Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Dan Kamman and Zhouqin Burnikel

Broken Noses.  Today's puzzle is brought to us by our blog hostess C.C. and Dan Kammann.  A Beak is an informal term used to describe a nose, often a large nose.  Each theme answer begins with the letter B and ends with the letters EAK, thus the word BEAK is "nosing" around the answer.

18-Across. Fast talker's torrent: BLUE STREAK.

24-Across. Short mental rest: BRAIN BREAK.

My idea of the perfect brain break.

38-Across. British dish named for frying sounds: BUBBLE AND SQUEAK.  Bubble and squeak is a hearty, one-pan recipe that makes the left over potatoes, vegetables, and meat.

54-Across. Lean red meat choice: BISON STEAK.

And the unifier:

60-Across. Do some snooping, and a feature of 18-, 24-, 38-, and 54-Across: NOSE AROUND.  A Nosey Parker is one who noses around.

What else can we nose around and find?

Across:

1. Horse hoof sound: CLOP.

5. Chore: TASK.

9. Shade-tolerant plant with broad leaves: HOSTA.

14. Great __: big dog: DANE.  Is it also a Top Dog?

15. Amazon berry enjoyed by toucans: ACAI.  This berry is becoming a crossword staple.

16. Yarns: TALES.

There is some tale in that yarn.

17. The "S" of GPS: Abbr.: SYST.  Global Positioning System

20. Raison d'__: ÊTRE.  Today's French lesson.

22. Mouse catcher: TRAP.

23. Earthbound Australian bird: EMU.

27. Come to a halt: STOP.

28. Actor Cariou: LEN.  I didn't recognize the name, but I do recognize the face of this Canadian actor.  Len Cariou (né Leonard Joseph Cariou; b. Sept. 30, 1939) often appeared along side Angela Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) in Murder She Wrote.

29. "That hits the spot": AAH!

30. Dorky sort: NERD.

32. Hit "+" on a calculator: ADD.

33. Activist/filmmaker Newsome: BREE.  Bree Newsome (née Brittany Ann Byuarm Newsome; b. May 13, 1985) is best known for her act of civil disobedience when she removed a Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house in 2015.

35. Founded: Abbr.: ESTD.  As in Established.

43. Combustible heap in a funeral rite: PYRE.

44. God, in Notre-Dame: DIEU.  More of today's French lesson.

45. "Single Lady" comic Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; Apr. 19,1982) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

46. Sale caveat: AS IS.

49. Word before a maiden name: NÉE.  A continuation of today's French lesson.

50. Utah's cap.: SLC.  This was my head-scratcher until I realized that the capital of Utah is Salt Lake City.

51. Beer ingredient: MALT.  To make beer, you need four basic ingredients: water, malted grains, hops, and yeast.  Malt is a cereal grain, most often barley, that has been steeped in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried, a process called malting. Malting converts the grain's starches into sugars, making it a key ingredient in beer.

57. Org. on tubes of toothpaste: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

58. Bonnet-sporting Berenstain Bear: MAMA.

59. Reseals, as a road: TARS.

64. Completely destroy: RAZE.

66. Cook on a barbecue: GRILL.

67. Campus sports gp.: NCAA.  As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Congratulations to the LSU baseball team the 2025 NCAA National Champions!  Geaux Tigers! 

Geaux Tigers!

68. Smell: ODOR.

69. Lower leg joint: ANKLE.

70. Watched warily: EYED.

71. General __ chicken: TSO'S.  One version of the origin of General Tso's Chicken.

Down:

1. LP successors: CDs.

2. Wore a hoodie over a sweater over a shirt, e.g.: LAYERED UP.

3. Ready when needed: ON STAND BY.

4. __ dish: shallow lab container: PETRI.

5. Soda can opener: TAB.

6. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL.  As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which is one of the major ligaments in the knee.  This injury appears often in the puzzles.

7. Fry in a pan: SAUTÉ.

8. "A Real Pain" Oscar winner Culkin: KIERAN.  I recognized Kieran Culkin (né Kieran Kyle Culkin; b. Sept. 30, 1982) from his portrayal of Roman Roy in Succession.

9. URL starter: HTTP.  HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

10. Rower's blade: OAR.

11. Icy rain: SLEET.

12. "I love you," in Spanish: TE AMO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

13. Invite to the roof deck, say: ASK UP.  //  And 31-Down. Ask for: REQUEST.

19. "For Pete's __!": SAKE.

21. Makes possible: ENABLES.

24. Spill the beans: BLAB.

25. Like many trees in winter: BARE.

26. Actress Perlman: RHEA.  Rhea Perlman (b. Mar. 31, 1948) is best known for her portrayal of Carla on Cheers.

27. SoCal home of the Aztecs: SDSU.  As in San Diego State University.

34. Put the kibosh on: END.  Kibosh is a fun word.

36. Promos intended to spark curiosity: TEASER ADS.

37. Texas attraction with lions and tigers: DALLAS ZOO.

39. Rotten kid: BRAT.

40. Purple pet on "The Flintstones": DINO.

41. Caught in the act: SEEN.

42. Field goal attempt: KICK.

47. Letter-shaped girder: I-BAR.

48. Gymnastics great Biles: SIMONE.  Simone biles (b. Mar. 14, 1997) has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.

51. "Tokyo Ghoul" genre: MANGA.

52. Deck out: ADORN.

53. Vision-improving surgery: LASIK.

55. Pert: SAUCY.

56. Deck with a Lovers card: TAROT.

58. Like brothers: MALE.

61. Building wing: ELL.

62. "Sorry, lassie": NAE.  Today's lesson in Scottish dialect.

63. Father: DAD.  We celebrated Father's Day earlier this month.

65. Hosp. triage areas: ERS.  As in Emergency Rooms.

Here's the grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Lee Taylor

The Dog Days of Summer.  The first word of each two-word theme answer is a breed of dog.

9-Down. Classmate who helps with a science project: LAB PARTNER.  Everything you wanted to know about the Labrador Retriever. 

11-Down. Post-retirement period: GOLDEN YEARS.  Things you might not know about the Golden Retriever.

25-Down. Briefs alternative: BOXER SHORTS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about a Boxer.

30. Hoarse speaker's feature: HUSKY VOICE.  Things you might not know about a Husky.

And the unifier:

71-Across. Head honcho, and a feature of 9-, 11-, 25-, and 30-Down: TOP DOG.  Note that each theme answer is in the Down position with the breed Dog at the Top of the answer.

Here's the Grid, so you can find all the Top Dogs.

Across:

1. Container on a bar top: TIP JAR.

7. Hay bundle: BALE.

11. Wrigley product: GUM.

14. Fire up: AROUSE.

15. Site whose original name was AuctionWeb: EBAY.

16. __ and only: ONE.

17. Literary realm created by C.S. Lewis: NARNIA.  Usually its the characters from Narnia are we are asked to identify.

18. Piercing spot: LOBE.

19. "The Book of Mormon" org.: LDS.  As in the Latter Day Saints.

20. Winter hat feature: EARFLAP.

22. Big commotions: ADOs.  Much Ado About Nothing.

23. "Dancing Queen" pop quartet: ABBA.  ABBA was a Swedish pop group that was named using the initials of its 4 members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.  In 1974, ABBA was Sweden's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo.

26. Harp constellation: LYRA.  Can't you just see the harp shape??

27. Actress Russo or artist Magritte: RENÉ.  One female, one male.

René with a René.

28. "You Bet Your Life" host Marx: GROUCHO.  His given name was Julius Henry Marx (Oct. 2, 1890 ~ Aug. 19, 1977).  He had two older brothers (Chico and Harpo) and two younger brothers (Gummo and Zeppo).

31. Depleted: DRAINED.

33. Tyrannosaurus __: REX.

34. Throw, as a shot put: HURL.

36. Cafeteria item: TRAY.

37. Fill with wonder: AWE.

38. "Stop asking me!": I SAID NO!

40. Subj. for some citizenship applicants: ESL.  As in English as a Second Language.  This has become a crossword staple.

43. Skating venue: RINK.

45. Regard as: DEEM.

46. __ moment: AHA!

47. Causes consternation: DISMAYS.

50. Off-campus housing area: FRAT ROW.

52. Amazon gadget activated by saying "Alexa": ECHO.

53. Lemming kin: VOLE.  More than you ever wanted to know about Lemmings and Voles.

55. "Full Court Press" network: ESPN.

56. Like some vivid colors: NEON.

57. Wind instrument with an oval body: OCARINA.

60. Sealing goo: TAR.

61. Insta uploads: PICS.

62. Quarterback Joe who was MVP of the 1969 Super Bowl: NAMATH.

66. Writer's rep: AGT.  As in Agent.

67. Gets an A+ on: ACES.

68. Small apartment: STUDIO.

69. "__ Misérables": LES.  This musical was in the news recently.

70. Love, in tennis: ZERO.  Why is Zero called Love in tennis?  Who knows?

Down:

1. Browned by the sun: TAN.

2. Nest egg inits.: IRA.  As in Individual Retirement Account.

3. __ favor: please, in Spanish: POR.  Today's Spanish lesson.

4. Alaska's capital: JUNEAU.  The capital of Alaska is named after Joseph Juneau (May 28, 1836 ~ Mar 1, 1899), a French-Canadian gold miner and prospector.

5. Himalayas continent: ASIA.

6. Caboose: REAR.  //  And 8-Down. On a train: ABOARD.

7. __ laugh: BELLY.

10. Hurricane center: EYE.  We have now entered hurricane season.  Fortunately, there is no activity yet.

12. Incomplete: UNDONE.

13. Botched, with "up": MESSED.

21. Regional plant life: FLORA.

22. Met solo: ARIA.  You knew I was going to include this Aria from Carmen.

23. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.

24. Prepare, as coffee or tea: BREW.

29. Dishes for a special meal: CHINA.

32. Bakery allure: AROMA.

35. To-go cup top: LID.

39. Put off: DEFER.

41. Hunt for bargains: SHOP.

42. Putting green, e.g.: LAWN.

44. "It's showtime!": I'M ON!

47. Insurance type that may complement medical: DENTAL.

48. Global cold spell: ICE AGE.

49. Mia Hamm's sport: SOCCER.  Mia Hamm (née Marial Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

51. Join forces: TEAM UP.

54. Coach Ted played by Jason Sudeikis: LASSO.

58. Research org.: INST.  As an Institution.

59. Alliance headed by Mark Rutte: Abbr.: NATO.  Mark Rutte (b. Feb. 17, 1967) is s a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since October 2024.

61. La __, Bolivia: PAZ.

63. Contribute (to): ADD.

64. Spanish uncle: TIO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

65. Greedy one: HOG.

חתולה