Thursday October 29, 2026 Mat Holmes

Mat Holmes is back and preparing us for Halloween...and it's "scary!" I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

62. Punctuation that expresses skepticism, or what the answers to the starred clues may be called?: SCARE QUOTES. SCARE QUOTES are quotation marks placed around a word or phrase to signal that the writer is using it in an ironic, skeptical, or derisive way, e.g., She conveniently "forgot" to send the invitation.

18. *"The Shining": HERE'S JOHNNY.

27. *"Frankenstein": IT'S ALIVE.

39. *"The Sixth Sense": I SEE DEAD PEOPLE.

53. *"Saw": GAME OVER.

I CONCUR! I caught on early to the famous lines from scary movies, but the revealer explained why they're there. Mat used a slightly wider 16-column grid to accommodate the quotes. All of these are iconic and conjured an image in my mind. Super fun and well done (except for two names in the NW). Here's looking at you, kid!

I'm a horror film (but not slasher) fan. Let's see what other scary movies I can conjure up:

Across:

1. "__ luego": HASTA. Spanish for "See you later." Or, as the Terminator would say, "HASTA la vista, baby."

6. Cold plunge preceder, sometimes: SAUNA.

11. Starboard's opposite: PORT. Starboard (from Old English steorbord, or steering side) meant the right as most people are right-handed and used an oar to steer. The opposite, larboard (ladebord, or the side facing the dock for lading) was replaced by PORT to denote the same thing but without the rhyming sound confusion when shouted in wind or battle.

15. "Stolen Car" singer Beth: ORTON. Beth who? This one is pretty weak as "Stolen Car" came out 27 years ago and only made it to #34 on the UK Singles Chart.

16. Fast-food item celebrated with multiple farewell tours: MCRIB. McDonald's McRIB is a restructured boneless pork patty shaped like a miniature rack of ribs, but contains no rib meat - or anything else edible.

17. Basic geometry calculation: AREA.

18. [theme]

20. Circle: RING.

21. Burma's first prime minister: U NU. Who knew? U NU. But I didn't know. 

U Nu on the cover of TIME August 30, 1954.

22. Roused from sleep: WOKE.

23. Wolfgang Puck restaurant: SPAGO.

25. Large agricultural knife: MACHETE.

27. [theme]

30. Toffee candy bar: SKOR.

31. Formula One event: RACE. A Formula One (F1) RACE, officially called a Grand Prix, is considered to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The word "formula" in the name refers to the set of rules all participant cars must follow. 

33. Chatty starlings: MYNAS.

34. UFC sport: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts is the combat sport while the Ultimate Fighting Championship is a production company that organizes and broadcasts the events.

36. Ever so: VERY.

38. "The Simpsons" creator Groening: MATT. Mat even gave himself a shout-out! Portland, Oregon native MATT Groening has won 14 Primetime Emmy Awards. The Simpsons has been in constant production since 1989, making it the longest running American sitcom.

39. [theme]

43. Laryngitis docs: ENTS. Ear, Nose & Throat doctors, formally titled otolaryngologists. Hence ENTs.

44. Tubular pasta: ZITI.

45. Tire gauge meas.: PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.

46. Inbox party notice: EVITE.

48. South African currency: RAND. A gold coin introduced in 1967 was the KrugerRAND, and it became the first choice of investors worldwide. 

50. Back talk: SASS.

53. [theme]

55. Formal agreement?:  I CONCUR.

58. One of music's Allman Brothers: DUANE. Could've been his brother Gregg, who also has five letters. DUANE Allman is considered one of the best slide guitarists and reached the peak of stardom. Sadly, he was killed in a motorcycle crash at age 24. Today is the anniversary of his death in 1971.

Duane used an empty glass Coricidin medicine bottle for a slide.

59. Stipulation for some parties, briefly: BYOB. Bring Your Own Bottle (Beer, Booze, Beverage).

60. Metallic lode: ORE.

61. Combine: MELD.

62. [theme]

66. Rock's Mötley __: CRUE. Mötley CRÜE is an American heavy metal band that loves umlauts. I güess.

67. Pisa landmark: TOWER. 

68. Pizza part: CRUST.

69. Cold War initials: USSR. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

70. Crock-Pot concoctions: STEWS.

71. Hops-drying ovens: OASTS.

Down:

1. Stale: HO HUM. Ironically, this is the first one down, but it was my last fill because ORTON and UNU were unknowns. 

2. Big concert venues: ARENAS.

3. Word with love or thunder: STRUCK.

4. Tot's piggy: TOE.

5. "Say something!": ANSWER ME.

6. Barbecue apparatus: SMOKER.

7. Ibuprofen target: ACHE.

8. Catering container: URN.

9. Diarist Anaïs: NIN. Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira NIN y Culmell was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Her given name is very long, but on the plus side, it has an umlaut. Perhaps she inspired Mötley Crüe.

10. Bottomless pit: ABYSS.

11. Elite wheelchair rugby player, maybe: PARALYMPIAN.

12. Fresh: ORIGINAL.

13. Get ready to flip, perhaps: RENOVATE.

14. Size indicator: TAG.

19. Put (down): JOT.

24. Nonstick spray brand: PAM.

26. One with a self-sufficient lifestyle: HOMESTEADER.

27. Stranded until a thaw: ICED IN.

28. U. of Maryland athlete: TERP. The university's athletic teams are called the TERPS. They're named after the diamondback terrapin, a turtle native to the Chesapeake Bay.

29. Approximate fig.: EST.

32. Online representative: AVATAR.

35. Woodworking tool that resembles an axe: ADZ. An ADZ (usually spelled ADZE) is like an axe except the blade is at right angles to the handle. It is used to scoop out or smooth wood.

37. "Reckon so": YEP.

39. Space trailer of the 1970s and '80s?: INVADERS. Trailer because INVADERS follows Space in the game's name. An Atari 2600 was our first home video console, and Space INVADERS was the hit game. However, it wasn't long after that I tired of video games and I don't play them at all now. Somehow, they grew into a multi-billion dollar industry without me.

40. Agent that produces a reaction: STIMULUS.

41. Word on Irish stamps: EIRE. 

42. Dish whose name means "bone with a hole" in Italian: OSSO BUCO. "I'll have the bone with a hole, please."

43. Brain test letters: EEG. As we learned a week ago, I should use an ElectroEncephaloGram to see if I have any electrical brain activity. I sure hope so.

47. Long, long time: EON.

49. Handy types: DIYERS. Do-It-Yourselfers.

51. Fed. bench nine: SCOTUS. The Supreme Court Of The United States.

52. Most certain: SUREST.

54. Confers, as authority: VESTS.

56. __ au vin: COQ.

57. Takes a breather: RESTS.

59. Cauldron concoction: BREW.

61. CGI-heavy superhero franchise: MCU. Movies in the the Marvel Cinematic Universe use a lot of Computer-Generated Imagery. I know, you're surprised that it's not all real.

63. Hotel bonus bed: COT.

64. Fill with wonder: AWE.

65. __ pro nobis: ORA.

Hope you enjoyed going to the monster movie matinee! In the meantime, I think I'll slip into my handy Halloween costume. 

Trick or treat!

Be good. RB

Thursday October 22, 2026 MaryEllen Uthlaut

MaryEllen Uthlaut is no stranger to the Corner. Today, she takes us from port to port.

20. Port: AVIATOR'S LEFT. The directions and colors were borrowed from boats. 

28. Port: RED DESSERT WINE. Turns out this this is the best way to stain a white tablecloth. Don't ask me how I know.

47. Port: CRUISE STOPOVER. Apologies to cruise fans, but it seems a bit overwhelming when several huge ships descend on a small island.

St. Maarten in the Caribbean

53. Port: COMPUTER SLOT. A port is a place to plug in something external to a COMPUTER, while a SLOT usually means a socket on the motherboard inside that holds various circuit cards.

Ports vs SLOTs

Well, this puzzle started off like a Monday, but ended like a Friday in the south-central area. U-EYS had to change to U-IES, but then I wrote AION instead of PION. There went my Greek poet out the window.

Maserati Quattroporte = 4 doors

No revealer, just four types of ports. The resulting theme answers are all reasonable phrases, which is always appreciated. 

Here's the report on the rest:

Across:

1. Cartoon girl whose best friend is Boots the Monkey: DORA. 

DORA & Boots

5. Brand of body wash: DIAL.

9. Meant but not said: TACIT.

14. Sigh of woe: ALAS.

15. Slip (past): EDGE.

16. Residence: ABODE.

17. Sharp taste: TANG. Ironically, TANG (the powdered drink) isn't tangy - it's over 90% sugar.

18. Russian blues, e.g.: CATS. A cat breed from northern Russia that is blue because it's so cold there. Or maybe it's just because of their thick silver/blue coat.

19. Foldable bed: FUTON.

20. [theme]

23. Kept on teasing: RODE.

24. Isl. with four provinces: IRE. Ireland is traditionally divided into four provinces - Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster.

25. Basic nutrient: FAT. FAT is a macronutrient, like proteins, carbohydrates and water. Needed in lesser amounts are the micronutrients vitamins and minerals.

28. [theme]

32. Wetland ecosystem: FEN. A FEN is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the four main types of wetlands, alongside marshes, swamps and bogs.

33. __ poker: DRAW. You can also paint poker.

34. Holy people: SAINTS.

35. Adapter letters: AC/DC. It converts Alternating Current to Direct Current.

37. "Okey-dokey": YEP. My cousin, who has the voice of an angel, hosts a singing and DJ service called Okey-Dokey Karaoke.

39. Breathing organ: GILL.

40. Moved with haste: RUSHED.

43. Formerly, quaintly: ERST. 

46. Leaves in hot water?: TEA. Fun clue.

47. [theme]

50. Telepathic ability: ESP. ExtraSensory Perception is commonly known as a sixth sense, and is uncommonly known as cryptaesthesia. That just came to me.

51. Part of a pod cast?: PEA. Perhaps the trickiest clue. I had PEE for a while as it's the first letter of pod. 

52. Whodunit game: CLUE. In this case, CLUE is the answer! Just ask Professor Plum.

53. [theme]

58. "Until we meet again, mon ami": ADIEU. "FAREWELL, my friend," in French.

61. Unstable subatomic particle: PION. I wrote AION, which made for an unstable answer.

62. "__ might say ... ": SOME.

63. Cough drop brand: HALLS.

64. Group driven to stay together?: HERD. Unless, of course, they're cats.

65. Neck and neck: EVEN.

66. Talus locale: ANKLE.

67. Mount of Greek myth: OSSA. Twin giants Otus and Ephialtes tried to pile Mount Pelion on top of Mount OSSA to scale Olympus! I couldn't find a photo of either giant. 

68. Give temporarily: LEND.

Down:

1. Facts and figures: DATA.

2. Royal figure in Norwegian history: OLAV.

3. Royal figure in Indian history: RANI. They're the ones who performed the RANI Dance. Sort of. Indians do dance in the rain to celebrate the return of the monsoons which supply three-quarters of the water the country needs.

4. Home of Odin and Thor: ASGARD. It's the Mount Olympus of Norse mythology. No Viking twins, though.

5. Reader of secret messages: DECODER. 

6. "Seems to me ... ": I DARE SAY.

7. Business reps: AGTS. Agents can be business representatives.

8. Nielsen of "Airplane!": LESLIE. There's a fine between movies that are a successful FARCE and ones that are simply inane. LESLIE Nielsen played it straight and made Airplane! a classic.

9. Stiff fabric: TAFFETA. I always thought that TAFFETA was delicate. But then again, most of my knowledge comes from FARCEs. Here's a touching (?) scene from Young Frankenstein.

"Taffeta, darling. The dress is taffeta. It wrinkles so easily."

10. Be against: ABUT.

11. Foldable bed: COT.

12. Promising words: I DO. 

13. Oscar count for 1961's "West Side Story": TEN. This feat was only bested by three movies that won 11 awards: Airplane! Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. 

21. "Hello It's Me" singer-songwriter Rundgren: TODD. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is considered a pioneer of electronic music, music videos, computer software, and Internet music delivery.

Todd playing "The Fool" - a 1964 Gibson SG he got from Eric Clapton

22. Flubs: ERRS.

25. Having measurable limits: FINITE. 

26. Buck topper: ANTLER. 

27. Electrical pioneer Nikola: TESLA. Nikola invented the TESLA coil, an electrical transformer that produces artificial lighting. It's mostly used by mad scientists. 

Another scene from Young Frankenstein

28. Comes up again: RECURS.

29. Turns out to be: ENDS UP.

30. "Awesome!": SWEET.

31. Barrister's head covering: WIG. Horsehair WIGs are traditionally worn as a symbol of authority, and as way to soften individual identity in the courtroom.

32. Absurd situation: FARCE. See Airplane! and Young Frankenstein.

36. Letter between phi and psi: CHI. The Greek letter CHI looks like an English "X". Because it starts the Greek word for Christ, "X" is commonly used as an abbreviation for Christ, such as in "Xmas." Which reminds me, there are only 64 shopping days until Christmas - so I only have 63 days left to think about it.

38. "Time's up" callers: PROCTORS. PROCTORS are persons who supervise or monitor students and test-takers during an examination to ensure rules are followed and to prevent cheating.

Mr. Bean takes an exam in another FARCE.

41. Embrace, as a cause: ESPOUSE.

42. Judge to be: DEEM.

44. Sugar substitute with sucralose: SPLENDA. There are recipes to make TANG at home using SPLENDA, but the sugar-free variety in stores uses aspartame.

45. Series of gigs: TOUR.

48. Lyric poet of Lesbos: SAPPHO. SAPPHO was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. She is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. Once again, it's hard to find a photos of ancient Greeks for some reason. Maybe they need new AGTS. 

49. Frigate, for one: VESSEL. In a modern navy, a frigate is a medium-sized war VESSEL primarily used to protect fleets, hunt submarines, and patrol waters.

53. Spreadsheet unit: CELL.

54. Informal reversals: UIES. I had UEYS at first, but made a U-turn and corrected it.

55. Emotion expressed with heart hands, perhaps: LOVE.

56. Gathering clouds, say: OMEN.

57. Lean (toward): TEND.

58. Triumphant cry: AHA. Much better than OHO. Thanks, MaryEllen!

59. Auerbach of the Black Keys: DAN. The Black Keys are an indie rock band from Akron, Ohio. DAN is noted for playing eccentric, budget-priced, and obscure vintage pawnshop guitars. 

Dan with his rusty trusty 4-pickup (!) Tedesco 

60. Sort: ILK.

"May the FARCE be with you."

Be good. RB