Thursday, June 26, 2025, Roland Huget

 Theme:  There's something different about you!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Frequent constructor Roland Huget serves up a Thursday challenge.  The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. *Technical team supervisor: PROJECT ENGINEER.

27-Across. *Special occasion mailing: GREETING CARD.

49-Across. *Place of monumental achievement?: ANCIENT EGYPT.

63-Across. Change studied by evolutionary biologists, or what can be found in the answer to each starred clue?: GENETIC MUTATION.

In the answers to each of the starred clues, the word GENETIC has been scrambled, or mutated, and spans both of the words in the answer.  I have a hard time unscrambling words, so I'm impressed with Mr. Huget for finding these scrambles!  I like seeing the theme answers placed symmetrically in the grid, and two of them span the grid.  It's also worth noting that mutations involve scrambling of the genetic code.  All very impressive.  

Across:

1. Erie Canal city: UTICA.

The original Erie Canal ran right through downtown Utica.

6. True, in Italian: VERO.  Shared Latin roots give us the English words very, veracity, verify, and verdict.

10. Hippie event: BE-IN.  The Human Be-In was an event held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967.  Inspired by sit-ins and teach-ins, it gave rise to another Human Be-In in Denver later the same year.  Along with some very cool musical performances, the events focused on ideals of personal empowerment, communal living, ecological awareness, higher consciousness, and radical New Left political thinking.  Apparently all that universal love and grooviness didn't replace the existing culture.  

14. Pinned distinction: MEDAL.

15. Female gamete: OVUM.

16. The 411: INFO.  Dialing 411 used to get you to directory assistance, where a live person could help you find phone numbers and other information.  Now, whether or not you can reach 411 depends on your phone carrier, and sometimes, on whether you pay for 411 service.  But based on the way we oldsters used our corded phones back in the day, "the 411" is current slang for information or the latest news.  "What's the 411 on the party tonight?"

17. [Theme clue]

20. Storage tower: SILO.

21. Group taken for a drive?: HERD.  Herd of cattle, taken for a cattle drive.

22. Google Books __ Viewer: tool that tracks word usage frequency: NGRAM.  The Google Books Ngram Viewer is a search engine that charts the frequencies of any set of search strings using a yearly count of n-grams (sequences of adjacent symbols) found in printed sources published between 1500 and 2022 that are in Google's text database.  The program can search for a word or a phrase, and if found in 40 or more books, the results are displayed as a graph.

I used the Google Books Ngram Viewer to search Human Be-In.
It begins to register in 1978.

23. Go ahead: LEAD.  One meaning of the verb "lead" is to guide by going in advance.  I might lead a hike by going ahead of my friends on the trail.

25. Sky streakers: METEORS.

27. [Theme clue]

31. Poppin': LIT.  If you've been around the Crossword Corner a few times, you know that it's lit!  But did you know that it's poppin'?  Same deal.  It's awesome.  (But poppin' can also mean happenin' -- as in, what's poppin'?)

32. Blended juice prefix: CRAN.  The Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative used to make all its money at Thanksgiving through sales of cranberry juice and cranberry sauce.  The introduction of Cran-Apple juice in 1963 gave Ocean Spray a year-round product.  Now there's Cran-Grape, Cran-Pineapple, Cran-Raspberry, Cran-Strawberry, Cran-Mango, and more.

33. "Tough": TOO BAD.  An unsympathetic response to an unfortunate situation.

37. Way off: AFAR.

39. "That smarts!": YOW.

41. Staff member?: NOTE.  A staff is a set of five lines and four spaces on which notes are written to indicate their pitch.  The notes are represented by ovals on the staff.

The letter names of the notes are not normally indicated as above.

42. Indirect route: DETOUR.

45. Perfume application: MIST.

48. Slip into: DON.  "Don we now our gay apparel, fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la!"

49. [Theme clue]

52. Sleep aid of folklore: SANDMAN.  The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and inspires dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.  I wonder whether people still tell little children that the crust in the corners of their eyes upon waking is from the Sandman?  What on earth did we picture when our parents said that?

55. No longer here: GONE.

56. Top-tier: ELITE.

57. Hawaiian coffee region: KONA.  If you're ever on the Big Island of Hawaii, you can tour a coffee plantation in the Kona area and learn all about coffee production.

coffee berries on the Big Island

59. Birds associated with wisdom: OWLS.  Because they know WHO!  Also, those big, forward-facing eyes, rotating heads, and serious looks just make them seem smart.

63. [Theme clue]

66. Lines that cross at (0,0): AXES.  In a two-dimensional coordinate system, the x-axis is the horizontal line, and the y-axis is the vertical line. They are perpendicular to each other and intersect at the origin (0,0), forming a coordinate plane.  The plural of axis is axes.

67. Lope or canter: GAIT.

68. Capital on the Red River: HANOI.  The capital of Vietnam.

One of several bridges over the Red River in Hanoi.

69. Shoemaker's form: LAST.  At LAST, my daughter's career as a shoe designer helps in the crossword puzzle!

Men's shoe lasts.

70. Bldg. units: APTS.  Building units can be apartments.

71. Contract negotiator: AGENT.

Down:

1. Some park workers: UMPS.  Ball park workers include umpires, officials responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport.

2. Garr of "Young Frankenstein": TERI.  She was fabulous.

Teri Garr

3. "Survivor" find: IDOL.  In spite of its 25 year history, I don't think I've ever watched an episode of Survivor.  Apparently, the "Hidden Immunity Idol" is a pocket-sized talisman that prevents the user from being voted out from Tribal Council.  This is not to be confused with the tribal Immunity Idol or the individual Immunity Necklace.

The not-so-hidden immunity idol.

4. Wheedle: CAJOLE.  Synonyms of cajole include coax, sweet-talk, and wheedle.  These are all about getting someone to do something by means of gentle urging, special attention, or flattery.

5. Schooner filler: ALE.  A schooner can be a sailing vessel or a rounded glass with a short stem.  Usually the one filled with ale is the glass.

A schooner of ale.

6. Gave a thumbs-down: VOTED NAY.  In a voice vote, the presiding officer asks those in favor to say "yea," and those opposed to say "nay."

A challenging aspect of horse politics.

7. At all: EVER.  Have you been to Utica at all?  Ever?

8. First hip-hop group to have music videos on MTV: RUN-DMC.  With the release of Run-D.M.C. (1984), Run-DMC became the first hip-hop group to achieve a Gold record. With subsequent albums, Run-DMC became the first hip-hop group to go platinum and then multi-platinum.  Run-DMC was the first hip-hop act to have their music videos broadcast on MTV, appear on American Bandstand, be on the cover of Rolling Stone, perform at Live Aid, and be nominated for a Grammy Award.

Run-DMC

9. Texter's gasp: OMG.  Oh my gosh!

10. Watched an entire season of, say: BINGED ON.  The joy of streaming -- watching a whole season of a television show in a single sitting, or within a short period of time.  

11. Año start: ENERO.  The Spanish year (año) begins with the month of January (Enero).

12. "Sorry to say ... ": I FEAR.

13. Expected results: NORMS.

18. Board head: CHAIR.

19. Emcee's piece: INTRO.  The emcee (or Master of Ceremonies) for an event usually gives an introduction to the proceedings.

24. Ellipsis alternative: Abbr.: ETC.  You can add "etc." to an incomplete list, or use the ellipsis to indicate things you're omitting, which is to say, you don't have to go on and on and on ...

26. Have something: EAT.

Eat!

27. Showy flower, briefly: GLAD.  Gladiolus is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the iris family, native to Eurasia and Africa.

Gladiolus are pretty, but my ethic is to plant things
that have co-evolved with local birds and insects.

28. Widespread: RIFE.

29. "L'__, c'est moi": Louis XIV: ÉTAT.  King Louis XIV of France supposedly said "L'État, c'est moi" (The state, it is me) in parliament, suggesting that his power was absolute.  However, the statement does not appear in the registers of parliament, and on his deathbed, Louis is known to have said "Je m'en vais, mais l'État demeurera toujours" (I am leaving, but the State will always remain).

Just a nice guy, misunderstood and misquoted.

30. Garden sentinel: GNOME.

34. __ positivity: BODY.  Body positivity is a social movement that promotes acceptance and appreciation of all body types and sizes.

35. Straddling: ATOP.

36. Slight progress: DENT.  As in, making a dent in my workload.

38. Consumer Reports task: ROAD TEST.  Consumer Reports rates automobiles, among other things, so one of their tasks is to take a car out for a road test.

40. Hand-tightened fasteners: WING NUTS.

43. Like some expectations: UNMET.  We've all had a few!  This is when anticipated outcomes or desired results do not materialize, leading to disappointment or frustration.  TOO BAD!

44. Classic TV brand: RCA.

46. Summer ermine: STOAT.

The white animal we call an ermine in winter is a brown animal called a stoat in summer.

47. Decimal value of hexadecimal A: TEN.  Hexadecimal (or hex) is a base-16 number system, meaning it uses 16 unique symbols to represent numbers. These symbols are the digits 0-9, and the letters A-F, where A represents 10, B is 11, and so on, up to F representing 15. This system is often used by software developers and system designers.

50. Mushroom that drips black liquid: INK CAP.  Coprinopsis atramentaria, also known as the common ink cap, tippler's bane, or inky cap, is a species of fungus.  It is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.  It is edible, but poisonous when consumed with alcohol.

51. Location label: GEOTAG.  A geotag is a piece of data, usually in the form of coordinates (latitude and longitude), that is embedded within a digital file, like a photo or video, to indicate its geographical location.

52. "Love Story" novelist: SEGAL.  Erich Segal wrote a screenplay for Love Story, and Paramount required him to turn it into a novel before the movie came out, as part of the marketing campaign.  The novel and the film were both released in 1970.  A huge success in print and film, the tear jerking story is very unfair to the female protagonist who gives up everything and forgives all, in return for not much.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."  What?!

53. Echo assistant: ALEXA.  Echo devices are smart speakers developed by Amazon, and Alexa is the voice assistant (or software) that powers these devices and compatible products.  I don't have smart speakers around the house.  It's bad enough that the robot vacuum sometimes thinks I've said his name and responds, "I'm here."  Then we keep quiet for five minutes hoping he'll go back to sleep.

54. Dressed to the __: NINES.  "To the nines" is an idiom meaning "to perfection" or "to the highest degree."  In modern English, the phrase most commonly appears as "dressed to the nines."  It seems to be Scottish in origin, and may refer to the nine muses.  The earliest written example of the phrase is from the 1719 Epistle to Ramsay by the Scottish poet William Hamilton:

The bonny Lines therein thou sent me,

How to the nines they did content me.

58. Drop: OMIT.

60. Product that gets pressed into service?: WINE.  Our inlaws in Italy use a little wine press like this one to squeeze the grapes that make the family wine:

61. Diving bird: LOON.  Bird clues always help me out.

62. Agitated state: SNIT.

64. "Hometown Proud" food market chain: IGA.  The Independent Grocers Alliance was founded in 1926 to bring family owned, local grocery stores together under the IGA brand.  I count 36 of them in California, but none in the Los Angeles area.

65. Epiphany cry: AHA.  An epiphany is a moment of sudden revelation or insight ... an AHA moment.

Here's the grid:       WARNING! TYPO at 57-Across!  Should be KONA.  Thanx, Jinx!!

So ... any AHA moments for you today?  

Was your grid RIFE with errors?  Did you OMIT anything?  Or do you deserve a MEDAL?

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, June 19, 2025 Joe Rodini

 Theme: I GET A ROUND.  The first word of each theme entry homophonically represents a factor in the formula for the circumference of a circle.

And, in honor of Brian Wilson, who left us a few days ago, here is today's theme song.

17 A. Annoyingly shrewd: TOO CLEVER BY HALF.  A bit of smart-assery, perhaps.  Note the first word.

37 A. Unrealistic enterprise: PIE IN THE SKY.   Something that is pleasant to contemplate but is very unlikely to be realized.  Note the first word.

I hated this song when it came out in 1959, but it was very popular, so I must be wrong.

Yeah - I still hate it.

42 A. "Hello?": ARE YOU THERE?    A common phrase used to check if someone is present, listening, or available to respond.  Note the first word.

58 A. Returns to the beginning, as suggested by the phonetic formula found at the starts of 17-, 37-, and 42-Across: COMES FULL CIRCLE.  Returns to a past position or situation, especially in a way considered to be inevitable.  Or more literally, scopes the circumference.

OK.  Let's put this together [Nobody promised there wouldn't be any math.]. And I won't give you the run around. The formula for the circumference of a circle is 2*π*r, phonetically represented here by TOO, PIE and ARE.  The value of π  is 3.14159 and r is the radius.  Thus, we COME FULL CIRCLE.  But wait -- there's more!

24 D. Sundial three, and a loose depiction of the last part of the geometry formula hinted at in this puzzle: III.  To understand this subtle clue, you have to think about the center of the grid in a way that is literally figurative.  Note that the black squares inscribe a circle about as perfectly as can be done in this medium.  The vertical I-I-I then represents a radius [r] of that circle.  I have seldom been this impressed by a puzzle feature.  Bravo!

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here to lead us on this circuitous route.  

Across:

1. Package closer: TAPE.   Sticky ribbon that seals the box shut.

5. Closed, as drapes: DREW.  I drew my drapes, then drew my bath, then put away my colored pencils.

9. Skilled: ABLE.   Having a certain skill set.

13. "You beat me": I LOSE. Concession of defeat.

15. Second helping: MORE.  If the first wasn't enough.

16. Place for some finger painting?: NAIL.  Clever clue, leading us to a nail salon. 

20. "Well, aren't you fancy!": OO-LA-LA.  An interjection that expresses surprise, admiration, or excitement, often with a playful or suggestive connotation. It's a French-derived expression, though it's not a direct translation of a common French phrase.  In my experience, there is always a suggestion of something at least risqué, and probably inappropriate.

21. Understand: SEE.   I got it.

22. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob: PETTIT.   Robert Lee Pettit Jr. [b. 1932] is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks. In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award and he won the award again in 1959. He also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award four times.

26. Reunion attendees: AUNTS.  Mom's or dad's sisters.

30. Wine shop order: CASE.  A box, usually of 12 bottles.

33. __ away from: SHIES.  Avoids something because of fear, nervousness, or dislike.

35. SeaWorld performer: SEAL.   Any of numerous carnivorous marine mammals (families Phocidae and Otariidae) that live chiefly in cold regions and have limbs modified into webbed flippers adapted primarily to swimming.

36. Invoice no.: AMT.  Amount, per item, and total due.

39. Singer Flack: ROBERTA.  Roberta Cleopatra Flack [1937-2025] was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm radio format.  She also won record of the year for 1973 and '74.  Sadly, she left us in February.

This might be her most famous song.

41. Tried to win over: COURTED.   Attempted to win someone's favor, affection, or attention, often with the intent of forming a romantic or committed relationship. It can also mean to try to please or improve relations with someone, often to achieve a specific goal. 

44. London facilities: LOO.   What we politely call the rest room or comfort station.  I would have clued this as "John in London."

45. Grow dim: FADE.  Lose luster, strength or brightness.

46. Pink perennial: PEONY.  Peonies are a genus of flowering plants, belonging to the family Paeoniaceae, and are known for their large, showy flowers. They are popular garden plants, especially in temperate regions, and are also widely cultivated as cut flowers.  They come in a wide range of colors, including red, pink, purple, white, and yellow. 

47. __ shui: FENG.   An ancient Chinese practice focusing on aligning environments with the natural world to promote harmony and balance. It involves arranging objects and spaces to optimize the flow of qi (vital energy). The practice aims to create a positive and beneficial environment for occupants. 

48. To-be: ELECT.  In politics, a candidate who hs been elected, but not yet inaugurated.

50. Not wholesale: RETAIL.  Wholesale is the pricing level used between suppliers and commercial sellers.  The sellers' pricing is retail.

52. Chest bone: RIB.   Each of a series of slender curved bones articulated in pairs to the spine (twelve pairs in humans), protecting the thoracic cavity and its organs.

54. MLB sluggers: RBI MEN.  Batters who generate RBIs [runs batted in] This is accurately descriptive, but I'm not aware of this as an in-the-language phrase.

64. Mystique: AURA.   The distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place.

65. Like the center space on a bingo card: FREE.   Purpose: The free space acts like a "wild" square or a "joker". It doesn't have a number, but it's automatically considered marked for all players from the start of the game.  It's free in the sense that player did nothing to earn it

66. Wild guesses: STABS.   Making attempts or tries, especially when you might not be very confident about succeeding. It implies a willingness to try despite potential challenges or lack of certainty.   This describes me playing Wordle.

67. Hat part: BRIM.    The projecting edge at the bottom of a hat.

68. __ machine: SLOT.  A coin-operated gaming machine that generates random combinations of symbols on a dial, certain combinations winning varying amounts of money for the player.

69. "Make it snappy!": STAT.   Without delay : immediately — used chiefly in medicine. Get this patient to the operating room, stat!

Down:

1. Salsa star Nieves: TITO.   Humberto "Tito" Nieves [b. 1958] is a Puerto Rican-born, bilingual salsa singer and actor with a career spanning over four decades. Born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, Nieves started his professional career in 1975 with Orquesta Cimarrón, replacing Rafael De Jesus. 

2. Saag __: spinach and potatoes dish: ALOO.  Saag aloo is a popular Indian and Pakistani side dish made with saag (a variety of greens, including mustard greens), potatoes and spices.

3. Hotel amenity: POOL.   For swiming.

4. Slip away: ESCAPE.   Break free from confinement or control.

5. Real ID issuer: DMV.  Department of Motor Vehicles.

6. Caviar: ROE.  Processed eggs from a large fish, such as a sturgeon, considered a delicacy.  I had shad roe once.  Once.

7. Drop the ball: ERR.  Fail to complete something, or live up to expectations.

8. Halloween decor: WEBS.  Suggestive of spiders.

9. Busch brewing partner: ANHEUSER.  Famous for their horses.

10. Call to Bo Peep: BAA. They cried out, sheepishly.

11. Short, for short: LI'L.   So to speak

12. One with a pole position?: ELF.   North pole laborer.  Well played!

14. Allure competitor: ELLE.  Fashion magazines

18. Falls for something hook, line, and sinker: EATS IT UP.  Something fishy here.  Still - going for something in a big way.  Alternatively, enjoying something immensely, like attention or entertainment 

19. Favorable vote: YEA.  As opposed to neigh - the usual response from horses.

23. Staging area: THEATER.   Usually this means a location in which people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use.  Here it a place where plays are produced.  Clever mis-direction.

25. Like paperback novels, once: TEN CENT.  Once, long, long ago, they cost one thin dime.  But not any time in my memory, and I'm old.

27. Toll House chocolate chips maker: NESTLE.    A Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 2014

28. Acquire: TAKE ON.  Take on has many meanings, from hire an employee to accept a task or meet an adversary, to accept a thing or responsibility.

Marginally relevant.  Maybe.

29. Foxy one: SLY DOG.  A person who is very secretive and sly about their activities, though the creatures in the clue and fill are both canines.

30. Wine bar order: CARAFE.   An open-topped glass flask typically used for serving wine or water.

31. Unprincipled: AMORAL.  Lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something.

32. "Venerable" monk of Eng. history: ST. BEDE.  Bede [672-735] was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, 

34. Multiepisode narrative: STORY ARC.  This is inexact.  It is the overarching structure and progression of a story, guiding the sequence of events and plot progression.  It can also relate to a single episode of a TV series, a movie, novel or even a short story. 

37. Maven: PRO.  One with expertise in a certain field.

38. Tinge: HUE.  Tinge refers to a slight degree of coloration in something, while hue is a specific color or shade.  They don't seem equivalent.

40. Application for crow's-feet: EYE CREAM.  A specialized skincare product formulated to target the delicate skin around the eyes.

43. Turn the soil: HOE.  To labor with a long-handled gardening tool having a thin metal blade, used mainly for weeding and breaking up soil.  Careful, though - Santa might laugh at you.

47. Toys (with): FLIRTS.  Behaves as though attracted to or trying to attract someone, but for amusement rather than with serious intentions.  Seems rather heartless.

49. Poetic contraction: 'TIS.  Meaning "It is."

51. Everglades bird: IBIS.  A large wading bird with a long down-curved bill, long neck, and long legs.

53. Lifetime pals, briefly: BFFS. Best Friends Forever

55. Future doc's exam: MCAT.  The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, computer-based exam used by medical schools in the United States and Canada to assess applicants' problem-solving, critical thinking, and scientific knowledge. 

56. Idris of "The Wire": ELBA.   Idrissa Akuna Elba OBE  [b. 1972] is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Emmy Awards. He was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World in 2016. His films have grossed over $9.8 billion at the global box office, making him one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors.

57. Twigs digs: NEST.  A domicile constructed from small tree parts?  It's for the birds!

58. Uber alternative: CAB.  Modes of urban vehicular transportation - the modern and the traditional.  Either way, you pay.

59. First word of the Lord's Prayer: OUR.  I think we all know this.

60. Source of inside info?: MRI.  An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed pictures of the body's organs and tissues - the "inside information."   

61. Dot-com address: URL.   Universal Resource Locator.

62. Sign for most of August: LEO.  The fifth sign of the zodiac, typically spans from July 23rd to August 22nd. It's associated with the constellation Leo and is symbolized by the lion. Leos are known for their confidence, charisma, and natural leadership abilities. They are often described as passionate, loyal, and creative individuals. 

63. Tennis call: LET.   A "let" occurs when a serve hits the net but still lands within the service box. This results in the serve being replayed, according to various tennis resources. Essentially, a let means the point is replayed, offering the server a second chance at serving. 

And with that, we have come FULL CIRCLE.

As usual, I had my nits, but overall, this is a superb puzzle.

Special thanks to those gave me technical and temporal assistance.  You know who you are.

If you're in Plymouth, MI this evening, come to the Concert Band Performance at 7:00 pm in Kellogg Park.  Say hi to me before or after, and I'll buy you an ice cream.

The weekend is almost upon us.  Hope we all get around to having some fun.

Cool regards, 

JzB

Thursday, June 12, 2025, Amie Walker, Amanda Rafkin

 Theme:  Love Of My Life

LOML and NaomiZ on their recent trip to Spain
checking out the Alcázar in Segovia where
Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon once held sway.

Constructors Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin team up today to give us a pleasant diversion with a puzzling theme.  There are no circles, but we are asked to look at the beginning of each of the starred entries to find a secret message.

17-Across. *Elixirs that stir passion: LOVE POTIONS.

27-Across. *Steinbeck novella featuring George and Lennie: OF MICE AND MEN.

48-Across. *Franchise whose characters have "cutie marks": MY LITTLE PONY.

63-Across. *"Appreciate every moment": LIFE IS SHORT.

62-Down. Romantic initialism spelled out by the starts of the answers to the starred clues: LOML.

I'm glad the ladies told us this was an initialism, because LOML did not look like an English spelling to me!  And I'm glad they said it was romantic, too.  That helped me to guess "Love Of My Life."  When I went online to confirm this solution, I found that according to Yahoo News UK, "The acronym LOML is universally believed to mean 'love of my life'. It is used in messages and comments constantly."  Not only that, but Taylor Swift released a song just last year titled "loml."  Learning new things is good mental exercise, and not a waste of precious brain cells, right?

On to the rest of the things we knew, or didn't:

Across:

1. Fire (up): REV.

4. Sound of an ungentle landing: THUD.

8. Ready to pour: ON TAP.

13. "Little Red Riding Hood" tool: AXE.

I had nightmares about this story for years.

14. Grey __ vodka: GOOSE.

15. Boatload: CARGO.

16. __ reel: GAG.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Fish sauce quality: UMAMI.  Umami is often described as a fifth taste sensation (not salty, sour, bitter, or sweet) that is savory and delicious.  Vague enough?  Oxford Languages says it corresponds to the flavor of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate.  Yum!

21. Takes a turn?: REVOLVES.

22. "Let's kick it up a __": NOTCH.

25. Worn-down pencil: NUB.

26. Jargon suffix: ESE.  Legalese, bureaucratese, journalese, computerese ...

27. [Theme clue]

31. Not post-: PRE.

32. Hindu festival: HOLI.  Holi is a major Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring in India and the blossoming of love. It is colorful!

33. Gave the star treatment to: RATED.  Oh, that kind of star treatment!  

37. Morrison who said, "The function of freedom is to free someone else": TONI.  Spoken at the Barnard College commencement ceremony, 1979.

39. Like cereal sitting in milk: SOGGY.

42. Clip: PACE.  Clip is usually used when speaking of a rapid pace:  a good clip, a fast clip.

43. Compress: SMUSH.  Informal for mash or push.  

45. Warmth: HEAT.

47. Pro's opposite: CON.

48. [Theme clue]

52. Rapper __ Nas X: LIL.  By now you all know him.

Lil Nas X

55. Particle: BIT.

56. Rounds in tourneys: SEMIS.

57. "That was off topic ... ": I DIGRESS.

60. Cultured __: PEARL.

63. [Theme clue]

66. WC: LOO.  WC (water closet) and loo are British terms for toilet or lavatory.

67. Put some chips on the table: ANTED.  Not snacks!  He put some chips (gaming tokens) on the table to play a round of cards.  In other words, he anted (sounds like ANTEED) up.

68. Capitol Hill staffers: AIDES.

69. Cash dispenser: ATM.

70. Wine vessels: CASKS.

71. Some "Modern Family" figures: DADS.

72. Marina __ Rey, California: DEL.  The other end of "the 90" from our place.  Speaking of which, save the 90!  Los Angeles city planners want to repurpose this short freeway by putting apartment buildings and businesses on it.  It's not continually jammed, so it must be ripe for further development.

Down:

1. Italian meat sauce: RAGÙ.  Yes, ragù (with a grave accent, leaning left) is a meat sauce typically served with pasta.  But RAGÚ (with an acute accent, leaning right) is a trademarked brand of bottled pasta sauces.  I counted 25 varieties of RAGÚ on their website, and only one contained meat.  

2. Test: EXAM.

3. List that may include black bean chili and mushroom pot pie: VEGAN MENU.  Traveling in Europe can be challenging for us.  We were happy to find places like Roots & Rolls in Barcelona, Mad Mad Vegan in Madrid, and Wild Food in Granada, where the menus are entirely vegan.

4. All __ well: TOO.  I know all TOO well that vegetarian options are limited in some places!

5. __ lane: HOV.  We can use the High Occupancy Vehicle lane in California if there are two or more people in the car -- or if it's a Clean Air Vehicle with a required decal.  To qualify for a decal, the vehicle must be: 1) 100% electric or hydrogen fuel cell powered, or 2) plug-in hybrid-electric meeting certain standards, or 3) compressed natural gas meeting state and federal emission standards.

6. Tech support caller: USER.

7. Rely (on): DEPEND.

8. National Black Cat Day month: OCTOBER.  Sure, but:

National Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17th.

National Black Cat Day is October 27th.

October is Black Cat Awareness Month.

All of these events are meant to raise support for black cat adoptions and to dispel superstitions.

9. Get just right: NAIL.

10. Treasure stash: TROVE.

11. Nosy neighbor in "WandaVision": AGNES.  WandaVision is a TV miniseries created for Disney+, based on Marvel Comics, featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff (whose alter ego is Scarlet Witch) and Vision.  Nosy neighbor Agnes is secretly a witch herself, and an antagonist.  If we are going to get into complex fictional worlds, I'd rather listen to my granddaughter describe the tribes of dragons in the Wings of Fire books:  SkyWings, IceWings, NightWings, SeaWings, MudWings, SandWings, RainWings, HiveWings, LeafWings, SilkWings ....

12. Entourage: POSSE.

14. Bug: GLITCH.

18. Reproductive cell: OVUM.

20. Pronoun used in mock outrage: MOI.  Made famous by Miss Piggy, it's Frawnche for "Who, ME?"

23. Co. leaders: CEOs.  Company leaders are Chief Executive Officers.

24. Angel hair topper: HALO.  You were thinking ragù, right?  Not that kind of angel hair.

27. Elects (to): OPTS.

28. Gift tag word: FROM.

29. "See ya in the morning!": 'NIGHT.

30. __ trapped: stuck at home because of a tot's sleep schedule: NAP.  The clue defines this very well.  I'm not sure this phrase existed when I had little children, but I may experience the situation with the upcoming grandson.

34. Tex-Mex dish with an edible bowl: TACO SALAD.  I always called the salad in a fried tortilla bowl a tostada, though I'm aware that some skimpy tostadas are built on flat, fried tortillas.  Extremely brief research suggests that the meal in the yummy bowl is actually a TACO SALAD. 

El Pollo Loco calls this a Classic Tostada.  They're on my side!

35. Nobel Prize subj.: ECON.  Also phys., chem., med., lit., and peace.

36. Say no to: DENY.

38. Belief system: ISM.

40. Obtains: GETS.

41. Home of Grace Hopper College: YALE.  Grace Hopper College is a residential college of Yale University, opened in 1933 as one of the original eight undergraduate residential colleges.  It was originally named Calhoun College after US Vice President John C. Calhoun, but renamed in 2017 in honor of computer scientist Grace Murray Hopper.  If you knew this, you just might be a Yalie, AKA Eli.

44. Some Subarus: HYBRIDS.

46. Lures: TEMPTS.

49. "Completely false!": LIES.

50. "Such a shame": IT'S SAD.

51. Food in "Sweeney Todd" and "Waitress": PIE.  In the penny dreadful stories about Sweeney Todd (1846/47), the villainous barber of Fleet Street, Todd kills his customers, and his neighbor bakes their flesh into meat pies, which she sells.  Waitress was a 2015 stage musical and 2023 musical comedy movie, in which a waitress who bakes pies eventually finds a way to leave her abusive husband and run her own business.

52. Lavender kin: LILAC.

53. Tony winner Menzel: IDINA.  Idina Menzel is an American actress and singer. She has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence and powerful mezzo-soprano voice.  Having achieved mainstream success across stage, screen, and music, her accolades include a Tony Award and a Daytime Emmy Award.

Idina Menzel

54. Elevates: LIFTS.

58. __ chic: GEEK. According to Collins English Dictionary, geek chic is a fashion style believed to be characteristic of geeks, including the wearing of heavy-rimmed glasses and T-shirts with humorous slogans.

59. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

61. Repetitive learning method: ROTE.

62. [Theme clue]

64. Out of the ordinary: ODD.

65. Hi-__ graphics: RES.

Here's the grid:

One of the Loves Of My Life is solving the crossword puzzle with all of you here in the Corner ... the bloggers, the commenters, and those who read along.  

So ... was this puzzle a rare PEARL?  Or did it land with a THUD?

NaomiZ

Thursday, June 5, 2025, Roland Huget

 Theme:  There and back.

NaomiZ here with many thanks to the great Anonymous T for blogging the last three Thursdays.  I made a ROUND TRIP and have come back to work the crossword puzzle with you all.  Today, constructor Roland Huget clues us in on the theme with a big reveal:

61-Across. There and back, or a progression found in 17-, 25-, 35-, 51-, and 61-Across: ROUND TRIP.

The word TRIP appears in each theme entry.  The first time, TRIP is spelled normally.  In each subsequent appearance, the last letter from the previous appearance moves to the front of the word.  In the final appearance, TRIP has come back to the beginning.

17. Hair removal option: WAX STRIPS.  Ouch.

25. Underhanded move: CHEAP TRICK.  And for the rockers among us ...

35. Growth also known as yellow poplar: TULIP TREE.  Liriodendron tulipifera -- known as the tulip tree or yellow poplar -- is native to eastern North America.

51. Noncommissioned screenplay: SPEC SCRIPT.  A spec script is a screenplay written on speculation, meaning without a guaranteed payment. It may be written with the goal of selling it to a production company or studio.

61. There and back, or a progression found in 17-, 25-, 35-, 51-, and 61-Across: ROUND TRIP.

Across:

1. Former "Doctor Who" star Capaldi: PETER.  Peter Capaldi is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist, who portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who from 2013 to 2017.

6. "Quit crying, ya big baby!": WAH.  

9. Latches (on to): GLOMS.

14. Breakout publisher: ATARI.  Breakout is an arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and released in 1976. Eight rows of bricks line the top portion of the screen, and the player's goal is to destroy the bricks by repeatedly bouncing a ball off a paddle into them. 

Breakout starting screen

15. Punk offshoot: EMO.  Thank goodness for frequent fill EMO to get me started on this puzzle.

16. Make merry: REVEL.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Get around: EVADE.

20. Shot: PIC.  We took many shots on our three week adventure, and need to sort through them.

21. Apex predator with feathers: EAGLE.  

22. 21-Across nest: AERIE.

23. Homecoming attendee: ALUM.

25. [Theme clue]

27. Blotter target: WET INK.  An ink blotter is either a handheld rocking device or simple blotting paper, both used to absorb excess ink when writing with a fountain pen. 

29. Emblem on a dol.: US SEAL.  Abbreviated "dollar" in the clue lets US know there will be an abbreviation in the answer.

30. "4 real?": SRSLY.  Text speak:  seriously?

31. So-so poker hand: PAIR.

One pair ranks just above I got nuthin'.

34. Conniving: SLY.

35. [Theme clue]

39. Stand __: PAT.  "If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for stand pat to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance." -- www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standpat

42. Really liking: INTO.

43. Brings up: REARS.  As in brings up, or rears, children.

47. Fireplace receptacle: ASH PAN.

fireplace grate and ash pan

50. __ Sea: saline lake in California's Sonoran Desert: SALTON.  Although there were salt lakes in the area millions of years ago, the current lake was formed by accident in 1905 when an irrigation canal broke, and water flowed into the Salton Basin for two years.  Over the course of the 20th century, the lake became an important resting stop for migrating birds, but as the lake shrank and agricultural runoff poisoned the fish, it became an ecological disaster.

51. [Theme clue]

55. Dreamcast maker: SEGA.  Sega introduced its Dreamcast video game console in 1998/99, replacing the Saturn, and the earlier Genesis.  The Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001, ending Sega's 18 years as a console maker.

56. "Bosch" star Welliver: TITUS.  Titus Welliver is an American actor, best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O'Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. He is also known for his collaborations with Ben Affleck, starring in his films Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo, and Live by Night.  I clearly need to watch more television.  I did watch Sons of Anarchy, though!

57. Place for HS filmmakers: AV LAB.  High School is abbreviated; so is Audio Visual Laboratory.

59. Gown partner: CAP.

60. Wipe out: ERASE.

61. [Theme clue]

63. Compare: LIKEN.  Shall I "liken" thee to a summer's day?  Shakespeare used the word "compare," and the lady being compared came out ahead:  But thy eternal summer shall not fade!  To liken is to assert a similarity, but to compare is to examine similarities and differences.

64. Hesitant response: ERM.  Here's that British "um" again.

65. With a single voice: AS ONE.

66. Hägar's dog: SNERT.  Hägar the Horrible is the title and main character of a comic strip created by Dik Browne, which first appeared in 1973.  Following Browne's retirement in 1988, his son, Chris Browne, continued the strip until his own death in 2023.  The strip is a caricature commenting on life in the United States through a loose interpretation of Viking Age Scandinavian life.

67. Deli choice: RYE.

68. Deviated from a straight course: YAWED.  (A moving ship or aircraft) twisted or oscillated around a vertical axis.

Down:

1. Green-skinned fruits in the custard-apple family: PAWPAWS.  I only know this fruit from the old song, "Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch."  Asimina triloba is a small deciduous tree native to the eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada, and it yields the largest native fruit of North America.

2. Always-open merchant: E-TAILER.  An internet retailer.

3. Campaign promises directed at wage earners: TAX CUTS.

4. Triage ctrs.: ERs.  Triage centers are Emergency Rooms.

5. Liturgical act: RITE.

6. Consider the pros and cons of: WEIGH.

7. Copious: AMPLE.

8. Hebrew prophet: HOSEA.

9. Hall of Famers: GREATS.

10. Simple machines: LEVERS.   A lever is a simple machine that amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, which is said to provide leverage, which is mechanical advantage gained in the system.  Components of the machine are fulcrum (or pivot), load, and effort.

11. Egg cell producers: OVARIES.

12. Insurance category: MEDICAL.

13. In an aerodynamic way: SLEEKLY.

18. Pool triangle: RACK.  Pool as in billiards.

This carbon fiber rack will set you back $895.00 plus tax and shipping.

24. Jackson of the Modern Jazz Quartet: MILT.  Milton "Bags" Jackson (1923-1999) was an American jazz vibraphonist.  He is especially remembered for his solos as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Milt Jackson at the vibraphone.

26. Ragdoll sound: PURR.  The Ragdoll is a breed of cat whose silky coat is dark on top and light below, with blue eyes. American breeder Ann Baker developed Ragdolls in the 1960s. The name Ragdoll comes from the tendency of these cats to go limp when picked up. Ragdolls are considered  dog-like because they follow people around, are receptive to handling, and are not aggressive toward other pets.

Ragdoll cat

28. Alma mater of Spike Lee and Ang Lee: Abbr.: NYU.  Filmmakers Spike Lee and Ang Lee (no relation) earned their MFAs from New York University.  

31. Map marker: PIN.

32. Well-suited: APT.

33. Skater Midori: ITO.  Midori Ito is a Japanese figure skater. She was the 1989 World champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist.  She was the first woman to land a triple Axel in competition.  Midori Ito continues to compete:  in 2024, she won the International Skating Union Adult Figure Skating Competition's Masters Elite Women III + IV Artistic Free Skating category.

Midori Ito at the 1992 Olympics

36. "The Mod Squad" role: LINC.  Clarence Williams III (1939-2021) played the character of Linc Hayes in the police television series The Mod Squad from 1968 to 1973.

The Mod Squad:  Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III

37. Bullpen stat: ERA.  In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also called the bullpen.  A statistic relevant to pitchers is their Earned Run Average -- the number of earned runs they have allowed, divided by the number of innings pitched, and multiplied by nine (the usual number of innings in a game).  Lower is better.  

38. Anago and unagi: EELS.

39. Some Degas works: PASTELS.  French artist Edgar Degas (1834-1917) did much of his work in pastels, which are powdery sticks of pigment with very little binder, resulting in beautiful works of art that are very fragile.

Edgar Degas, "Waiting" (c. 1882), pastel on paper

40. Medicine cabinet staple: ASPIRIN.

41. Bad thing for an official to be on: THE TAKE.  To be "on the take" is to accept bribes or other illegal income.

44. Was humiliated: ATE CROW.

45. Hair growth option: ROGAINE.  According to the manufacturer, "ROGAINE® minoxidil products are the first FDA-approved topical treatment that is clinically proven to help regrow hair."  Rip it out with WAX STRIPS, grow it with chemical treatments ... or maybe just get comfortable with your hair.

46. Replied sharply: SNAPPED.

48. One who may download Microsoft software: PC USER.

49. Green light: ASSENT.  Since a green traffic light gives permission to proceed, by extension, to "green light" a project is to give permission to go ahead with it.  To assent is to express approval.

50. Diehard fan, in slang: STAN.  A "stan" is an obsessed fan.  The term comes from the song Stan by Eminem, which describes a fan who is excessively fixated on the rapper.

52. Harder to come by: RARER.

53. Creamy white: IVORY.

54. Decorative feather: PLUME.

58. Annual celebration, briefly: BDAY.  Easier to write in the tiny spaces of my pocket calendar.

62. Passenger-screening org.: TSA.  Transportation Security Administration.  

Here's the grid:

While I was away, I was able to briefly scan most of the blog posts here and many of the comments as well.  What struck me was how very difficult the puzzles seemed to be, and how very clever all of you were to solve them.  I hoped I would be able to keep up with you upon my return!  I managed to complete today's puzzle on paper, no cheating, but it took a moment to get started, and there were quite a few entries solved by perps.  Anyone who made it through the grid deserves AMPLE praise.  I hope you all got to REVEL in your success, and that no one ATE CROW.