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.

Tuesday October 28, 2025 ~ Samuel A. Donaldson

Ordinary Ordinals

It doesn't take a SIXTH SENSE to figure out this puzzle's theme.

Today, Samuel presents an ordered list of ordinal numbers.

If you're not familiar with number nomenclature, cardinal numbers, such as One, Two, Three, indicate quantity. Ordinals, used in this puzzle, indicate position or rank but not quantity. Numbers such as single, double, and triple are called multipliers. Nominal numbers are used as a name - e.g. Number 42 [Jackie Robinson].

Enough of that. Let's get on with it.

15. Spendy flying option: FIRST CLASS.

23. Dating option not recommended by Madonna in "Express Yourself": SECOND BEST.

In case you forgot the song.

33. Topic to avoid, metaphorically: THIRD RAIL. The third rail is the electrified middle track used in mass transit systems and, like a topic to avoid, you don't touch it.

49. Imaginary barrier that might be broken by a stage actor: FOURTH WALL. The fourth wall is an imaginary barrier between the performers and the audience. The audience sees through this wall to observe the play/movie/show but the performers presumably can't. Breaking the fourth wall is when a performer acknowledges the existence of the audience.

59. Double date tagalong: FIFTH WHEEL. When not speaking of RVs (or trailers in general) pulled by a hitch in the bed of a pickup, fifth wheel means useless or superfluous -- such as a fifth wheel on a wagon [Moby Dick, 1851 (cite)].

Having beat the theme into submission, let's explore how Samuel filled the rest of the grid.

Across:

1. "Later, gang!": SEE YA. Caio.

6. Winter ailment: FLU. I got my vaccine. You?

9. Chats online, briefly: IMS. Instant MessageS.

12. At a distance: APART.

13. Pull a pre-final all-nighter: CRAM.

14. Cabbage-based side: SLAW.

15. [See: Theme]

17. __ to self: NOTE.

18. Ga. airport code: ATL.

19. Arts and crafts, to a grammarian: NOUNS. Cute.

20. "Oppenheimer" or "Anora": MOVIE.

21. Corner chess piece: ROOK.

Chess Humor

23. [See: Theme]

25. "Sheesh, what a day!": I'M BEAT.

27. St. Francis of __: ASSISI. Patron saint of animals and founder of the Franciscan order.

Statue at Xavier University

28. Drips through slowly: SEEPS.

29. Picked up the tab: PAID.

32. Concert souvenir that may list tour stops: TEE.

33. [See: Theme]

37. LLC alternative: INC. Limited Liability Company / INCorporated.

40. Scrap: TOSS.

41. Peony part: PETAL.

45. Danish or Swedish: NORDIC.

48. Vietnamese sandwich: BANH MI.

There's no shortage of good Bahn Mi in Houston!

49. [See: Theme]

53. The "D" of NYPD, for short: DEPT.

54. Start: ONSET.

55. Celebrity's hotel check-in name, perhaps: ALIAS. Checking into hotels, Sir Paul famously used the alias Paul Ramone. The alias was used by the punk band The Ramones as an homage.

57. Sandwich with three key components: BLT. Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato.

58. Moreno with an EGOT: RITA.

Rita's Wikipedia page.

59. [See: Theme]

61. Like many dorms: CO-ED.

62. Raison d'__: ETRE. French for "Reason to be."

63. Disparage: ABASE.

64. Finish: END.

65. Lingo suffix: ESE.

66. Some dessert wines: PORTS. Why is it called port? Here's what Quora says.

Down:

1. African expeditions: SAFARIS. On your Mac, take a virtual one with your Safari browser.

2. Textbook example: EPITOME.

3. Piercing place: EARLOBE.

4. Soph and jr.: YRS. SECOND and THIRD years of high school or college.

5. Memo header abbr.: ATTN.

6. Swiss currency: FRANC. Sweden has not adopted the euro.

7. Rodeo ring?: LASSO.

8. Gap-filling sounds: UMS.

9. "What a wonderful gift!": I LOVE IT.

10. French painter Henri: MATISSE.

11. Honey bunny: SWEETIE.

13. Board game with weapons, suspects, and rooms: CLUE.

14. Supercilious types: SNOBS.

16. Price to pay: COST.

20. GPs, e.g.: MDS. General Practitioners / Medical Doctors.

22. Retained: KEPT.

24. Zip: NADA.

26. Volcanic residue: ASH.

29. Whiz: PRO.

30. Streaming annoyances: ADS.

31. Org. featured in the book "Many Unhappy Returns": IRS. Internal Revenue Service. The subtitle of the book is "One Man's Quest to Turn Around The Most Unpopular Organization in America." Apparently, it's non-fiction by IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti.

34. Bug bite symptom: ITCH.

35. Craft beer letters: IPA.

36. Extend credit: LEND.

37. Legally effective: IN FORCE.

38. Request from a diner concerned about bad breath: NO ONION. Took a second for this not to parse as NOON ION.

39. Like many baked goods: CRUSTED.

42. Jeremy Allen White series featuring the oft-repeated line "Yes, chef!": THE BEAR.

I've not seen it but heard it was good.

43. Most bountiful: AMPLEST. Ooof. Any port in a storm, I guess.

44. Children, slangily: LITTLES. Ooof again? Anyone refer to kids that way, ever?

46. Feeling of foreboding: DREAD.

47. Cousin in "The Addams Family": ITT.

Cousin Itt

48. "Borrrring": BLAH.

50. Stays on hold: WAITS.

This American Life tracked down Cisco's hold music composer.

51. Emmy winner Woodard: ALFRE.

Alfre's Wikipedia page

52. Lo-cal label word: LITE.

56. Trade: SWAP.

59. Transaction charge: FEE.

60. "Euphoria" airer: HBO.

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: Loan -> LEND; EPITOMy [sic]
ESPs: ALFRE
Fav: I'll go with SNOB for the clue - supercilious is just a fun word.

There you have it folks. Were you in SEVENTH HEAVEN after finishing the grid? Did you think Samuel's offering was the EIGHT WONDER?

Me? I thank Samuel for the enjoyable puzzle and I hope y'all enjoyed the NINTH INNING wrap-up.

It's now up to you to provide the TENTH AMENDMENT.

Cheers, -T

Tuesday October 14, 2025 Prasanna Keshava

Lessons in Chemistry.

20-Across. Mug shot souvenir from an Old West tourist town: WANTED POSTER.  Water.

29-Across. Spiritual serenity: INNER PEACE.  Ice.

46-Across. Influencers in a grassroots marketing campaign: STREET TEAM.  Steam.

And the unifier:

56-Across. Geographic neighbors, or what this puzzle's circled letters literally are: BORDER STATES.  In today's puzzle, we learn about the three main states of matter: Solid (ICE), Liquid (WATER), and Vapor (STEAM).  Solids, in this case ICE, have a definite shape and volume, liquids, in this case WATER, have a definite volume but take the shape of their container, and gases, in this case STEAM, have no definite shape or volume.  You will also notice that each of these "States" form the "Border" of the answer to the clue.

Across:

1. Occupied a chair: SAT.

4. Memory aids for shoppers: LISTS.

9. Puff up, as pillows: PLUMP.

14. Chuckle syllable: HEH.

15. Fundamental skateboard jump: OLLIE.  Everything you wanted to know about the Ollie but were afraid to ask.

16. Desert watering holes: OASES.

17. Metal-bearing material: ORE.

18. Nursery purchase: PLANT.

19. Martial art also known as kung fu: WUSHU.  I was not familiar with this alternative name.

23. "So much chaos in there!": IT'S A ZOO.

24. Beginning: ORIGIN.

28. Half-moon tide: NEAP.  A neap tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is least difference between high and low water.

32. Legal pro: Abbr.: ATT.  As in an Attorney.  //  And 43. Exam for a future 32-Across: LSAT.  As in the  Law School Admissions Test.

34. Common crumbled froyo topping: OREO.  A fresh new clue for an old staple.

35. Hanks who played Mr. Rogers: TOM.

The real Mr. Rogers is on the right.

36. Ordinary writing: PROSE.

39. Wacoal undergarment: BRA.  The lingerie company.

40. __ pad: STENO.

42. Totally fine: A-OK.

45. "Told you!": SEE.

49. Labor Day mo.: SEPT.  Labor Day originated in the late 19th century as the American labor movement sought recognition for workers' social and economic achievements.  The first observance was in New York City on September 5, 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union and Knights of Labor.  It became a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September a national day to honor American workers.  Today it is mostly considered a day off of work.

53. Shrimp dish: SCAMPI.  The term Scampi refers to the preparation of the dish.

54. British beer with a red triangle logo: BASS ALE.

59. Place to say "I do": ALTAR.

62. Coeur d'Alene locale: IDAHO.  The name Coeur d'Alene originated with French-Canadian fur traders in the late 18th or early 19th century.  The traders gave this name to the local Schitsu'umsh people, observing their shrewd and disciplined trading practices.  It was meant as a compliment for their business acumen.

63. Muesli grain: OAT.

64. Push-button word: START.

65. Poet Nash: OGDEN.  Frederic Ogden Nash (Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse.

66. Put into service: USE.

67. Extra benefits: PERKS.

68. Demanding constant attention, perhaps: NEEDY.

69. "The Good Place" actor Danson: TED.  Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) began his career as a model for Aramis.

Down:

1. Do a butler's job: SHOW IN.

2. Make fizzy: AERATE.

3. Covert org.: THE NSA.

4. Pop idol Jennifer: LOPEZ.  Is she or isn't she back with Ben Affleck?

5. "Leave this to me!": I'LL DO IT.

6. Apply sloppily: SLAP ON.

7. Former Yankee Martinez who won the Home Run Derby in 1997: TINO.  Constantino "Tino" Martinez (b. Dec. 7.. 1967) is a former professional baseball player.  He played for a number of teams, including the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

8. Tennis match units: SETS.

9. Confidence-boosting stance: POWER POSE.

10. "Lady Bird" Oscar nominee Metcalf: LAURIE.  Lady Bird is a 2017 American coming-of-age comedy drama about a turbulent relationship between a high school senior, played by Saoirse Ronan (née Saoirse Una Ronan; b. Apr. 12, 1994) and her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf (née Laura Elizabeth Metcalf; b. June 16, 1955).

11. Frigate letters: USS.  As in United States Ship.

12. "Doesn't excite me": MEH.

13. Nittany Lions sch.: PSU. As in Penn(sylvania) State University.

21. Spanish small bites: TAPAS.  Yummers!

22. Went really fast: TORE.

25. Garden entrance: GATE.

26. Tappable image on a touchscreen: ICON.

27. "Finding __": Pixar film about a missing fish: NEMO.

30. Opposite of sur: NORTE.  Spanish directions.

31. Timeline block: ERA.

33. Travels, sci-fi style: TELEPORTS.

36. __ muster: make the grade: PASS.

37. Campus cadet org.: ROTC.  As in Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

38. Cajun pod: OKRA.

Yummers!  Fried Okra.

39. Club made by Louisville Slugger: BAT.  Professional baseball player Pete Browning (né Louis Rogers Browning; June 17, 1861 ~ Sept. 10, 1905), was the original Louisville Slugger.   He played for the Louisville team from 1882 until 1894.  He had a .341 batting average.

41. Thompson of "Passing": TESSA.  Passing is a 2021 film about two Black women, one of whom passes for white.

44. Recipe step: STIR.

45. In pieces: SMASHED.

47. Set out (on): EMBARK.

48. Grate against: ABRADE.

50. Choose not to cook, say: EAT OUT.

51. "I beg of you": PLEASE.

52. Pushed to the limit: TESTED.

55. Poker-faced: STONY.

57. Pop idol Celine: DION.

Céline Marie Claudette Dion; b. Mar. 20, 1968

58. Advantage: EDGE.

59. "Antony and Cleopatra" snake: ASP.

60. Mobile network letters: LTE.  As in Long Term Evolution.

61. Driveway goo: TAR.

חתולה