Soccer star Hamm: MIA.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm, b. Mar. 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004.

34. Not in support of: ANTI.

39. Box office bomb: FLOP.

40. Stadium: ARENA.

41. Eccentric fellow: COOT.  Also a water bird.

44. Play part: ROLE.

45. Blackjack card: ACE.

46. Spearheaded: LED.

47. Back tooth: MOLAR.

48. Gumption: NERVE.

50. Tiny bits: IOTAS.

59. Bowl over: STUN.

62. Unpleasant, as weather: NASTY.

63. Speck in the ocean: ISLE.

64. Machu Picchu country: PERU.  //  And 54-Down. Machu Picchu native: INCA.  Machu Picchu will really take your breath away.

65. Crossword hints: CLUES.

66. Old Testament brother: CAIN.  //  And 56. Old Testament brother: ESAU.  So many choices here.  I had to wait for the down answer to find Cain, who slew Abel.  This biblical story is the basic theme of John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden.  Esau was the fraternal twin brother of the patriarch, Jacob.  Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah.

67. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

68. Bright-eyed: ALERT.

69. Underwater vessels: SUBS.

Down:
1. Unbridled enthusiasm: ZEAL.

2. Loafing around: IDLE.  Not to be confused with Eric Idle, who is anything but.

Eric Idle (b. Mar. 29, 1943)

3. Bread with a pocket: PITA.

4. Hat worn by Abraham Lincoln: STOVE PIPE.

5. "Severance" star Adam: SCOTT.  Adam Scott (né Adam Paul Scott) also portrayed Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation.  I tried watching Severance, but quickly got bored.

6. Spinning shaper in a woodshop: LATHE.

7. Earthy pigment: OCHER.  This pigment contains ferric oxide, which gives it varying shades light yellow to brown or red.

8. Every now and __: sporadically: THEN.

9. Roll-call response: HERE.

10. Volkswagen sedan: JETTA.

11. Fill with wonder: AWE.

12. Irk: VEX.

13. Museum collection: ART.

 

21. Coast Guard rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  The Coast Guard Ensign is the most junior commissioned officer rank.

22. Practice boxing: SPAR.

25. "That works for me": I'M COOL.

26. Inventor Tesla: NIKOLA.  Nikola Tesla (July 9, 1856 ~ Jan. 7, 1943) was a Croatian-American inventor and futurist.  He is best known for designing the AC electrical system, the global standard for power transmission. In 1898, he also invented a remote-controlled boat.

27. Many a winery visitor: TASTER.

28. Flowy robe with long sleeves: CAFTAN.

29. Loosen, as a shoe: UNLACE.

30. Novelist Bram who created Dracula: STOKER.  Bram Stoker (né Abraham Stoker; Nov. 8, 1847 ~ Apr. 20, 1912) was an Irish novelist.  He is best known for writing the 1897 novel Dracula, the Transylvanian vampire.   and the creator of the fictional character Count Dracula.  Stoker never went to Transylvania, but did a lot of research to create its environs.

31. Phnom __, Cambodia: PENH.  Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia.

32. Coup d'__: sudden regime change: ETAT.

35. Like green-headed mallards: MALE.

36. Extremely dry: ARID.

37. Beer barrel: KEG.

38. Word puzzles with hidden messages: ACROSTICS.

43. Move a muscle: FLEX.

47. Goat's bleat: MAA.

49. Event site: VENUE.  Radio City Music Hall is the venue of the Rockettes.  Did you know that the Rockettes are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year?  The dance troupe was actually founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925 before moving to New York in 1932.  They were first known as the Missouri Rockets.  The venue has a seating capacity of just under 6,000!

50. Magazine edition: ISSUE.

51. Furry swimmer: OTTER.

52. Lovers' meeting: TRYST.

55. Like skyscrapers: TALL.

57. Smooth-talking: GLIB.

58. Cravings: YENS.  Not to be confused with the currency of Japan.

59. Pampering place: SPA.

60. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.

61. Web address: URL.  As in Universal Resource Locator.  This has become a crossword staple.

~~~~~~~

Apropos of yesterday's puzzle, and of special interest to Lucina, Idris Elba has just been knighted.  According to the chart that Sumdaze provided, being a knight is a lower ranking noble, but still an honor to our dear actor.

We will miss you dearly, Sumdaze.  All the best to you and I hope you pop in to see us on occasion.

I make tracks now on this Penultimate day of 2025.  Wishing you all joy and health for 2026.  See you in January.

חתולה