Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Joe Marangell

  Soul Searching?

CrossEyedDave here, join me while I try to figure out what's happening. Looking at this one themer at a time, maybe we can connect the dots...

17 Across. Olympic National Park attraction: SOL DUC FALLS. I am torn here, as to what to post. But doing some soul searching, i think it is best to go with both videos, as this has to be one of the most beautiful places to hike that I have never seen.

The legend...

Note that the sign spells this place as Sole Duck Falls.

Or just soak up this beautiful place...

27 Across.  Owner without a partner: SOLE PROPRIETOR. (Brings to mind...)

If Moe had a Partner, he wouldn't have to answer the phone...

45 Across. Benson Lee coming-of-age film set in South Korea: SEOUL SEARCHING. This is as close to a reveal that I can find.

I dunno, 6.7 at IMDB

One review said, 

Think Breakfast Club meets American Pie Meets Korean Drama...

61 Across. Goatee alternatives: SOUL PATCHES.

Now, I've never heard of this...

Is this the puzzle reveal?

(You telling me this whole puzzle was a patch job?)

Across:
1. Initials associated with the pride flag: LGBT. lesbian, Gay, BiSexual, Transgender. Often followed by "Q" which stood for something else. In today's PC world, it is more politely defined as Questioning...

The Imitation Game

( try watching without being moved )

5. Apple download: IOS APP. Short for IPhone Operating System.

11. Round vegetable in a pastizz: PEA. Yummers...

14. Potatoes, in Indian cuisine: ALOO. Becoming a crossword staple. In American cuisine, this 4 letter vowel rich word is pronounced "Oreo." 

15. National flower of Mexico: DAHLIA. Beautiful

16. Video meeting annoyance: LAG.

17. [Theme]

19. L.A.'s Melrose, e.g.: AVE. I'm confused by this. It's not "PLACE," or Drive, Lane, or Alley?

20. Like a comfortable flight: SMOOTH. Hmm, can't find a suitable image for this. But I imagine myself sitting in First Class, sipping a Scotch on the Rocks. (With apologies to TINBENI...)

21. Young lady: GAL. Hmm again, maybe in Brooklyn. But I would only call a young "Lady" a Lass...

22. Tournament advancements: BYES. Preferential Treatment?

23. Writing tip?: NIB. Normally this should not require any explanation. But this is the imagination of CrossEyedDave talking. I think this word derived from the days when people wrote with Goose Quills, and they sharpened them by Nibbling on them... (I hope the ink was tasty... :)

25. Financing figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage Rate...

27 Across. [Theme]

34. Impersonate: APE. (Alas, not copycat...)

35. A bit: SOME. (Please sir, may I have some more...)

36. Cussed: SWORE. (&^$$#&&#$^#@ Spellcheck...)

37. Creative sparks: IDEAS. Strangely, I have no rebuttal for this one...

39. D.C. MLBer: NAT. Sports reference. Meaning Washington Nationals.

40. City on the Nile River: ASWAN. Not Cairo...

41. Hint of color: TINGE.

42. "Queer as Folk" actress Gill: THEA. Not familiar, Her IMDB

44. Flesh and blood: KIN.  Not Lambkin, or napkin, Oy Evay!

45. [Theme]

48. Lean (on): RELY.

49. Fox Sports soccer analyst Holden: STU. A 3 letter name i never heard of...Do you really want to go down this rabbit hole...

50. Faulty fireworks: DUDS. (Like the Clue/Answer above...)

52. "SNL" broadcaster: NBC.

55. "The Creation of Adam," for one: FRESCO.

Oh! I always thought of this as a painting.

Where I come from, painting on walls and ceilings is called Graffiti...

60. "__ you kidding?": ARE.  (In reference to 55A, Yes...)

61. [Theme]

63. Spoil: MAR. ( I hope I didn't ruin this puzzle for true Crossword Aficionados...)

64. Whirlpools: EDDIES. (What you get in a CED puzzle review...)

65. Challenge for a cross-country runner: HILL. Really? I face this challenge just getting out of bed...

66. Thrilling pair?: ELS. I didn't see this before, lucky me...

67. Classify: ASSORT.

68. See 2-Down: ON TO.  OK, This is where TTP's method of starting a puzzle in the middle could really pay off...

Down:
1. Young lady: LASS. Wait, where did I see this before? Wasn't it Gal?

2. With 68-Across, grab and not let go of: GLOM. Reminds me of Cookie Monster eating...

3. Tie with a slide clip: BOLO. Never found in a supermarket, that would be Bogo...

(Actually, if you don't live in Texas, I doubt you would ever see one of these...)

Hmm, maybe I should try one as a fashion statement. You know, YOLO...

4. List heading: TO DO. (The head of my puzzle solving list is TADA...)

5. Pet-tracking implants: ID CHIPS. Or, if you are very into Sci-Fi, a very vague reference to the movie Forbidden Planet?

6. Clumsy person: OAF.  (Ok,ok, i take back the forbidden planet reference...)

7. Fluffy rug: SHAG. (Not once the Dog pees on it...) Why couldn't you clue this as an Austin Powers Movie Line?
8. Word in some trattoria dish names: ALLA.

9. One of 36 surrounding the Lincoln Memorial: PILLAR. Believe it or not... when the Lincoln Memorial was built, the entire Washington DC area was a swamp..

The entire place was landfilled to create what we see today.

I dunno, once a swamp, always a swamp. Kinda explains a lot...

10. Faux __: PAS. ( I hope the above comment was not one...)

11. Seeks victory at all costs: PLAYS TO WIN. Sounds more like War than a game...

12. Roof part: EAVE. Adam part, Eve...

13. Suggested range on a game box: AGES. 

18. Eclectic online digest: UTNE. Deriving ideas, style or taste, from a wide range of sources.

an American magazine/digital digest founded by Eric Utne in 1984. It focuses on covering alternative media, politics, culture, and new ideas. The name, of Norwegian origin, loosely translates to "far out" and is also a place.

22. Cold one: BREWSKI. Now we are talking! I knew there was something I liked about all this...

24. "Wuthering Heights" novelist: BRONTE. Hmm, how many Brewskis would it take to read this whole thing?

26. Tuscan city: PISA. Most believe the hypothesis that the origin of the name Pisa comes from Etruscan and means 'mouth', as Pisa is at the mouth of the Arno river.

There is also a slang meaning, but I don't think I should go there...

27. Sink of "Stranger Things": SADIE.

Strange name from a stranger show...

28. Unexecuted market directives: OPEN ORDERS. (If you say so, sounds like more explanation is needed here. But I don't want to...)

29. Fantasy sports groups: LEAGUES.

30. Nebraska city with North America's largest indoor swamp: OMAHA. I am very confused by this.

According to Google it is referenced as "A Desert." And besides, everyone knows North Americas largest swamp is in Washington DC...

31. Broadway star Bernadette: PETERS. I am tempted to link one of many clips from the movie The Jerk,

But I couldn't do that to you...

32. Red-haired primate: ORANG. Yeah, I know. Get over it...

33. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rapper MC __: REN. (No Comment)

37. Part of TGIF: IT'S. Hmm, how would you have clued this?

38. Buy alternative: SELL. What happened to trade? Swap? (Sorry, I was playing Monopoly recently...)

43. Infomercial imperative: ACT FAST.  They want you to act so fast that they really should remove the space between these two words...

46. Church councils: SYNODS.

47. Offended, say: HURT. I Apologize  for all the references I made in this review...

50. Sir counterpart: DAME.

51. Eurasian range: URAL. Not Aral, that's a lake...

53. Future flowers: BUDS. Does this explain why relationships grow?

54. Muse of history: CLIO. Also a prestigious award for creative communication. (I doubt I will ever win one...)

56. Reverberate: ECHO. (The above comment echoes in my head...)

57. Protected area in a soccer game: SHIN. ( not when I play, mine starts with a G.)

58. Gaul or Breton: CELT.

59. Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO.

61. Lighthouse view: SEA. Sadly not always true.

Songs have been written about this sad occurrence...

62. Pay-__-click: PER.

Anywho, I am not sure I will ever finish this review. I need to do some more Soul Searching, as I am sure I must have left something out...

I'll be back...

CE:D

P.S. ( i'm back..)

Here is a link to a Joe Marangell  puzzle reviewed by Husker Gary...

Thank you Husker Gary!

The introduction has a great reveal about this constructor ...

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, Jacob Reed

 

Theme:  𝄲𝅘𝅥𝇤𝇥  "The best part of waking up ..." 

Is not Folgers; trust me! But this "cover" of the jingle is what made my morning!

 

 

Puzzling thoughts:

Chairman Moe here, bringing you a little bit of frivolity to accompany your morning joe and crossword puzzle solve.  Today's puzzle gives you a caffeine jolt, right in the reveal:

 

64-across. Mid-morning respite, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: COFFEE BREAK. 

 

Jacob Reed - our crossword barista du jour - has quite the varied vocations/avocations in his brief time on this orb we call Planet Earth.  And while being a crossword constructor is a relatively new vocation to Jacob, he was published three times in 2025 at NY Times; which is a feat that is quite uncommon, given the plethora of puzzle-preparers who pepper that paper with printed previews for potential publication

 

Jacob supports his coffee break puzzle as follows: 

 

1) placing the key letters to search for in circles (oh, the dreaded circles!)

2) using a black square (also known as a block) to "break" the circled letters

3) using zero "entry phrases" in the puzzle

 

This is a construction technique that CMoe really digs.  I am currently working on two such puzzles which, fingers crossed, will eventually make it into publication.  Not sure where Jacob "learned" this technique; mine came from a puzzle that that Jeffrey Wechsler created - you'll note that Jeffrey did not use any circles to reveal his "fromage a trois"

 

The four types of coffee that Jacob features in his puzzle are:

 

ICED

 

 

 

DRIP

 

 

 

INSTANT 

 

 

 

IRISH 

 

 

 

  

I highlighted these in red so you can see the break in the coffees below:

 

Here is the filled grid 

 

 On to the rest of the words:

Across:
1. Dept. of Labor div.: OSHA.

5. Clinks with drinks: TOASTS.  Something our erstwhile and dear departed poster tinbeni did every evening to we Cornerites - RIP

11. Loop in on the DL: BCC. If you didn't know what "DL" is (from the clue), I think it means "down low"

14. Tangible: REAL.  Moe-ku:

        Traveled to Rio.

        Exchanged dollars and asked: "Is

        This money REAL*?"

*FYI:  The Brazilian Real is the local currency ...

15. The great outdoors: NATURE. With 16-across. WC: LOO, a place where many of us - whether we admit it or not - have relieved ourselves 😅

17. Like many theme park puppets: ANIMATRONIC. Plus 19-across. School URL ending: EDU is the first of the "coffee breaks" in today's puzzle (ICED).  The first ANIMATRONIC I recall was this group @ DisneyWorld: (long video)

 

20. Off: NOT ON.

21. Award season oversight: SNUB.  (long video)

 

22. Barter: SWAP. 

23. Dating app that went public in 2022: GRINDR. A dating site for a select few

25. Apple Store purchase: IPAD CASE. I have one of these for my i13 phone, and it has proven itself a huge benefit over multiple drops by this clumsy person

27. Coat with, as melted chocolate: DIP IN. Remember seeing one of these at a wedding reception?

 

29. Dining table extender: LEAF. Moe-ku:

 

        IKEA has new

        Dining table set, and it's 

        Called LEAF Erikson 

 

30. __ and cheese: MAC.  If we were making a sandwich, it might have been HAM and cheese

 

33. Running jokes: GAGS.

35. Hurled: FLUNG. 
 

38. Not for: AGAINST.
 

41. Pays to play: ANTES UP. 
 

43. World Heritage Site in Jordan: PETRA.

 

 

44. Huge production: EPIC.  According to Google, this was the first EPIC movie .  Of course, YMMV
 

46. "Wheels down" hr.: ETA. "Wheels up" hr. would be ETD methinks
 

47. Shoe brand known for a checkerboard design: VANS.

 

 

49. Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid: ALIAS.  My alias is Chairman Moe
 

52. Rum cocktail: DAIQUIRI. Here is the recipe, plus a little back story
 

55. Sundial need: SHADOW.  I have visited this one in Carefree, AZ

 

 

59. Grocery chain that requires a deposit for a shopping cart: ALDI. I think that Aldi and Trader Joe's are linked through a family ownership
 

60. Darn: MEND. Dang, I tried drat first
 

62. Upscale Honda: ACURA.
 

63. "Emilia Prez" Oscar winner Saldana: ZOE. Her:

 

 

[reveal]
 

66. Musician Brian who co-developed the Oblique Strategies creative process: ENO.
 

67. Like disposable products: ONE USE. A good idea, really!  Moe-ku:

        A disposable

        Product was used more than once.

        It exclaimed: "I'm wiped!"

  

68. Diminutive suffix: ETTE.  Moe-ku:

        Bach piece in G Maj.

        Was shortened, as per schedule;

        Renamed, MinuETTE

  

69. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.
 

70. Camelot figure: MERLIN. 

 

 

 

71. Female deer: DOES.  Unlike Homer Simpson's deer, which are DOH's
 

Down:
1. Chimp kin: ORANG.
 

2. Man of La Mancha: SENOR.
 

3. Wyclef Jean's birth country: HAITI. 

 

 4. Amaretto flavor: ALMOND.
 

5. Letters on red Minecraft blocks: TNT.  A generational clue

 

 

6. Rower's pair: OARS.
 

7. Performing acts of contrition: ATONING.
 

8. Vampire's bedtime: SUNUP.

 

 

9. Of a clan: TRIBAL.
 

10. Jiffy: SEC.
 

11. Flew off the handle: BLEW A FUSE.
 

12. Musical finales: CODAS.
 

13. Sedan alternative: COUPE.  Moe-ku:

        101

        Dalmatians antagonist's

        Ride? A COUPE De Vil

   

18. "__ Mack": Disney Channel series featuring seventh graders: ANDI.  Another generational clue
 

22. Beaufort __: SCALE.  It measures wind speed
 

24. D&D et al.: RPGS. Short for Role-Playing-Games - have I ever said that pluralizing an abbreviation is not my favorite way to add words to a crossword puzzle?  The answer is, "yes"
 

26. Artful: DEFT.
 

28. "Already had a bite": I ATE.
 

30. World view?: MAP.
 

31. Information conveyed by tree rings: AGE.  Fun fact:  As a sommelier, I am aware of the difference between American Oak barrels and French Oak barrels, as containers that hold fermented wine for its initial ageing.  The American Oak barrels have a looser grain (tree rings) than the French Oak barrels, and that "difference" plays a big role in the flavors that are imparted to the wine.  More info in this hyperlink
 

32. Social media posts by some pet owners: CAT VIDEOS. Sorry, I favor dogs to cats, so no videos to support this clue/answer! I will cede this to my fellow Wednesday blogger, C-E D
 

34. Breeze (by): SAIL.  Verb definition of the word "sail"
 

36. Trail mix morsel: NUT. RAISIN was too large to fit
 

37. Dean's list fig.: GPA. After 4 years @ Pitt, my GPA was a 3.25
 

39. Mosul resident: IRAQI. 
 

40. Half of Mork's farewell: NANU. Robin Williams brought joy to millions; RIP

 

 

42. Procedural that spun off from "JAG": NCIS.
 

45. Throbbing: PAINFUL.
 

48. Olympian Biles who wears a goat necklace: SIMONE.  As in, Greatest of All Times?

 

 

50. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. "Barista Manager" was too large to fit
 

51. Revered: SACRED.
 

52. Seeing stars: DAZED. 

 

 

53. Without help: ALONE.  Chairman Moe did this recap, solo
 

54. Send to a specialist: REFER. Fortunately, my new Medicare Advantage program no longer requires me to get a REFERral to see a specialized doctor
 

56. Because of: DUE TO.
 

57. Go on the stump: ORATE.
 

58. Rouses from sleep: WAKES. Moe-ku:

        A Carnival Cruise

        Passenger was aroused from

        Sleep. Turbulent WAKES?

   

61. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI. Another generational clue
 

64. Rom follower: COM. My favorite "rom com"

 

 

 

65. Velvet finish?: EEN.

 

That's a wrap!  See you in April