Tuesday March 4, 2025 Roger Miller

I Love You, Let's Kiss.  The circles spell out a slang for Kiss and, because the circles are at the beginning and end of the phrase, the theme answer is "sealed" with a Kiss.

17-Across. *   Know what's going on at all times: NEVER MISS A TRICK.  Neck.

28-Across. *   Trained canine in an airport, say: SNIFFER DOG.  Snog.  Snog it a British slang for kiss, or making out.

50-Across. *   Literature Nobelist who wrote "The Good Earth": PEARL S BUCK.  Peck.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Love letter message often accompanied by a lipstick mark, and what the answers to the starred clues are, thanks to their circled letters: SEALED WITH A KISS.

Here's the Grid so you can see how the answers are Sealed with a Kiss.

Today's c

Across:

1. Stops on a suburban commuter train: TOWNS.

6. "Beat it!": SCAT.  Scat is also a vocal improvisation style where a singer uses nonsense syllables or wordless vocables to create melodies and rhythms. 

10. Intend: MEAN.

14. Silly: INANE.

15. "Pipe down!": HUSH.

16. Lhasa __: small dog: APSO.  These Tibetan dogs make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

20. Taproom brew: ALE.

21. Crooked: BENT.

22. Capital of Taiwan: TAIPEI.

23. Irritate: IRK.

25. Cat call: MEOW.

27. Without a break: ON END.

31. Terro trap insects: ANTS.  I am not familiar with this brand of ant traps, but it was easy enough to fill in the answer.

32. Therefore: HENCE.

33. "Sincerely __": letter ender: YOURS.

35. Unit of work: ERG.  An "erg" a unit of work in the centimeter-gram-second (CGS) system, representing the amount of work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter; it is equivalent to 10^-7 joules, the standard unit of work in the International System of Units (SI).   Clear as mud, right?

36. Spot for a seaweed wrap: SPA.

39. Chain letters?: DNA.  It's a double-helix chain.

 

40. Victoria's Secret purchase: BRA.

43. Crock-Pot concoctions: STEWS.  I have a crockpot, but I haven't used it in years.

45. Lawn-wrecking diggers: MOLES.

47. Chuck wagon fare: CHOW.

53. Puts a curse on: HEXES.

55. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Sloe gin is a liqueur made by infusing gin with sloe berries and sugar, while regular gin is distilled from juniper berries and other botanicals.  Sloe gin is sweeter and has a lower alcohol content than gin.

56. Anger: IRE.

57. Prime minister between Churchill's two terms: ATTLEE.  Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (Jan. 3, 1883 ~ October. 8, 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister from July 1945 to October 1951.

59. "__ in your shirt!": TUCK.

61. Sugar amt.: TSP.  Just a Teaspoon of Sugar.

66. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.

67. Vanished: GONE.  //  And 69-Across. Auction cry: SOLD.

68. Gets the lead out?: MINES.   Oh, quite literally mining for lead.

70. Pitcher with a big mouth: EWER.

71. Inner turmoil: ANGST.

Down:

1. Turner in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: TINA.  Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023) was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

2. Zinger: ONE-LINER.  Groucho Marx (né Julius Henry Marx; Oct. 2, 1890 ~ Aug. 19, 1977) was known for his one-liners:  I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.

3. Having doubts: WAVERING.

4. Tampa-to-Jacksonville dir.: NNE.  As in North-North-East.

5. Croat neighbor: SERB.  Serbia and Croatia share a small border.

6. Black eye: SHINER.

7. Guardianship: CUSTODY.

8. Burro: ASS.

9. "Don't be like __!": THAT.

10. Mooring spots for small boats: MARINAS.

11. Injector for allergic emergencies: EPIPEN.

12. Mountaineer's climb: ASCENT.

13. Adult party invitation request: NO KIDS.

18. Widely shared social media post: MEME.

19. East Asian principle: TAO.

24. Fast-food chain with buckets: KFC.  Formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The Colonel's head on a stick figure.

26. Bonfire fuel: WOOD.

28. Pronoun that precedes "sells seashells" in a classic tongue twister: SHE.

29. End of Oktober?: -FEST.  As in Okoberfest.  Oktoberfest has been celebrated since the early 1800s as part of the official wedding festivities of the future King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. 

30. Rev, as an engine: GUN.

34. Dodge trucks: RAMS.

And for Jinx:

37. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

38. Blows away: AWES.

40. Saying impulsively, with "out": BLURTING.

41. School playtimes: RECESSES.

42. Request: ASK.

43. Grew larger: SWELLED.

44. Soup cracker: SALTINE.  Because Oyster Cracker wouldn't fit.

46. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

47. Runs after: CHASES.

48. Straight: HETERO.

49. Beefy soup ingredient: OX TAIL.

51. Wireless network device: ROUTER.

52. Solidarity leader Walesa: LECH.  Lech Wałęsa (b. Sept. 29, 1943) was also the recipient of the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize.  He did not go to the ceremony to accept the prize, however, because he was afraid the Poland's government would not let him back into the country.  In 1990, he became the President of Poland.

54. "Get it?": SEE.

58. Barely beat: EDGE.

60. __ Sutra: KAMA.  The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment.

62. Furtive summons: PSST!

64. Blow away: WOW.

65. Family: KIN.

חתולה

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler !

Happy Mardi Gras!

And for those of you who thought of the other Roger Miller, here's a tribute:

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 Nate Cardin

I'm Bored.  Each two work theme answer can be paired with the word Board to give us two new concepts.

19-Across. Bit of sidewalk art: CHALK DRAWING.  Chalk Board and Drawing Board.

25-Across. Checking account problem: OVER DRAFT.  Overboard and Draft Board.

30-Across. Make one's way to a previous location: HEAD BACK.  Head Board and Backboard.

48-Across. Shower gel: BODY WASH.  Body Board and Washboard.

56-Across. Ballpark buy that may come with a free pencil: SCORE CARD.  Score Board and Cardboard.

And the unifier:  

64-Across. High-level get-together, or an apt description of the pairing found in 19-, 25-, 30-, 48-, or 56-Across?: BOARD MEETING.

Across:

1. Insta upload: PIC.

4. Rod on a cello's base: ENDPIN.  An "endpin" on a cello is spoke on the bottom of the cello that supports the cello's weight and keeps it from moving around while being played.

10. Mop target: SPILL.

15. "__ minute now": ANY.

16. "Gran __": Clint Eastwood film featuring a 1972 Ford: TORINO.  Gran Torino was a 2008 film about a retired auto worker and Korean War vet portrayed by Clint Eastwood (b. May 31, 1930).  He is a bitter old man who spends his time drinking beer and despising the many Asian, Latino and black families in his neighborhood.  Eastwood also directed the film.

17. "America's Got Talent" judge Mandel: HOWIE.  Howie Mandel (b. Sept. 29, 1955) is a Canadian comedian and actor.  He was one of the many actors who portrayed doctors and medical personnel on the 1980s television drama St. Elsewhere.

Then and now.

18. Special pampering, for short: TLC.  As in Tender Loving Care.

21. Caramel candy: ROLO.  Yummers!  This candy appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

23. Actress Thurman: UMA.  Uma Karuna Thurman (b. Apr. 29, 1970) has appeared numerous films, but is probably best known for her role as Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction.

24. Tranquil: SERENE.

28. Apiece: PER.

29. Book that a bookkeeper keeps: LEDGER.

35. "Cozy" literary genre: MYSTERY.  A cozy mystery is a lighthearted crime novel that features an amateur detective, a small community, and a crime without graphic violence.  Books by Agatha Christie (Sept. 15, 1890 ~ Jan 12, 1976) are considered Cozy Mysteries.

38. After-sun balm ingredient: ALOE.

39. Partridges, turtledoves, and French hens: BIRDS.  All these birds are found in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas.

43. Fat-heavy diet: KETO.

44. "Let's Make a Deal" host Wayne: BRADY.  Before hosting Let's Make a Deal, Wayne Brady (né Wayne Alphonso Brady; b. June 2, 1972) was on the improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? 

45. Creative spark: IDEA.

46. Paloma of fashion: PICASSO.  Paloma Picasso (né Anne Paloma Ruiz-Picasso y Gilot; b. Apr. 19, 1949) is a French jewelry designer.  She designed a lot of jewelry for Tiffany.  She is also known for her line of perfumes.  She is the daughter of Pablo Picasso (Oct. 25, 1881 ~ Apr. 8, 1973) and Françoise Gilot (Nov. 26, 1921 ~ June 6, 2023).

50. Starbucks size: TRENTA.

55. Pt. of many long weekends: MON.  I guess the "Pt." here means "part", thus, Monday sometimes constitutes a part of a long weekend.  Just last week, Presidents' Day, which fell on a Monday, constituted a part of a long weekend for many workers.

59. Sacred Egyptian beetle: SCARAB.  In ancient Egypt, the Scarab Beetle was a highly significant symbolic representation of the divine manifestation of the morning sun.  The Egyptian god Khepri was believed to roll the sun across the sky each day at daybreak.  A scarab is also known as a dung beetle.

62. Bitter beer, briefly: IPA.  As in India Pale Ale.

63. Egg cell: OVUM.

67. "Is that true about me?": AM I?

68. Urge forward: IMPEL.  Ever wonder about the difference between Impel and Compel?  Me, either.

69. Get even for: AVENGE.  Ever wonder about the difference between Avenge and Revenge?

70. Startle: JAR.

71. "Silly" honkers: GEESE.

72. Turn in for money: REDEEM.

73. Gender-neutral pronoun: ONE.

Down:

1. Walk a beat: PATROL.

2. Smitten (with): IN LOVE.

3. Rode a Peloton, say: CYCLED.  Peloton is a French word that means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." The word is frequently used in the bicycling context, but it may refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event.  It's also the name brand of a very expensive exercise bike.

4. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

5. "Take your time!": NO HURRY.

6. Costume __: DRAMA.  A costume drama is also known as a period piece in which the actors are dressed in costumes to represent a particular historical period.  Downton Abbey is an example of a Costume Drama.

7. Rice side: PILAF.  Yummers!

8. Tats: INK.

9. Agrees quietly: NODS.

10. Communal: SHARED.

11. Maker of ProteinPlus snacks: POWER BAR.

12. Triumphant shout: I WIN!

13. Queue: LINE.  Ever wonder how Queue entered the English language?

14. Race segment: LEG.

20. Make good on a loan: REPAY.

22. Assn.: ORG.  Association and Organization.

26. Blue state pols: DEMS.  As in Democrats.

27. Eighth Greek letter: THETA.

31. Greek Cupid: EROS.

32. Pie __ mode: À LA.  More of French lesson.

33. Fish sticks fish: COD.  Yummers!

34. Lock unlocker: KEY.

36. Gear for Gus Kenworthy: SKIS.  Hand up if you knew Gus Kenworthy (né Augustus Richard Kenworthy; b. Oct. 1, 1991).  He is a British-American former freestyle skier.  He competed in men's slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics and won the silver medal.  Slopestyle skiing is where skiers perform tricks on a course with obstacles like rails and jumps.

37. Help desk pros: TECHS.

39. Overalls part: BIB.

40. Groom's utterance: I DO.

41. Like Ronald McDonald's shoes: RED.  //  And 64-Down. Like Ronald McDonald's shoes: BIG.

42. Frightening visions: DAYMARES.  A Daymare is vivid, disturbing mental image or fantasy that happens while you are awake.

44. Dullard: BORE.  Add the letter D to the end of the word, and we get Bored, which fits well with today's theme.

46. Old TWA rival: PAN AM.  My first trip on an airplane was on Pan Am, which is short for Pan American World Airways.  It was the first airline to fly around the world.  I wasn't on that flight, though.

47. Curious: STRANGE.

49. Digital game with yellow and green hints: WORDLE.  I bet a lot of us here also play wordle on a daily basis.

51. Green prefix: ECO-.

52. Language spoken in Arizona: NAVAJO.  Navajo, is also known as Diné Bizaad.  It is a language spoken by the Navajo people of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

53. "In Cold Blood" writer Capote: TRUMAN.  In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel that details the murder of the Clutter family.  The murder took place in 1959 in a Kansas farming community.  The murderers were capture within weeks of committing the crime.  In the course of writing the book, Truman Capote (né Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 ~ August 25, 1984) met with the murderers and their story is a major component of the book, which was published in 1965.

54. Think highly of: ADMIRE.

57. Quoted: CITED.

58. Offer one's view: OPINE.

59. Not all, but not none: SOME.

60. Flowing garment: CAPE.

61. Grizzly animal: BEAR.

65. Night before: EVE.

66. Beaut: GEM.

חתולה