Tuesday September 22, 2026 Zachary David Levy

Old MacDonald Had a Farm ...  Today provides us with common phrases that contain farm animals.

20-Across. Exhibit A: That awful handwriting: CHICKEN SCRAWL.

26-Across. Exhibit B: That loud guffaw: HORSE LAUGH.

35.-Across Exhibit C: That unruly hair: COWLICK.  A cowlick is a section of hair that grows in a different direction from the rest of the hair.  The hair often stands straight up or sticks out in a stubborn swirl.

44-Across. Exhibit D: That goofy stare: SHEEP'S EYES.  Did you know that sheep have horizontal, rectangular pupils?  The sharpen horizontal contours and give them an incredible field of peripheral vision.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Lacking all refinement, facetiously, or like the person described in 20-, 26-, 35-, and 44-Across?: RAISED IN A BARN.

Here's the Grid so you can see all the farm animals:

Across:

1. Percussion instruments with taut tops: DRUMS.

6. Highest mountain in Japan: FUJI.  Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano.  At 12,389 feet, it is the highest mountain in Japan.  At the top of the mountain there is a vending machine, so hikers can get a cold or hod drink when they reach the top.  The prices of drinks reflect the high altitude, too.  Mt. Fuji was in the news recently when a father left his 7-year-old son part-way up the mountain.  Apparently, the young boy got tired, but the father wanted to continue up the mountain.

10. Use a needle and thread: SEW.

13. Superficial layer: VENEER.

15. Guy known for his first-person perspective?: ADAM.  A Biblical reference.

16. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

17. Composer Shostakovich: DMITRI.  Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Sept. 25, 1906 ~ Aug. 9, 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist.  He became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926.

18. Harlem Renaissance writer __ Neale Hurston: ZORA.  Zora Neale Hurston (Jan. 7, 1891 ~ Jan. 28, 1960) was an African-American writer and folklorist.  Although she was born in the South, by 1925, she was living in New York City when the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing.  She only lived in NYC for a short time, but quickly became associated with the movement.  She is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.

19. Bikini top: BRA.

23. "Little Bunny __": FOO FOO.  Apparently, Little Bunny Foo Foo is a children's book about a rabbit who bullies field mice.  It is supposed to teach children about consequences and the importance of being nice to others.

24. Lit __: English major's course: CRIT.  As in Literary Criticism.  It is the reasoned analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works.

25. Arduous: HARD.

31. Belarus capital: MINSK.  Minsk is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

33. Cars: AUTOS. 

34. "__ Doubtfire": MRS.  Mrs. Doubtfire was a 1993 comedy that starred Robin Williams.

38. Position: JOB.

41. Student: PUPIL.

42. "With any luck": I HOPE.

49. Gave approval to: OK'ED.

50. Out-of-pocket amount: COST.

51. Area of influence: DOMAIN.

58. Omelet ingredient: EGG.

59. Dental exam image: X-RAY.

60. Mystery: ENIGMA.

63. Come out on top: WIN.  //  As opposed to 62-Down. "It's __-win situation": A NO.

64. Snub-nosed dogs: PUGS.

65. Catch, as a fish: REEL IN.

66. Triumphant cry: YES!

67. High-pitched wind instrument: OBOE.  This wind instrument is becoming a crossword staple.

68. "Give it a go": TRY TO.

Down:

1. Netflix format, originally: DVD.  As in Digital Versatile Disc.  They can still be checked out at our public library.

2. Sleep cycle letters: REM.  As in Rapid Eye Movement.  REM is one of the phases of sleep.

3. Horned equines of mythology: UNICORNS.  These mythical creatures were probably never raised in a barn.

4. Procedures: METHODS.

5. Typeface line: SERIF.

6. Unnerve: FAZE.

7. Japanese noodle: UDON.  Yummers!  These noodles often find themselves in the crossword puzzles.

8. Jam holders: JARS.

9. Apple all-in-one computer: iMAC.

The Mac Mini.  Monitor is sold separately.

10. Forester carmaker: SUBARU.

11. Pincered insect: EARWIG.

12. Riches: WEALTH.

14. Canon competitor: RICOH.

21. "Kitchy-kitchy-__": KOO.

22. Some old radios: RCAs.

23. County event with lots of fried food: FAIR.

25. "I wonder ... ": HMM ...

27. Tennis sequence after a serve: RALLY.

28. __ generis: unique: SUI.  Today's Latin lesson.  Sui generis is a Latin phrase that means in a class by itself, in others words: something unique.

29. And so on: Abbr.: ETC.  More of today's Latin lesson.  Etc. is short for the Latin phrase et cetera, which means: and so forth.

30. Norse god of mischief: LOKI.  Loki makes frequent appearances in the puzzle.  Loki is a shape-shifting god who likes to cause trouble.

32. Disposable coffee pod: K-CUP.  The K-Cup, or K-Pod, is the trademarked term, originally designed for the Keurig single-serving coffee maker.

36. Word after photo or special: OPS.

37. Golfer Michelle __ West: WIE.  Michelle Sung Wie West (b. October. 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer. When she was only 10-years-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.

38. In a playful manner: JOKINGLY.

39. Like an unlocked door: OPEN.  When is a door not a door ...

40. Place to sleep: BED.

41. Furry companions: PETS.

43. Whiter with age: HOARIER.

44. Off-the-wall: SCREWY.

45. Sandwich also known as a grinder: HOAGIE.  How did this sandwich get its name?  We ate Hoagies in a puzzle last week.

46. Endorses digitally: E-SIGNS.

47. Childcare expert LeShan: EDA.  I learned about Eda LaShan (June 6, 1922 ~ Mar. 3, 2002) from doing the puzzles.  She was an American writer, television host, counselor, educator, and playwright. She hosted How Do Your Children Grow? on PBS in the 1970s

48. Clearheaded: SOBER.

52. Impressionist painter …douard: MANET.  Édouard Manet (Jan. 23, 1832 ~ Apr. 30, 1883) was a French modernist painter.  He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.  Not to be confused with Oscar-Claude Monet (Nov. 114, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926), who was a French painter and founder of Impressionism.  Both were French painters with similar sounding names.

54. Trade show: EXPO.

55. Defeat soundly: DRUB.

56. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  A reverence to the play by Willie the Shakes.

57. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.  As in the New York Stock Exchange.

61. Cambridge sch.: MIT.  As in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

חתולה

Thursday June 18, 2026 Zachary David Levy

The prolific ZDL strikes again! This time, he's imparting some of his hard-won knowledge for our solving pleasure.

60A. "Say 'aye' forcefully and project confidence," e.g.: PRO TIPS. I didn't notice that this was the revealer at first. PRO TIPS are useful pieces of advice, supposedly from someone with experience in the matter. They are often called "life hacks" on the internet, so you know they must be true. 

Don't believe everything you read!

7D. "Hug the shore until you reach the ocean," e.g.: SOUND ADVICE. The clued directions tell how to go around an inlet, i.e. ADVICE to walk along a SOUND.

29D. "Pair it with thyme or rosemary," e.g.: SAGE WISDOM. Just add parsley to the mix and the SAGE WISDOM would be like Paul Simon's "Scarborough Fair."

31D. "The cinnamon version tastes better than the original," e.g.: LIFE LESSON. LIFE cereal comes in several varieties, but the LESSON I've learned is that the original always tastes best.

A TIP of the hat to Mr. Levy

I liked this puzzle. All three of the phrases work in place of PRO TIPS as they stand (vertically!). But their TIPS (the bottom ends: ADVICE, WISDOM and LESSON) are also synonyms of TIPS by themselves. A double dipper! That all the themers were puns was icing on the cake.

And that was just the TIP of the iceberg!

Across:

1. Completely smitten: GAGA. Just like Lady GAGA's fans - the Little Monsters.

5. Iraq port city: BASRA.

10. Policy chief: CZAR. Thought WONK, at first.

14. Like some history and hygiene: ORAL. Thought words that start with "H" ?

15. Cacophonous: AROAR. Thought NOISY, at first. I'm doing a lot a thinking on this puzzle...most of it wrong.

16. Sharpen: HONE.

17. Kiss, in Cancún: BESO. A Spanish kiss!

18. Piano composition: ETUDE. Not EBONY or IVORY which are the composition of the piano keys. An ETUDE is a short piece designed as a practice exercise.

19. Tiny amount: IOTA. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet is the smallest one to write, just one little stroke of a pen, thus it eventually came to reference tiny things.

20. Email option since 1997: YAHOO. Yeah, who?

22. Genetic messenger molecule: RNA. RiboNucleic Acid. 

23. Big name in the school supply aisle: ELMER. 

Oops! Wrong Elmer!

24. Exercise that may wind up in a playground: FIRE DRILL. When I saw "wind up," my first thought (oh boy, here we go again) was how I used to twist and spin on a swing.

27. Core muscles: ABS. Body anatomy, part 1.

30. Longtime Buick model: LE SABRE.

31. Acid rock's acid: LSD. It's how you get far out, man.

34. Neck wrap: BOA. He probably meant a feather BOA.

35. Share an office workstation: HOT DESK. I guess it's HOT because whoever arrives first gets to sit there in the accompanying HOT seat. Or is that in the boss's office?

36. Debt letters: IOU. This means I. O. U. which is shorthand for, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday..."

37. "Casablanca" star, affectionately: BOGIE. Humphrey Bogart was above par as an actor, but below par as a golfer. Just kidding. He was single-digit handicap player, and was considered one of the best golfers in Hollywood's Golden Age.

39. Egg cells: OVA.

40. Minor disagreements: TIFFS.

42. Realm: ARENA.

43. Cars singer Ocasek: RIC. RIC Ocasek, lead singer, songwriter and oldest member of the Cars was over 30 (ancient in pop music terms) when the band struck it big. He wore a wig to fit in.

44. "What's Your Country Song" singer Thomas: RHETT. Thomas Rhett is a Grammy-nominated country music singer and songwriter who blends contemporary country with rock & roll.

45. In need of a towel: WET.

46. Tourism prefix: ECO.

47. 20-Across alternative: AOL. I haven't used WAHOO or AOL this century. 

48. Gymnast's move: FLIP. They do this to see who goes first.

50. Current fashion: TREND.

52. Chest muscles: PECS. Body anatomy, part 2.

55. Exactly: JUST SO.

57. Winter fishing tool: ICE SAW. I saw you fishing on a frozen lake.

59. Anxiety-related med. condition: OCD. Amongst other letters, I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder tendencies. I used great restraint in not fixing this problem:

How could someone leave it this way?

60. [theme]

64. "Chandelier" singer: SIA. SIA is an Australian singer and songwriter known for her powerful voice...and bizarre wigs.

65. Ipanema's city: RIO. Ipanema is a neighborhood in RIO de Janeiro, Brazil.

66. Medicine derived from the bark of the willow tree: ASPIRIN.

67. Sphere: ORB.

68. Flow stopper: DAM.

69. A few: NOT MANY. I figure this is the number of you crossword solvers who also do Sudoku. 

70. Sudoku figs.: NOS. Figures are numbers. So, how many of you also solve the Sudoku?

Down:

1. Prefer to be called: GO BY. The great Asian desert prefers to be called Gobi.

2. Region: AREA.

3. Nasty wound: GASH.

4. Cool and distant: ALOOF.

5. Sweetie: BAE.

6. Professional who specializes in oil cleanups?: ART RESTORER. Winner: Best Clue.

7. [theme]

8. Blip producer: RADAR BEACON. The government recently declassified sealed UFO files, and now we can all see fuzzy pics of blurry objects. 

9. "__ you sure?": ARE.

10. Put on ice: CHILL.

11. Google Meet alternative: ZOOM.

12. Opening payment: ANTE.

13. Backup camera's view: REAR. 

21. Output of some furnaces: OIL HEAT. The output is just HEAT, regardless of the fuel source.

23. Marvel assassin played by Jennifer Garner: ELEKTRA. In spite of her 2005 movie getting a dismal 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, she reprised her role in other Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

25. __ Speedwagon: REO. The most popular classic band car in crosswords. It is an ancestor of the pickup truck.

This 1926 Model G is 100 years old!

26. E-file org.: IRS. Internal Revenue Service.

27. "Mamma Mia!" band: ABBA. ABBA is also common crossword fodder. "Here we go again..."

28. Obnoxious one: BOOR.

29. [theme]

31. [theme]

32. Out of shape, say: SOFT.

33. Sign of disuse: DUST.

38. Lacking skill: INEPT.

41. "Wouldn't that be nice!": I HOPE.

48. Scandinavian inlet: FJORD. Before I looked at this clue, I had FJ_R_ and my rusty brain immediately went to "F-JARS." Anyone got change for a $5?

49. Saint __: Lesser Antilles island: LUCIA.

50. Body part with 27- and 52-Across: TORSO. Body anatomy, part 3.

51. Use, as a ladle: DIP IN.

53. City southeast of Alexandria: CAIRO. It looks nearly due east to me.

Oh, that Alexandria.

54. Ear cleaners: SWABS. Ear cleaners: Q-TIPS.

56. Spread: SPAN.

58. "Teach Your Children" gp.: CSNY. In only their second live show ever, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young delivered a legendary performance at Woodstock in 1969. 

"This is the second time we've ever played in front of people, man. We're scared s—less!"

61. Choose: OPT.

62. Actor Meadows: TIM. TIM logged ten seasons at SNL before branching out into movies.

63. 401(k) kin: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

Be good. RB