Tuesday, September 30, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

We're in the Money!

17-Across. Documents submitted after a fender bender: CLAIM FORMS.  CLAMS.

24-Across. "I thought you just left!": BACK SO SOON.  BACON.

39-Across. Is a trailblazer: BREAKS NEW GROUND.  BREAD.

50-Across. Six-time "Dancing With the Stars" champion: DEREK HOUGH.  DOUGH.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Wealthy, and what 17-, 24-, 39-, and 50-Across literally are: IN THE MONEY.  The circles spell out slang words for Money.  The rest of the answer is "in" the Money.

What other wealth has out Blog Mistress given us?  Let's find out.

Across:

1. "Power Up" rock band: AC/DC.  AC/DC is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. 

5. Farfalle or fusilli: PASTA.  Farfalle is also known as bow-tie pasta.  Fusilli is corkscrew pasta.

10. Follow a command: OBEY.

14. Bring to a bubble: BOIL.

15. Helps with the dishes: DRIES.

16. Jakarta's island: JAVA.  The 1983 movie The Year of Living Dangerously took place in Jakarta.

19. Mix: STIR.

20. Alabama march city: SELMA.

21. Detectives, briefly: PIs.  As in a Private Investigator.

23. Like antiques: OLD.

29. Includes furtively on an email: BCCs.  As in Blind Carbon Copies.  The "Carbon Copy" is a relic from the days when carbon paper was used to make typewritten copies.

32. Sippy cup user: TOT.

33. The "I" of IV: INTRA-.  As in an IntraVenous line.

35. "I'm so relaxed!": AAH!

36. Fly like a hawk: SOAR.

37. Make reparations: ATONE.  Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset tomorrow.

43. Centipede maker: ATARI.  The video game that first came out over 40 years ago!

44. "Consequently ... ": THUS.

45. "Don't be that __!": GUY.

46. Snooping sorts: SPIES.

48. Gear tooth: COG.

49. Animation frames: CELS.

53. "Ewe talking to me?": BAA.  //  And 18-Down. "Ewe OK?": MAA.

55. __ Lanka: SRI.  In May 1972, Ceylon became known as Sri Lanka.  The official name of the country is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.  It is the tear-shaped Island country that lies off the southern tip of India.

56. Wear away: ERODE.

60. Crafts partner: ARTS.

66. Hide-and-__: SEEK.

67. Alternative to Midol: ADVIL.  Both are pain relievers.

68. Image reshared for laughs: MEME.

69. "Nothing to it!": EASY.

70. Makes it to the end: LASTS.

71. Spanish "those": ESOS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

Down:

1. Preschool basics: ABCs.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

2. Sprouse of "Riverdale": COLE.  I am not familiar with Riverdale, so did not know Cole Sprouse (né Cole Mitchell Sprouse; b. Aug. 2, 1992).

3. Rotary phone part: DIAL.

4. Tackles a rock face: CLIMBS.

5. File format for some invoices: PDF.  As in Portable Document Format.

6. __/ace: LGBT+ orientation: ARO.  I was not familiar with this term.  It short for aromantic asexual and describes a person who experiences little to no sexual or romantic attraction to others. 

7. Title for the Black Knight: SIR.

8. Pace set by a metronome: TEMPO.

9. Home of St. Francis: ASSISI.  St. Francis of Assisi (1181 ~ 1226) was the founder of the religious order of the Franciscans.  He is also known as the patron saint of animals.

10. Some brunch drinks, for short: OJs.  As in Orange Juice.

11. Mall of Louisiana city: BATON ROUGE.  Let's see.  How many cities in Louisiana are 10 letters?  Lots of choices fit into the spaces provided:  Alexandria; Baton Rouge, Mandeville; Marksville; Morgan City; New Orleans; Plaquemine; Shreveport; West Monroe.  The Mall of Louisiana is a mid-scale shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between I-10 and Bluebonnet Blvd.  It is the largest mall in Louisiana.

12. Rather wicked: EVIL.

13. Place for a swing set: YARD.

22. Acoustic location devices: SONARS.

25. Execs behind R&D breakthroughs: CTOs.  As in the Chief Technology Officer.

26. Zen master's paradox: KOAN.  A Koan is a question or riddle in Buddhism to facilitate spiritual growth and enlightenment by challenging logical thought.  Probably we have all heard this example of a Koan:  What is the sound of one hand clapping.

27. Loosen up before exercising: STRETCH.

28. Uno less than nove: OTTO.  Today's Italian math lesson.

29. Daddy, in Chinese: BABA.

30. Golf course rentals: CARTS.

31. Companions who don't mind fast food: CHEAP DATES.  Fast food isn't so cheap anymore.

34. Void: ANNUL.

36. Racers who make tracks: SKIERS.

38. Ben & Jerry's rival: EDY'S.  Both are brands of ice cream.

40. "Brown Skin" singer India.__: ARIE.  India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter.  She will celebrate her 50th birthday on Friday.

41. "What a thrill!": WHOO.

42. "Loki" actress Mbatha-Raw: GUGU.  I am not familiar with this Gugu Mbatha-Raw (née Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw; b. Apr. 21, 1983).  She is an English actress.

47. Story told in episodes: SERIAL.  Many of the novels by Charles Dickens were serialized and appeared either in weekly or monthly publications.

49. Safari alternative: CHROME.  Both are internet browsers.

51. In a way, casually: KINDA.

52. Diamond or ruby: GEM.

53. First coat of paint: BASE.

54. __ rug: floor decor: AREA.

57. Tip jar bills: ONES.

58. Showroom model: DEMO.

59. Organs closed during sleep: EYES.

61. Cloud location: SKY.

63. Sets in hotel rooms: TVs.

64. Smashing success: HIT.

65. Golf great Ernie: ELS.  I learned about Ernie Els (né Theodore Ernest Els; b. Oct. 17, 1969), the South African golfer from doing the crossword puzzles.

חתולה

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 Ben Zimmer

Ode to Joy.  Ode to Joy is the fourth and final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

20-Across. *  Lines on a family tree: RELATION SHIPS.  Elation

36-Across. *  Treated unseriously: MADE LIGHT OF.  Delight

42-Across. *  App with layered satellite images: GOOGLE EARTH.  Glee

And the unifier:

57-Across. Feeling euphoric, and what the answers to the starred clues literally are: FILLED WITH JOY.   Each theme answer is filled with a synonym for Joy.

Too soon?  The stores don't seem to think so.

Across:

1. Material for a "No. 1" finger: FOAM.

5. Squarish: BOXY.

9. Maddow's channel: MSNBC.  The company will soon be changing its name to MS NOW.  Rachel Maddow (née Rachel Anne Maddow; b. Apr. 1, 1973) is a television news program host and liberal political commentator.

14. Give the __-over: ONCE.

15. Mountaineer's goal: ACME.

16. "Word has it ... ": I HEAR ...

17. What "vintage" often means: USED.

18. Perlman of "Barbie": RHEA.  Rhea Perlman (née Rhea Jo Perlman; b. Mar. 31, 1948) is probably best known for her role as Carla on Cheers.  She portrayed Ruth Handler (née Ruth Marianna Mosko; Nov. 4, 1916 ~ Apr. 27, 2002), the creator of the Barbie doll, in the 2023 movie, Barbie.

Ruth Handler on the left; Rhea Perlman on the right.

19. "Impossible!": NO WAY!

23. Grimm offerings: TALES.  Fairy Tales.  The Brothers Grimm [Jacob (1785 ~ 1863) and William (1786 ~ 1859)] collected German folk tales and compiled them into the stories we sort of know.  Disney sanitized the gory parts out of most of the tales.

24. Life hack, e.g.: TIP.

25. Far from festive: SAD.

28. Fills fully: SATES.

31. Having limits: FINITE.

33. Gift topper: BOW.

38. Cornell University's namesake: EZRA.  Ezra Cornell (Jan. 11, 1807 ~ Dec. 9, 1874) and Andrew Dickson White (Nov. 7, 1832 ~ Nov. 4, 1918) were the co-founders of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.  Ezra Cornell was also the founder of Western Union.

He looks charming.

40. NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells: IDA.  Ida B. Wells (née Ida Bell Wells; July 16, 1862 ~ Mar. 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist and civil rights activist.

41. Fallon predecessor: LENO.  Jimmy Fallon (né James Thomas Fallon; b. Sept. 1974) took over The Tonight Show after Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) retired.

47. Take a gander: SEE.

48. West Coast burger chain: IN-N-OUT.

49. Water nymph in Greek mythology: NAIAD.

51. Not pos.: NEG.  Not Positive, but Negative.

52. Setting for a mad scientist: LAB.

54. Writer's first effort: DRAFT.

62. British pop singer Lewis: LEONA.  I am not familiar with Leona Lewis (née Leona Louise Lewis; b. Apr. 3, 1985).

64. Get as a reward: EARN.

65. Unpartnered: LONE.

66. 2020 film about Shaggy's canine sidekick: SCOOB.

67. "The Star-Spangled Banner" topic: FLAG.

68. Really rankles: IRKS.  A crossword staple.

69. A little eccentric: DOTTY.

70. Doesn't gulp down: SIPS.

71. Driver on a movie set: ADAM.  Adam Driver (né Adam Douglas Driver; b. Nov. 19, 1983) is an American actor.  He portrayed Enzo Ferrari (né Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari; Feb. 18, 1898 ~ Aug. 14, 1988) in the 2023 movie Ferrari.

Down:

1. Final __: March Madness round: FOUR.  College Basketball.

2. First stage: ONSET.

3. Speedy Northeast Corridor train: ACELA.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

4. Olympian's haul: MEDALS.  A brief history of Olympic medals.

5. Worker with a daily grind?: BARISTA.

6. Nueve preceder: OCHO.  Today's Spanish math class.

7. Superheroes trained at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters: X-MEN.

8. Sourdough starter component: YEAST.

9. Little pet that may be pot-bellied: MINI PIG.  More than you ever wanted to know about Mini Pig varieties.

10. Boutique: SHOP.

11. Vox, Axios, Reuters, et al.: NEWS SITES.  I initially tried News Media.

12. Barnyard bleat: BAA.

13. React to a tearjerker: CRY.

21. Squad: TEAM.

22. Audiophile's apparatus: HI-FI.

26. Show remorse: ATONE.  The Day of Atonement is next Wednesday.

27. Crusoe creator: DeFOE.  Daniel Defoe (1660 ~ Apr. 24, 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy.  He is best known for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published in 1719.  This novel has been translated into over 100 languages!

29. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She portrayed Carmela Soprano in the HBO series The Sopranos.

30. Midsize car: SEDAN.

32. Org. with Kraken on ice: NHL.  The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in the National Hockey League.

33. Get the ball rolling: BEGIN.

34. Stratospheric shield: OZONE.

35. Metaphor for a bad start: WRONG FOOT.

37. Fictional archaeologist Croft: LARA.  Angelina Jolie (b. June 4, 1975) portrayed Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies.

39. In the past: AGO.

43. Newborn soother: LULLABY.

44. Citation abbr.: ET AL.  Today's Latin lesson.

45. Old news?: TIDINGS.  I bring Tidings of Joy.

46. Comedian Kevin: HART.  Kevin Darnell Hart (b. July 6, 1979) is also an actor.

50. Mexican flower: DAHLIA.  They are beautiful flowers.

53. Issues to gripe about: BEEFS.

55. Nordic cruise sight: FJORD.

56. Toy truck brand: TONKA.  We had a Tonka jeep when we were kids.

58. Playing to break a tie, briefly: IN OT.  As in In Over Time.

59. "Melting clocks" painter Salvador: DALI.  There is a Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, because a wealthy couple who were friends and patrons of Salvador Dalí (né Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí Doménech; b. May 11, 1904 ~ Jan. 23, 1989) donated their collection of his works to the city.

The Persistence of Memory

60. Lunch order in a wheat tortilla: WRAP.

61. Old-timey assent: YES'M.

62. Trippy drug: LSD.

63. Sustainability prefix: ECO-.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

And there you have it, Jeremiah:

L'Shanah Tovah to all who observe.  May you have a sweet year.