Tuesday December 16, 2025 Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick

Hear, Hear!  All ears are not used for hearing.

17-Across. Dog ears?: BOOKMARKS.

26-Across. Bunny ears?: SHOELACE KNOT.

42-Across. Elephant ears?: CARNIVAL FOOD.

56-Across. Mouse ears?: MICKEY HAT.

Across:

1. Sound of an eye-opening moment: AHA!

4. Unlikely to break the ice: TIMID.

9. Objects of worship: IDOLS.

14. Most populous city in Can.: TOR.  Toronto.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!

15. Pointlessly silly: INANE.

16. Inter Miami captain Lionel: MESSI.  Lionel Andrés Messi (b. June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional soccer player.  He has been with Miami since 2023.

19. Windshield sticker: DECAL.

20. Smoothie bowl berry: AÇAI.  This berry is a small, dark purple fruit that grows in the Amazon.  And you can purchase them from the other Amazon.

21. Start for giving and taking: MIS.  As in Misgiving and Mistaking.

22. Beefsteak, for one: TOMATO.  A beefsteak tomato is a large, meaty and juicy variety of tomato.  It is most common on burgers, sandwiches and salads.  Yummers!

23. Quickly don: THROW ON.

25. Regal home: MANOR.

30. Like walruses and wild boars: TUSKED.

33. Mo. with a spooky finale: OCT.  October has a spooky Halloween finale.

34. Gold, in Spanish: ORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

35. Got up: AROSE.

36. Sailor's yes: AYE.

37. New York mascot with a baseball for a head: MR. MET.  Apparently there is a Ms. Met, too.

39. "Geaux Tigers!" sch.: LSU.  As in Louisiana State University.  If you watch college football, you know that LSU has been in the news a lot recently, and not for having a winning team.

Mike the Tiger, the mascot of LSU.

40. Four-time WNBA MVP Wilson: A'JA.  A'ja Riyadh Wilson (b. August 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player.  She plays for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association.  Aja is also the name of a Steely Dan album.

41. Creamy chocolate dessert: MOUSSE.  Yummers!

46. Software-creating professional: CODER.

47. Riled up: ANGERED.

51. "Not all __ wear capes": HEROES.

53. French sailor's yes: OUI.  Today's French lesson.

54. Actress Headey: LENA.  I never watched Game of Thrones, was not familiar with this actress.  Apparently, Lena Kathren Headey (b. Oct. 3, 1973) portrayed Cersei Lannister on that show.

55. Greek alphabet ender: OMEGA.  It's all Greek to me.

58. Inbox message: E-MAIL.

59. Hightails it: FLEES.

60. Royal flush card: ACE.

61. Knighted women: DAMES.  That's Dame Helen Mirren (née Ilyena Lydia Mironoff; b. July 26, 1945) to you.  She was made a Dame in 2003.

62. "The Jetsons" dog: ASTRO.  A reference to the cartoon from the 1960s.

63. "Dynamite" K-pop group: BTS.

Down:

1. Chance for a hit: AT BAT.

2. Moonshine: HOOCH.

3. Thundering, as a crowd: AROAR.  Mike the Tiger and the Crowd Roar.

4. Minnesota governor Walz: TIM.  Timothy James Walz (b. April. 6, 1964) is the 41th governor on Minnesota.  He has been in office since since January 2019.

5. Irritable: IN A MOOD.

6. "Semper fi" shouter: MARINE.

7. Signs, as a contract: INKS.

8. Jardin __ Tuileries: public space near the Louvre: DES.  More of today's French lesson.  The Tuileries Garden is a public garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.  Queen Catherine de' Medici had the garden made as part of the Tuileries Palace in 1564.  After the French Revolution, it became a public park.

9. "That's all for me": I'M DONE.

10. View as appropriate: DEEM OK.

11. Formal nods from the Academy, informally: OSCAR NOMS.  As in a nomination.

12. Future esq.'s exam: LSAT.  As in Law School Admission Test.  This appeared in Friday's puzzle, so I'll steal MM's accompanying image.

13. Rural storage tower: SILO.

18. Mall stalls: KIOSKS.

22. Diplomacy: TACT.

24. "This ride is fun!": WHEE!

25. Spice in pumpkin spice, often: MACE.  Mace is a spice from the nutmeg tree.  It is also a weapon.

27. Like a ride-or-die friend: LOYAL.

28. Metal-yielding rocks: ORES.  A crossword staple.

29. Checkout lane bag: TOTE.

30. Anticaking agent in table salt: TALC.  I was not aware that Talc was used in food products.  Apparently, the FDA has approved it in foods at a concentration of less than 2%.

31. Latin for "bear" in constellation names: URSA.  Also known as the Big and Little Dipper.

32. Common substitute for Greek yogurt: SOUR CREAM.

36. Slightly open: AJAR.  Not to be confused with 40-Across.

37. Electronic music pioneer Robert: MOOG.  The use of the Moog synthesizer was first used in the mid-1960s.  Robert Arthur Moog (May 23, 1934 ~ Aug. 21, 2005) was an American engineer and pioneer in electronic music.

38. Without manners: RUDELY.

40. St. crossers: AVES.  Streets and Avenues.  Sounds like a game of Chutes and Ladders.

41. Nickname: MONIKER.

43. Painful head rub: NOOGIE.

44. Lofty standards: IDEALS.

45. Sink fixture: FAUCET.

48. Home update, familiarly: REHAB.

49. Put into law: ENACT.

50. Candlelit dinners for two, e.g.: DATES.

51. Cleared weeds in the garden, say: HOED.

52. Jane Austen novel that inspired the movie "Clueless": EMMA.

53. Frying liquids: OILS.

56. Iowa Writers' Workshop deg.: MFA.  As in a Master of Fine Arts.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

57. That, in Tijuana: ESO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I'll be out next week, but I know you will be in good hands.  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.

Happy Chanukah to those who are celebrating.  May the memory of those who perished in Sydney be a blessing.

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 Doug Peterson

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

17-Across. *  Metaphorical container similar to Pandora's box: CAN OF WORMS.

24-Across. *  Result of serious core training: SIX PACK ABS.

50-Across. *  Advocate from a social agency: CASE WORKER.

60-Across. *  Pilot's aerobatic maneuver: BARREL ROLL.

And the Unifier:

38-Across. Trip to buy brewskis, or a sequence found in the starts of the answers to the starred clues: BEER RUN.  Notice that with each theme answer, the amount of beer grows from a mere Can to a full Barrel.

And, a hidden gem of an alcoholic beverage:

61-Down. Taproom pour: ALE.

Across:

1. Perfectly clear: LUCID.

6. Website with a Collectibles category: EBAY.  A Brief History.

10. Capture digitally: SCAN.

14. __ note: dictionary explanation: USAGE.

15. "Encore!": MORE.

16. Lymph __: immune system part: NODE.  Everything you need to know about Lymph Nodes, but didn't know to ask.

19. Having the resources: ABLE.

20. Crumbly Mexican cheese: COTIJA.  Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán. It is white and firm, with a salty, milky flavor.

21. Unpleasantly bitter: ACRID.

22. "Beat Bobby Flay" contestant: CHEF.  Bobby Flay (né Robert William Flay; b. Dec. 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and TV personality. He is an Iron Chef and the host of Beat Bobby Flay, a competitive cooking show.  Tomorrow is his 61st birthday.

27. Stay hidden: HOLE UP.

29. Unoriginal reply: ECHO.

30. Retired record holders?: iPODS.  I wish the iPod hadn't been discontinued.  I still use mine nearly every day.

31. Book before Amos: JOEL.  Biblical books.

33. Basketball Hall of Famer Steve: NASH.  Stephen John Nash (b. Feb. 7, 1974) played professional basketball for 18 seasons.  

37. Lucy of "Elementary": LIU.  Lucy Liu (née Lucy Alexis Liu; b. Dec. 2, 1968) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She celebrated her 57th birthday last Tuesday.

Lucy is on the right.

41. __-pitch softball: SLO.

42. Enthusiastic about: INTO.

44. Sporty trucks, briefly: UTES.  A brief history.

45. Schindler of "Schindler's List": OSKAR.  Oskar Schindler (Apr. 28, 1908 ~ Oct. 9. 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian, and member of the Nazi Party.  He was credited with saving the lives over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

47. Tedious talker: BORE.

49. Reach: ATTAIN.

55. Stops on the road: INNS.

56. In the slightest: AT ALL.

57. Vein counterpart: ARTERY.  Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart under high pressure.  The veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart under low pressure.

59. Modest skirt: MAXI.

64. Lovers' god: EROS.  Eros is the Greek god and Cupid is its Roman counterpart.

65. Muppet with a sister named Daisy: ELMO.  Who knew Elmo had a sister?

66. Actress Mila: KUNIS.  Mila Kunis (née Milena Markovna Kunis; b. Aug. 14, 1983) had been married to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher since 2015.  She was born in Ukraine.  Her family moved to the United States in 1991.

67. "Click here" text: LINK.

68. "__ Diary ... ": DEAR.

69. Sprinter's asset: SPEED.

Down:

1. Enterprise captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC.  A reference to the fictional character in the Star Trek franchise.

2. Mex. neighbor: USA.

3. Neutralize: CANCEL OUT.

4. Acknowledgment of a screwup: I GOOFED.

5. Nimble-fingered: DEFT.

6. Face With Steam From Nose, for one: EMOJI.

7. 20 Mule Team laundry product: BORAX.

8. One-__ pushup: ARM.

9. "You guessed it!": YES.

10. Eat as a treat: SNACK ON.

11. Hooded serpent: COBRA.

12. Invent lines: AD LIB.

13. Requires: NEEDS.

18. Trace of smoke: WISP.

21. "__ du lieber!": ACH.  Good Heavens, it's today's German lesson.

22. Frito pie ingredient: CHILI.  It's corn chips.  What's not to like.

23. Uber driver's invitation: HOP IN.

25. Looks closely (at): PEERS.

26. Human rights org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union, a brief history.

28. Plug-and-play port: USB.  As in Universal Serial Bus.

31. Derek whose No. 2 was retired by the Yankees: JETER.  Shortstop Derek Sanderson Jetter (b. June 26, 1974) spent his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees.  His last appearance on the field was in September 2014.

32. Mined resource: ORE.  This is a crossword staple.

34. "Everybody will tell you the same!": ASK ANYONE.

35. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN.

36. Trio on a triceratops: HORNS.  The word Triceratops comes from the Greek words meaning “three-horned face” because of the two horns on its brow and smaller horn above its mouth.

39. French money: EURO.

40. "Kidding!": NOT!

43. Tall monument that comes to a point: OBELISK.  The most famous obelisk in the United States is the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.  It is a 555-foot-tall monument honoring the first President, George Washington. 

46. Saddle attachment: STIRRUP.

48. Hooting hunter: OWL.

49. Museo del Prado display: ARTE.  The Museo del Prado is an art museum in Madrid, Spain.

50. Humped oasis visitor: CAMEL.

51. Activision rival: ATARI.

52. Early invader of Britain: SAXON.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Saxon invasion of Britain.

53. "__ Chameleon": Culture Club hit: KARMA.  The song that made Boy George famous.

54. Screwup: ERROR.

58. Grand Lodge group: ELKS.

60. Spot for bulbs: BED.

62. Prevarication: LIE.

63. Trippy drug: LSD.

Here's the grid:

חתולה

Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Susan (Hahtoolah), our beautiful Tuesday Sherpa. Thank you for the time, attention, and warmth you pour into each of your posts.