Sunday January 12, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

Theme: "PR Stunt"

Good Sunday morning. Today C.C. presents a puzzle so dazzling, adding PR to the themers, the press must cover it. Let's take a look:

22a. Ultrathin bicycle chain holder?: LIGHT SPROCKET. Remove the PR and you get light socket.

This light-weight set of sprockets [a gear] will set you back $280

40a. Divinely inspired binge session?: THE HOLY SPREE. The Holy See.  It's not a body of water, like I used to think, but the government of the Catholic Church in the Vatican.

58a. Number important to bakers?: VANILLA PRICE. Vanilla Ice. I'll spare you a rap song.

81a. Guaranteed ball catchers?: PROVEN GLOVES. Oven Gloves. I've stopped using them. All cotton side-towels work just fine and you don't have to walk over to get a mitt.
 

97a. Question from a grocery mister?: SHALL WE SPRAY. Shall we say?

118a. Fairyland queen?: SPRITE MANAGER. Site Manager.

34d. Garment for a gingerbread cookie?: PRALINE SKIRT. A-Line Skirt.

39d. Avid fan of Chunky Garden pasta sauce?: PREGO BOOSTER. Ego Booster. If you want to boost my ego, lie to me about how much you enjoyed this expo ;-)

Across:
1. "Alright, Still" singer Lily: ALLEN. Never heard of her or the song.
 

6. Split asunder: CLEAVE. This is a fun word 'cuz it's a contranym. Cleave means to tear apart but also means to cling to. [Cite [49:31 - Cleave is @2:30]]

12. Sought a dog treat: BEGGED.

18. Computer in a messenger bag: LAPTOP. My laptops go in a backpack along with a second monitor and various cables and lockpicks.

20. Throws in the trash: TOSSES. We learned Thursday to recycle eWaste.

21. Real: GENUINE. In my head I pronounce it like Mr. Haney [Pat Buttram] from Green Acres.
 

22. [See: Theme]

24. "Hold your horses!": EASY NOW. Just slow down your gumption.

25. Purple palm berry: ACAI.

26. High-pitched bark: YELP. Yip was too short.

27. Modern art?: ARE. LOL! Thou art -> You ARE.

28. Weighty burden: ONUS.

29. Poultry farm sight: COCK.
 

Foghorn Leghorn

31. Meat in a Cuban sandwich: HAM.
 

Yum!

33. Comics dog with a long tongue: ODIE.

34. Drain pipe material: PVC.

37. Stay-at-home worker?: UMP. Cute. In Baseball the UMP is at home plate.

40. [See: Theme]

44. Cookie with a churro flavor: OREO. There's a churro stand not far from me - they're good. A churro is pâte à choux (cream puff) batter, piped into hot fat, deep-fried until crisp, and shaken with cinnamon-sugar.
 

I checked.  They exist(ed).

45. Trunk: TORSO. Not on an elephant nor a train :-)

47. Peddle: SELL. It's funny, I can recognize peddle from pedal but, when it comes to writing it out, I get confused.

48. Seats for the faithful: PEWS.
 

You can buy it here

49. Delany of "China Beach": DANA. China Beach was a TV series on ABC ('88 to '91) and she was the lead actress, or so I've Googled.
 

Dana Delany

50. Sherlock adversary Adler: IRENE. She only appeared in the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia."

51. "I know kung fu" character: NEO.

I love this movie!

52. Land in the Seine: ILE.

53. "Get a hold of yourself!": COOL IT.

55. Batter's practice area: CAGE.

56. Plot progression: ARC.

58. [See: Theme]

61. Succulent harvested for its gel: ALOE.
 

Sorry Splynter, it's obligatory :-)

62. Judged to be: DEEMED.

64. Bracelet closure: CLASP.

65. Nancy Drew's beau: NED.

66. "Nicely done!": BRAVO.

68. Scent: AROMA.

70. Yonder things: THOSE.

72. "Hamilton" actress Phillipa: SOO. Perps

74. The "L" of Samuel L. Jackson: LEROY.

76. Thrill-seeker's activity: BUNGEE. Everything you wanted to know. I'm still not doing it.

78. Quiet attention-getter: PSST.

81. [See: Theme]

84. Doctor's orders, for short: RXS.

85. Middling: OKAY. I like the clue here.

86. Refuse to give in: INSIST.

87. Jaden's role in "The Karate Kid": DRE. The 2010 reboot of the movie. I had to LIU after the solve 'cuz I had no idea.

88. Spanish uncle: TIO. Makes sense since TIA is an aunt.

90. Resume highlight: SKILL.

91. Fancy party: FETE.

92. Som tam cuisine: THAI.

93. Small earring: STUD.

95. Intrinsically: PER SE.

96. Flintstones Vitamins shape: FRED.
 

Mom doled these out daily.

97. [See: Theme]

100. Asphalt alternative: TAR. On a Southwest flight after a bumping landing, the announcer said, "Oooh, that wasn't the pilot's fault; that was the asphalt."

101. Turk. neighbor: SYR. Turkey and Syria are neigbors.

102. Dude from Dundee: SCOT. The company I work for has an office is Aberdeen and that's the only place I've been in Scotland.

103. Pocket-sized: WEE.

104. "What __ have you got?": ELSE.

106. "The Alienist" author Caleb: CARR.

107. Find work for: USE.

109. Drink with cardamom: CHAI. Chai just means tea in Hindi. My co-worker from India laughs when anyone says chai tea: "Why are you saying tea tea?"
 

Marsala Chai

111. Cast down?: MOLT.

115. Pack of camels: CARAVAN.

118. [See: Theme]

121. One with a cordial rivalry: FRENEMY. A portmanteau of Friend and Enemy.

122. Exactly right: DEAD ON.

123. Fancy party: SOIREE. At my last company we called our Christmas Party a soiree on the invites. One of the partners thought is was funny and pretentious so he'd be funny and pretentious when he said this word.

124. Auction bids: OFFERS.

125. Pitching battles?: AD WARS. This was cute. Not a (baseball) tie in the 10th inning reference, but ads. Eight clever stunts in ongoing ad wars.

126. Word between God and you: BLESS. LOL! Not a prayer nor a scene in Oh, God but God Bless You - like gesundheit.

Down:
1. Gnocchi __ Romana: ALLA.
 

Recipe

2. Nonclerical: LAIC.

3. Org. for women who are great drivers: LPGA. Not cars but Lady's Professional Golf Association.

4. Set of principles: ETHIC.

5. "Ha, fooled ya!": NOT.

6. Lower left PC key: CTRL.

7. Contract flaw: LOOPHOLE.

8. Upper left PC key: ESC. Nice clecho.
 

9. Dickinson's advice column: ASK AMY. I know of AMY Dickinson from Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me - she's a very competitive guest.

10. Turn suddenly: VEER.

11. Haim sister mentioned in Taylor Swift's "No Body, No Crime": ESTE. Perps.

12. Fitted cap: BEANIE.

13. Succeed: ENSUE.

14. Fellas: GUYS. Or Dudes (whether or not a SCOT [see: 102a])

15. Liquor in a Negroni: GIN. Negroni is a cocktail, made of equal parts gin, vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet), and Campari, generally served on the rocks, and commonly garnished with an orange slice or orange peel. It is considered an apéritif. [WikiP]

16. Capital One's virtual assistant: ENO. Did music's Brian voice this? ;-) //that's a joke - Brian ENO is puzzledom's favorite music man. ENO is also ONE (part of Capital One) spelled backwards

17. Drops on the lawn: DEW.

19. "Ha, fooled ya!": PSYCH. Clecho! And what I wanted for NOT! at 5 down.

21. Crystal hunter's finds: GEODES.

23. Some toy doggies: PEKES.
 

30. __-Missouria Tribe: OTOE.

32. Everywhere: ALL OVER.

33. "1984" author: ORWELL. Prepare. 1984 is coming 40 years late.

34. [See: Theme]

35. Marco Polo's hometown: VENICE. I've actually been to his home in Venice. It's a little off the beaten path - at least that's how DW & I got there.
 

UNESCO image

 

My snap

36. Like many candies: COATED.

37. City east of Syracuse: UTICA.

38. Principled: MORAL.

39. [See: Theme]

41. Consequently: HENCE.

42. Go around in circles: SPIN.

43. Diver on Louisiana's state seal: PELICAN. I lived in North Louisiana for ~8 years so this was a gimme.

44. Scent: ODOR.

46. Mocking smile: SNEER.

53. Redeems, as a check: CASHES.

54. Info on a political rival: OPPO. Opposition Research.

56. Pre-Christmas season: ADVENT. A four week period where you light a candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Lucina can explain.

57. Corp. shake-up: REORG. Oy! Last week at my Corp., a re-org was announced and layoffs are impending.

59. Brick made of soil and straw: ADOBE.

60. Balloon material: LATEX.

63. Like some city races: MAYORAL. I kept thinking of fun runs / marathons.

67. Happy hour picks: ALES. Hand up if you order that expensive scotch at a happy hour 'cuz you're too cheap to buy it IRL.

69. Not-to-be-missed: MUST SEE. Y'all remember NBC's MUST SEE TV of Seinfeld & Friends?

71. Gave an address: SPOKE. Orated didn't fit.

72. Gussies (up): SPIFFS. In slang, "Church it up."

73. Cantankerous: ORNERY. Mom said I was ornery. I assumed it meant impishly entertained.

75. Overly familiar: OLD HAT.

77. Category: GROUP.

79. Pico de gallo, e.g.: SALSA. I love pico and oft sauté it for scrambled eggs.
 

80. "The Accidental Tourist" novelist Anne: TYLER. Name.

82. Fought (for): VIED.

83. Face concealer: VEIL. Oh, not makeup.

89. AI field: IT SECTOR. I didn't realize last week when I posted an IT SECTOR joke that I was cribbing from the wrong puzzle and may have given a spoiler.

90. 1974 espionage spoof: SPYS.
 

92. Tough to solve: THORNY.

94. Night vision?: DREAM.

97. Leaves in a hurry: SCRAMS.

98. Sister show of "SmackDown": WWE RAW.  Wrestling shows.

99. Smith or Jones, sometimes: ALIAS. In HS, we used Townes - more believable and, if "they" looked it up, it'd get our buddy in trouble :-)

102. Piggy bank filler: SAVER. Not the coins but the person inserting them. Cute, C.C., cute.

105. Spam, e.g.: EMAIL.

106. Sugar crop: CANE.

107. Food safety org.: USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.

108. Ignored the limit: SPED.

110. Chick tenders: HENS. Ha! Not snacks for tots but the bird that tends to baby chic.

112. EverQuest monster: OGRE.

113. Some bell-bottoms: LEES. Oh, please - let's not go retro and bring those back.

114. Number before cuatro: TRES. Spanish counting. Uno, dos, TRES, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ochoe, nueve, diez. Two semesters of Spanish and that's as little as I remember. Father Guido Sarducci was right! [3:55]

115. Exec. who holds the purse strings: CFO. Chief Financial Officer.

116. "I want my bone!": ARF. You didn't really think you'd escape an Anon -T review w/o some heavy metal, did you?
 

117. B-ball official: REF.  Basketball is REFereed.

119. State next to Ore.: IDA. Oregon & Idaho.

120. San Francisco's __ Hill: NOB. A ritzy part of SFO just south of Lombard St.

The Grid:
  

The Grid

Thank you, C.C. for another wonderfully fun puzzle!

Cheers!, -T

Tuesday, December 31, 2024, George Simpson, Zhouqin Burnikel

(Notes from C.C.: George Simpson is Big Easy on our blog.)

Theme:  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  HAVE A BALL!

Today is the very last day of 2024.  What's on the agenda to mark the last minute of this day?

It's the big reveal:

23 Down. New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down?: BALL DROP.  Yes, folks, if you stay up late enough, you can see the BALL DROP in New York City, replayed in various time zones, even here on the West coast.  Not sure why we watch it, since it happened hours earlier!  Regardless, you'll find two kinds of BALLs DROPping in each of the other theme answers.  

The rest of the theme clues and answers are:

3 Down. Parmesan, e.g.: HARD CHEESE.  Parmesan is a hard cheese.  HARDBALL refers to baseball (the game or the ball itself), or to forceful tactics.  CHEESEBALL can be an appetizer made of blended cheeses, an adjective meaning lacking taste or style, or a person who lacks taste or style.

This snow man is kind of a cheeseball.

8 Down. Speedy way to the top: FAST TRACK.  A course leading to rapid advancement is a FAST TRACK.  A FASTBALL is the most common type of pitch in baseball.  A TRACKBALL is a computer cursor control device.

Trackball.

33 Down. Succotash ingredient: BUTTER BEAN.  Succotash is a dish of corn kernels and lima beans.  BUTTER BEAN is another name for lima bean.  BUTTERBALL is a brand of turkey products, and has less common meanings, too, like chubby person.  BEANBALL is a ball thrown with the intention of hurting another person, specifically by hitting them in the head.

37 Down. Political campaign funding source: SOFT MONEY.  SOFT MONEY is a contribution to a political party that is not designated for a particular candidate, and thus avoids campaign contribution limits.  SOFTBALL is an adaptation of baseball, played with a larger ball, with underhand pitches, and on a smaller diamond.  MONEYBALL has a few meanings, but is most often identified with the 2003 book by Michael Lewis titled Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, and with the 2011 film adaptation of the book.

DH says that he looks like Brad Pitt.  He does not.

Ready?  Let's play ball!

Across:

1. Sound softened by acoustic foam: ECHO.  Acoustic foam is a sound absorption material which reduces echo and improves sound quality within a room.

5. Hole-making tool: AWL.  Aw, it's our friend AWL again!

8. Gemstone surface: FACET.

13. Yonder item: THAT.  Yes, THAT item over yonder.

14. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Sloe gin is made from ripe sloe drupes which are small fruits closely related to plums.  To make a sloe gin fizz, combine sloe gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice; cover and shake, and then strain into a glass. Stir in club soda and garnish with a slice of lemon.

15. Supreme Being of Islam: ALLAH.  Allah is the Arabic word for God, in particular, the God of Abraham.

16. Golf rental: CART.

17. Place for suckers?: CANDY STORE.  The sweet kind of suckers:

19. Grotesque: HIDEOUS.

21. Settle the score: GET EVEN.

22. Mobile home?: CRIB.  My favorite part of a baby's room:  the mobile that hangs over the crib.

23. Visibly embarrassed: BEET RED.

24. Fire pit residue: ASH.

26. "Tra-__": LA LA.  Nonsense syllables standing in for song lyrics.

28. Grads-to-be: SRS.  Those about to be graduates are SenioRS.

29. Much of a sunflower: STEM.  Sunflowers do have very tall stems.

I photographed this sunflower in Slide Rock State Park near Sedona, Arizona.

31. Honolulu hello: ALOHA.

33. __ window: BAY.  A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a "bay" in a room. 

Exterior view of a bay window.

36. Floor plan calculations: AREAS.

38. Org. for Cubs and Tigers: MLB.  Major League Baseball.  Abbreviation in the clue calls for abbreviation in the answer.

39. Waterpark feature: CHUTE.  AKA water slide, flume, or hydroslide.  Great fun for kids.

41. Genre for "Dancing Queen": DISCO.  "Dancing Queen" is a song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Arrival (1976).

42. Citrus drink suffix: ADE.  LemonADE, limeADE ... even orangeADE.  Fruit juice diluted with water and sweetened with sugar or honey.

43. Toys with strings: KITES.  Because YOYOS didn't work with the perpendicular entries.

44. Mimic: APE.

45. Like most house pets: FURRY.

47. Cardinals great Musial: STAN.  "Stan the Man" (1920-2013) Musial was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman, widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history.  He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB.  If you have identified today's blogger, you know that STAN was all perps (perpendicular entries) for me.

Stan Musial

48. High-elev. place: MTN.  A high-elevation place is a mountain.

49. Scandinavian capital with many floating saunas: OSLO.  Imagine a wood-fired sauna, on a boat, with big windows for sightseeing, and refreshing dips in the fjord!  Brr!  Not on my list.  I do not love temperature shocks.

52. Punk music offshoot: EMO.  Thanks to crossword puzzles, I am not completely ignorant of this EMOtional type of punk music.

53. Seafood-based party food: CLAM DIP.

56. Actor Epps: OMAR.  Now, this fellow I remember from "House."

Omar Epps as Dr. Eric Foreman on "House."

58. Empty, as a bottle: POUR OUT.

59. Math course with variables: ALGEBRA.  I wept with frustration through algebra classes, but I find it useful now to be able to solve for an unknown quantity.

62. Opinion survey completed with clicks: ONLINE POLL.

64. Greenish blue: TEAL.

65. Find a new purpose for: REUSE.

66. Knocks firmly: RAPS.

67. Billionth: Pref.: NANO.  The prefix "nano" means one-billionth, or 10-9 .  Teeny tiny.

68. Op-ed piece, e.g.: ESSAY.

69. Signs off on: OKS.

70. Poker pot starter: ANTE.

Down:

1. Engrave on glass: ETCH.

2. Cardamom-infused milky tea: CHAI.  My morning ritual.

3. [Theme clue]

4. Playful marine mammal: OTTER.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium has rescued sea OTTERs on display.  Some of the otters are raising orphaned youngsters for release into the ocean.

5. "Regrettably ... ": ALAS.

6. Got the gold: WON.

7. Perch for potted plants: LEDGE.  Always a challenge to find sunny spots for the indoor plants.  

8. [Theme clue]

9. Takes in, say: ALTERS.

10. Garlic bulb segment: CLOVE.

11. Lop-__ rabbit: EARED.  When my children were young, I purchased a lop-EARED (or floppy-eared) rabbit at a pet store.  The poor thing had ear mites that required immediate treatment.  Apparently, the breeding of rabbits for the cute but unnatural trait of floppy ears has resulted in serious ear and tooth disorders.  In nature, a rabbit needs its upright ears to avoid predators.  Luckily, our "Whiskers" didn't have any of those.

12. Afterward: THEN.

14. Diving acronym: SCUBA.  Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

18. "Wow, that's bad!": YEESH.

20. Squeaky wheel remedy: OIL.

23. [Theme clue]

24. Burrito option: ASADA.  Asada is Spanish for "roasted."  Carne asada is roasted meat.  

25. Bacon piece: STRIP.

27. University in Beaumont, Texas: LAMAR.  A public university and member of the Texas State University System, Lamar University has 17,850 students enrolled in 96 undergraduate, 50 master's and eight doctoral degree programs.  News to me -- all perps.

30. Apple variety: MAC.  Mac, which is short for Macintosh, is Apple Inc.'s line of personal computers. Personal computers were Apple's original business line, but as of the end of 2024 they account for only about eight percent of the company's revenue.

Apple MacBook Pro

32. Does as told: OBEYS.

33. [Theme clue]

34. First-string players: A TEAM.

35. Basic type of question: YES/NO.

37. [Theme clue]

40. He/him/__: HIS.  Male pronouns.

46. Not justified: UNDUE.

48. Actress Tomei: MARISA.  Marisa Tomei is an American actress who gained prominence for her performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992).  She's been in many movies since, and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress three times.

Marisa Tomei

50. Lies around: LOLLS.

51. Shocked letters: OMG.  Oh My Gosh!  😲

53. Ice cream holders: CONES.

54. Doozies: LULUS.

55. Tech support whiz: IT PRO.  Information Technology Professional.  

57. Big name in health insurance: AETNA.

58. Skin opening: PORE.

59. Range crossing eight countries: ALPS.

60. Tirade: RANT.

61. Soothing ingredient in some toners: ALOE.

63. Flooring wood: OAK.

Here's the grid:

Let me know if I've DROPped the BALL anywhere in this review!

Wishing you all the best of years,

NaomiZ

 

Monday December 23, 2024 Zhouqin Burnikel

  

Happy Monday, everyone. Christmas came early in the form of a puzzle by none other than our talented blogmistress, Zhouqin Burnikel.

Theme:  

We'll kick things off with the reveal:

35 Across. "We've made some progress," and what one might say about the answer to each starred clue: IT'S A START.

Each of the starred clues is a START to something. We have:

1 Across. *With 65-Across, faceoff in a hockey game: PUCK.     and     65 Across. See 1-Across: DROP.

In hockey, a PUCK DROP STARTs play.

18 Across. *Ceremonial toss made memorable by Simone Biles at the 2019 World Series: FIRST PITCH.

In baseball, it is common to invite a celebrity to throw a FIRST (unofficial) PITCH at the START of a game.

23 Across. *TV show pilot, typically: EPISODE I.

In TV-land, the first EPISODE at the START of a TV series is called a pilot.

54 Across. *Auction action: OPENING BID.

At auctions, the OPENING BID STARTs the bidding process.

49. *Musical introduction: OVERTURE.

In theater, an OVERTURE is an orchestral piece played at the START of an opera, play, ballet, etc.

I like the range of STARTS in this puzzle. Also impressive is the placement of a two-part themer in the top-left and bottom-right corners. Let's look at that now.  

Across:

5. "I give up!": UNCLE.  I tried to find the reason we say UNCLE to mean "I give up!" but I could find no definitive answer -- only speculation. After reading a few sources, I cried UNCLE.

10. "Eternals" star Gemma: CHAN.  (b. Nov. 29, 1982 in London)  Eternals is a 2021 fantasy/action film.

CHAN as Sersi in Eternals

14. "__ yours": affectionate sign-off: EVER.

15. Gaming rookies: NOOBS.  N00BS (spelled with zeros instead of Os) is an example of leet. Basically, leet is a gamer's writing system that replaces letters with numbers or other characters. Some say it is derived from the word elite.  1337

16. Search for wild game: HUNT.  

17. Fancy fundraiser: GALA.     and     26 Down. Broadway background: SET.

I liked the alliteration in these two clues, as well as in the 54-Across themer.

20. Alpine event: SUPER-G.  It stands for Super Giant Slalom. 

This is Mikaela Shiffrin winning the Bronze for the Women's Super-G 

at the 2021 FIX World Alpine Ski Championships. (1:13 min.)

22. __ A Sketch: ETCH.  

25. Dried poblano peppers: ANCHOS.  

The ANCHO is on the left.

27. Bridge support: TRUSS.  waseeley gave told us about "trusses" last Thursday so today I'll point you towards  The World's 10 Longest Continuous TRUSS bridges.  (I have ridden my  bike across #5 many times.)

28. "Nice to see you!": HI THERE.  

29. Square root of cuatro: DOS.  matemáticas españolas

The square root of a negative number is an imaginary number, denoted by i.
The answer should be 2i.
The answer "lost an i".

30. 2001 film with a Seussian title: I AM SAM.  I did not hesitate on this one because the soundtrack for this Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer movie is on my Top 5 Soundtracks of All Time list. Every song is a Beatles cover. It is difficult to choose just one. Here is Sarah McLachlan with Blackbird.  

34. Mgr.'s helper: ASST.  manager and assistant

37. "Hunny" bear: POOH.  

40. "Abracadabra!": PRESTO.  I like the parity between the clue and answer.

41. Take up or take in: SEW.  A tailor might take up a hem or take in a suit that is too large.

44. Baltimore baseballers: ORIOLES.  CSO to waseeley!

46. Houston baseballer: ASTRO.  CSO to -T!  

I liked that these two answers were on the same line.

48. Ballpoint alternative: GEL PEN.  

I 💙 these pens!

52. "Zoolander" actor Wilson: OWEN.  

Owen (right) starred with Ben Stiller (left) in this 2001 comedy.

53. __ Coors: MOLSON.  This one was ESP for me. I did know of Coors beer but I did not know that in 2005 Molson of Canada merged with Coors of the U.S. to form Molson Coors Brewing Co. (now Molson Coors Beverage Co.).

57. Joint protected by a patella: KNEE.  A patella is a KNEEcap.

60. Spanakopita dough: FILO.  The Greeks deserve a Nobel Prize for inventing such a delicious pie with spinach as a main ingredient.  

61. Ludicrous display: FARCE.  Def.: (noun) an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation.  

62. Unagi Day fish: EELS.  Mark your calendars. The next Unagi Day will be July 19, 2025.

63. Hand puppet material: FELT.  FELT is believed to be the world's oldest fabric.  more about FELT

64. Support one's team, in a way: CHEER.

Down:

1. Knob on a viola: PEG.  

A viola has four strings so it needs four PEGs.

2. The ACC's Cavaliers: UVA.  Atlantic Coast Conference and University of Virginia

3. Fahrenheit counterpart: CELSIUS.  

4. Bluegrass-country singer Alison: KRAUSS.  (b. July 23, 1971 in Decatur, IL)  

Sawing on the Strings  (2008)

5. Ravenous, probably: UNFED.

6. Bête __: NOIRE.  Def.: (noun) a person or thing strongly detested or avoided.    

This translates from French to black beast.

7. Short-legged canine: CORGI.  The Pembroke Welsh Corgi was #11 on the  American Kennel Club's most popular dogs of 2023 list. Here is a collection of cute CORGI actions (2:18 min.):

8. Dumbbell abbr.: LBS.  pounds

9. Superlative suffix: -EST.  This is the bestest suffix.

10. Make small talk: CHITCHAT.  Have you heard of ablaut reduplication? It is why CHITCHAT sounds natural to native English speakers but chatchit does not. We had a puzzle containing several of these terms on Nov. 6, 2024.

11. Homes for pet rabbits: HUTCHES.

12. Newsroom stars: ANCHORS.  Cue Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004):  

13. Unspecified degree: NTH.  not to be confused with the degrees in 3-Down

19. __-up demand: PENT.  According to Investopedia, this describes a rapid increase in demand for a service or product, usually following a period of subdued spending.

21. Theorize: POSIT.  Perhaps potentially perky people pencil positive POSITs on Post-its.  

23. Flight takeoff hr.: ETD.  "Hour" is abbreviated, so is "Estimated Time of Departure".

24. Full-time athlete: PRO.  Last week 17-year old golfer Blades Brown announced he was skipping college to turn PRO.  ESPN article

25. Direct toward: AIM AT.

28. Bowlers and fedoras: HATS.  

Bowlers (l.) and fedoras (r.) are often made of FELT.

31. Colorado skiing mecca: ASPEN.  

32. Snickers producer: MARS.  This was the candy bar -- not snickers as in "hee hee".

33. NNW reversal: SSE.

35. "That would be terrible!": I HOPE NOT.  

"Christmas is cancelled" scene from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

36. Sounds like a lion: ROARS.

37. 1990s collectible disc: POG. We've had this one a few times lately. I hope everyone remembered it this time.  in case you forgot

38. Creamy dessert made with cookies: OREO PIE.  

39. Derrick setting: OIL WELL.  

41. Real knockout: STUNNER.  Something that is stunning to see can be a STUNNER.

42. Miss a cue: ERR.

43. "__ betide our enemies": WOE.  This time of year we say, "Glad tidings!" but here is a darker use.

45. Heidi Klum's model daughter: LENI.  Leni Olumi Klum (b. May 4, 2004) is Heidi's oldest child. Seal adopted her in 2009.

Seal, Leni, and Heidi

47. Really psyched: STOKED.  The first known use of this slang word was in 1965. M-W

49. Color technique with a blended effect: OMBRE.  

50. Alto or soprano: VOICE.

51. Revered tribal figure: ELDER.

54. Like weird vibes: OFF.  

This one is for Jayce.

55. Org. with Cardinals and Saints: NFC.  I had to make a trade from the National Football League to the National Football Conference.

FYI, The AFC + The NFC = The NFL

56. "So frustrating!": GAH.

58. "Strange Magic" rock gp.: ELO.

59. Precognition letters: ESP.  Precognition is a noun meaning "clairvoyance relating to an event or state not yet experienced". So, the opposite of déjà vu???

Happy Holidays to everyone! 🎄I will be away for a few days but I will be back before the START of the new year.

 

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy 80th birthday to Margot, our caring and loving Misty. Here is a picture of Misty and her husband Rowland celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in 2009.