Tuesday, November 18, 2025 C.W. Steward

The Doors.  The last word of each theme answer is a device that protects a door.

16-Across. Linked-together homemade decoration: PAPER CHAIN.

24-Across. Noisy flash of lightning: THUNDER BOLT.

49-Across. Tool needed for some needlecraft: CROCHET HOOK.

58-Across. Arm-twisting wrestling hold: HAMMER LOCK.

And the Unifier:

35-Across. Quaint warning of impending danger, and a hint to the implements at the ends of 16-, 24-, 49-, and 58-Across: KATIE BAR THE DOOR.  What does really mean?

Here's the Grid so you can see the door safety mechanisms:

Across:

1. Short-term office workers: TEMPS.

6. __ and weave: BOB.

9. Installs turf: SODS.

13. Brownstone porch: STOOP.

14. Not false: TRUE.

15. Slip-on shoe: CROC.

18. The Chicago Marathon, for one: RACE.  The Chicago Marathon takes place in October.  It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors.  Can you name the other 6 cities?

19. Native of New Zealand: MĀORI.  A history of the Māori.  Street signs in New Zealand are written in both English and the Māori language.

20. Add to the mix: PUT IN.  Not to be confused with Vladimir.

21. Black's opponent in checkers: RED.

27. Hypercorrect "Yes, indeedy!": IT IS SO.

29. From __ Z: A TO.

30. Hi or low follower, in graphics: RES.  As in Resolution.

31. Staircase part: STEP.

32. Geometric figure with no sides or corners: CIRCLE.

41. Sparkling toppers: TIARAS.

42. Division word: INTO.  Today's Math lesson.

43. Weep loudly: SOB.

46. Test for Ph.D. hopefuls: GRE.  As in the Graduate Records Examinations.

47. Sharp-witted: ASTUTE.

53. Name on a box by the sink: SOS.  //  And 9-Down. Clean with effort: SCRUB.

54. Grown-up: ADULT.

55. Belly button type: INNIE.

57. List of dishes: MENU.

63. Walk off one's anxiety, perhaps: PACE.

64. __ vera gel: ALOE.

65. Consume fully: USE UP.

66. Snow glider: SLED.

67. Beaver creation: DAM.

68. Uncool sorts: NERDS.

Down:

1. Recipe amt.: TSP.  As in a TeaSPoon.

2. GPS prediction: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

3. Cleaning tool that may be dry or wet: MOP.

4. Bard's creation: POEM.

5. Nursery rhyme couple with restricted 23-Downs: SPRATS.  //  And 23-Down:  23. Food regimen: DIET.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean; And so between the two of them, they licked the platter clean.

6. Cranium organ: BRAIN.

7. French "yes": OUI.  Today's French lesson.

8. Filmmaker Affleck: BEN.  Benjamin Géza Affleck (b. Aug. 15, 1972) first gained recognition for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with his friend Matt Damon (b. Oct. 8, 1970).

10. Grand speaker: ORATOR.

11. Like animals in a petting zoo, ideally: DOCILE.

12. Aromatherapy choices: SCENTS.

14. Drive-__ car wash: THRU.

17. Pacific salmon: COHO.  Coho salmon are a species of Pacific salmon that live in both fresh and saltwater.  

20. Member of the working class: PROLE.  The word comes from the Latin proletarius, "citizen of the lowest class," used in ancient Rome to describe the group of people who didn't own property and whose only contribution to society was having children.

21. Investment consideration: RISK.

22. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

25. Pub game with sharp projectiles: DARTS.  Seems like a safe game to play while consuming vast quantities of alcohol.

26. Inscribe with acid: ETCH.

28. Barbecue rod: SPIT.

32. Proofreader's insertion mark: CARET.

33. 401(k) kin: IRA.

34. Prepare to publish: EDIT.

36. Number of legs on some arthropods: EIGHT.

37. Naked: BARE.

38. Burden: ONUS.

39. Miranda of "Homeland": OTTO.  Miranda Otto (b. Dec. 16, 1967) didn't appear in Homeland until season 5.  She portrayed Allison Carr, the Berlin chief of station.

40. Some sushi toppers: ROEs.  Yummers!

43. Little rascals: SCAMPS.

44. Trying experience: ORDEAL.

45. Name on a box by the dryer: BOUNCE.

47. Top-notch: A-ONE.

48. Aspen trail: SKI RUN.

50. Like some word puzzles: CLUED.

51. Greeting to a parent: HI, MOM!

52. "Looks like the joke's __": ON ME.

56. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.

58. Consumed: HAD.

59. Pie __ mode: À LA.  More of today's French lesson.

60. Above, in odes: O'ER.

61. Cattle chew: CUD.

62. Mil. mess duties: KPs.  As in Kitchen Patrol.  Probably not as fun as it sounds.

*  Berlin, Boston, London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo.

חתולה

Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Jeff Stillman

Hello Cruciverbalists! CrossEyedDave here to fill in for the irreplaceable Hahtoolah, who could  not be here today. This is my first time trying this, (on an Ipad no less...) so bear with me. I hope I don't drive you further askew with my slant on things.

Ready to see if we can learn something new? Here we go!

First Themer:

20A. Output of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions: PARTY NOMINEES.

(Um, no politics... So I can't describe how i feel about the above are running.)

Second Themer:

29A. Hose that may have a seam up the back: NYLON STOCKINGS.

(Hmm, maybe Splynter should have Blogged this puzzle...)

Third Themer:

46A. Common conveyances between suburbs and cities: COMMUTER TRAINS.

(Now we are getting somewhere...)

And, The Reveal:

56A. "Three Blind Mice" line, or what can be said of 20-, 29-, and 46-Across: SEE HOW THEY RUN.

Across:

1. Sound from an angry cat: HISS.

5. Veil material: LACE. (What are you trying to hide?)

9. Venom-dispensing tooth: FANG. (Or, Phyllis Dillers Husband...)

13. Like draft beer: ONTAP.

Did you know you can get one for your home?

It's called a Kegerator!

(Get one & I'll come visit you...)

15. Division d'une nation: ETAT. French, it is in my "do not discuss file." Like Religion & Politics.

16. Simpson kid who plays the sax: LISA. My fav episode:

17. Small egg: OVULE. Hmm, seems to be getting bigger. Didn't it used to be Ova?

18. Claptrap: BOSH. One of the rarer synonyms, along with blather, blether, tripe, but its all hogwash to me...

19. Face-to-face exam: ORAL.  Reminds me i have a dentist appt.

20. [Themer]

23. Punk musician Vicious: SID.

I'm only familiar with this Sid...

24. Pull from behind: TOW. Pull from behind means something completely different to me:

25. Soccer score: NIL.

26. Apple mobile platform: IOS. I'm working on one. It would be nice if they didn't change everything with every update...

29. [Themer]

33. Ramen mushroom: ENOKI. My Sushi place has them wrapped in bacon!

Yummers!

34. Sassy: SMART. (I am not... :(

35. Blast from the __: PAST.

38. Sounds of regret: SIGHS.

41. Baked desserts: PIES.

42. Group of ships: FLEET.

44. Instruction on a Wonderland cake: EATME.

Or an Animal House Parade Float

46. [Themer]

51. Twice tre: SEI. Now, here you guys are going to have to help "me" out...  I thought it might be French, but Google is not helping. And why don't they have "twice" in its foreign language anyway? Sheesh,         I have enough trouble with English...

52. Pt. of USNA: NAV. Not Uni, Stat, or Aca, but "navy." Although, while it's commonly United States Naval Academy, some definitions have this as United States National Army. (Just be glad its not in French.)

53. Prince, to a king: SON. (Or a smaller idol to Elvis?)

54. Flamenco shout: OLE.

56. [Theme Reveal]

60. Hardware store purchase: TOOL. (I wanted nail...)

62. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. Four letters, what else could it be...

63. Skittish: TIMID. Reminds me of this PSA

64. Radio switch letters: AMFM. Clock switch letters AMPM Did you change your clocks Sunday?

65. Cousin of a gull: TERN. (Why does this sound like an insult?)

66. Wiggle room: SPACE. (I need all i can get.)

67. Analogy part: IS TO. (Apropos of...)

68. Named, informally: IDED. Now, I am supposed to space out words when they are crammed together. Like IsTo above. But when i space this one, it comes out "Id Ed'?

69. Winter transport: SLED. (Perfect Segway to slide into the Downs...)

Down:
1. Some round earrings: HOOPS.

2. Fruitlessly: IN VAIN.

3. Built to last: STURDY.

4. Sidewalk ice melter: SALT. Magnesium chloride is considered the least toxic, but a Google search reveals vinegar will work! Or if you want to track it through the house, cat litter, coffee grounds, sand, and, wait? What's this? Beet Juice???  (Imagine tracking that thru the house...)

5. "Big" name in the Coen brothers' filmography: LEBOWSKI. 

The Dude Abides

6. Small building block: ATOM.  Aren't you glad they don't hurt when you step on them, like Legos...

7. House of cards?: CASINO. Now this was a clever clue

8. Sharing a common culture: ETHNIC.

9. Sheet of ice: FLOE. Kinda sounds like when you slip on it. Yes/no?

10. Cairo-based carrier from 1982 to 2021: AIR SINAI. I guess El Al wouldn't fit...

11. Govt. intel org.: NSA. (Shhhh...)

12. Actress Gadot: GAL. If you say so?

14. Reed who directed three "Ant-Man" films: PEYTON. (Also if you say so...)

21. Forbidden acts: NONOS. Not putting a spaces between words are No Nos on the Blog

22. Edmonton CFL team: ELKS. ( i really wanted Oilers, its the only Canadian team i know.)

27. Shrek, for one: OGRE. (With three, count em, three movies!)

28. Phased-out fast planes, for short: SSTS.  (Because they weren't shhhh...)

30. Casual "They can do what they want": LETEM. Ok, now this one I'm not sure. Do I put in a space or what?

31. Princeton athlete: TIGER. I dunno, the way they change team names these days, tomorrow it might be  something else.

32. Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower architect: I.M. PEI.

35. Sarge's charges: PFCS. Private First Class

36. Soothing additive in some cosmetics: ALOE. No. I am "NOT" posting "that" pic...

37. Like Muenster and Monterey Jack: SEMISOFT.

39. Spot for a bowler to hang: HAT STAND. Hmm, see "the dude abides" above...

40. Detroit beer baron Bernhard: STROH. New too me, I tried to research what their beer was called, but all i got was the trivia that they were known as The Lion Brewing Company from 1875 to 1885.  After all that Googling, i could really use a brewsky...

P.S. auto correct changed brewsky to brew sky. I think the universe is telling me to cut out the space in the words jokes...

43. Prepare to play, as a piano: TUNE. This could have been a lot of things, but did you know that in order to tune a piano, you need a hammer? How to videos available upon request...

45. Some French Impressionist works: MANETS. (Not Monets.) and not what spellcheck wanted either. Monteys? Really?

47. Island in French Polynesia: TAHITI. Ahhh yes, perfectly cozy for a winter puzzler...

48. Conjured up: EVOKED. Tahiti evoked me in a hammock, sipping cocktails on the beach.

49. Unexceptional: NORMAL. What me? Never!

50. Artificial water channel: SLUICE. There are a lot of images to choose from, but this little one saves a lot of work when panning for gold

55. Shut down: ENDED.  Nope, not yet...

57. Patron saint of sailors: ELMO. This was before the cuddly toy, see St.Elmos fire:

58. "Where __ we?": WERE.

59. Sounds in pounds: YIPS. (Not Arfs...)

60. __ chi: martial art: TAI.

61. Meditation sounds: OMS.

And here's the Grid:

Hope to see you in the comments section.

CE:D out...

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Welcome aboard, dear Dave! Thank you for sticking with it and learning the ropes on the iPad. Your persistence really shows.

 

2) Inanehiker and her husband Mark visited me on Sunday. Such a joy to finally meet Nina in person and share stories beyond the blog. We were also joined by my crossword collaborator and friend Tom Pepper. 

 

Left to Right: Tom, Mark, Nina and C.C.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025 Robert S Gard

Smile and Say Cheese!

17-Across.  *  Belt taken with lime and salt:  TEQUILA SHOT.

24-Across.  *  Challenge for an antsy toddler:  SITTING STILL.

39-Across.  *  Problematic backward pass in football:  BAD SNAP.

51-Across.  *  Spotted pattern on faux fur, say:  LEOPARD PRINT.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Close call in a race, or what the answer to each starred clue has: PHOTO FINISH.  The word that "Finishes" the two-word phrase in each of the theme answers is related to a photograph.

Across:

1. Blue Ribbon lager:  PABST.

6. Source of some memes:  IMGUR.  No a clue!  Apparently, Imgur is an online image-hosting and  sharing community founded by Alan Schaaf (b. Oct. 21, 1987) in 2009. It allows users to upload and share photos, GIFs, and images.

11. Sandwich known by its initials:  BLT.  

14. Shady picnic spot:  ARBOR.

15. Stop: CEASE.

16. Use oars: ROW.

19. Here, en français: ICI.  Today's French lesson.

20. Slotted fastener: HASP.

21. Useful connections: INs.

22. To be, en español: ESTAR.  Today's Spanish lesson.  I believe there are two forms of the verb "to be" in Spanish ~ Ser and Estar.  The former describes formal characteristics and the latter is used for temporary conditions and emotions.  I'll let Lucina expound on these subtleties of these two verbs.

28. Mapped biological sequence: GENOME. A Genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism.

31. Specks: IOTAS.

32. Revise, as text: AMEND.

33. Numerous: MANY.

35. Poet's "by way of": THRO.

38. Jaguar competitor:  BMW.  //  And 67-Across. Jaguar competitor: LEXUS.

42. As __ usual: PER.

43. Simple: EASY.

45. Fix, at the vet:  SPAY.

46. Piano exercise:  ÉTUDE.  More of today's French lesson.

48. One measurement of a rectangle: WIDTH.  //  And 2. Length x 48-Across, for a rectangle: AREA.

50. Owie: BOO-BOO.

55. Marketing dept. employee: AD REP.

56. [facepalm]: OOF!

57. Beers like Smooth Hoperator, briefly: IPAs.  A brief history of India Pale Ale.

61. Satirist's gift: WIT.

66. Unspecified degree: NTH.

68. Inspirational word or phrase: MOTTO.

69. Reluctant to socialize: SHY.

70. Simply be: EXIST.

71. Actor/activist Davis: OSSIE.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis, b. Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist.  In 1948, he married fellow actress Ruby Dee (née Ruby Ann Wallace, Oct. 27, 1922 ~ June 11, 2014).

Down:

1. Off the beaten __: PATH.

3. Patio cookouts, casually: BBQs.

4. "Grub's up!": SOUPS ON!

5. Prefix with -athlon: TRI-.

6. Terse turndown: I CAN'T.

7. Soccer star Lionel: MESSI.

8. "Oh, come on!": GAH!

9. GI show gp.: USO.  As in the United States Organizations.  When I see USO, I think of Bob Hope.

10. Give an exam again: RE-TEST.

11. Spot to order bangers and mash: BRITISH PUB.  You can bet a pint of 57-Across to go with your bangers and mash.

12. Train that makes lots of stops: LOCAL.

13. Spin, as a baton: TWIRL.

18. With fewer calories, on a label: LITE.

23. "Pronto!": STAT.

25. Film buff's online resource: IMDB.  As in the Internet Movie DataBase.

26. Doofus: NINNY.

27. Spanish painter Francisco: GOYA.  This artist usually goes by just Goya, although is full name is Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Mar. 30, 1746 ~ April. 16, 1828).

28. "Welcome Back, Kotter" actor Kaplan: GABE.

29. Stone of "Poor Things": EMMA.

30. Interesting enough for the front page, say: NEWSWORTHY.

33. Hybrid grad program for physician-scientists:  MD-PhD.  As in a Medical Doctor and a Doctor of Philosophy.

34. Loose __ goose: AS A.

36. Start over: REDO.

37. Dunk Club cookie: OREO.

40. Subj. for Neil deGrasse Tyson: ASTR.

41. Low-level worker: PEON.

44. "Eek!": YIPE.

47. Big name in pizza snacks: TOTINOS.

49. Make a pattern using light and shade: DAPPLE.

A Dapple Dog.

50. Punch, slangily: BIFF.

51. Mower targets: LAWNS.

52. "The Buccaneers" writer Wharton: EDITH.

53. Exec. branch head: POTUS.  As in the President of the United States.

54. Hen's perch: ROOST.

58. Cherry centers: PITS.

59. Sparkling Italian wine: ASTI.

60. Croc, e.g.: SHOE.

63. Malicious spell: HEX.

64. __Clean: stain remover: OXI.

65. Texter's "I'd say": IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I know this was an abbreviated commentary, however, due to a family emergency, we were called out of town on short notice.