Tuesday, September 30, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

We're in the Money!

17-Across. Documents submitted after a fender bender: CLAIM FORMS.  CLAMS.

24-Across. "I thought you just left!": BACK SO SOON.  BACON.

39-Across. Is a trailblazer: BREAKS NEW GROUND.  BREAD.

50-Across. Six-time "Dancing With the Stars" champion: DEREK HOUGH.  DOUGH.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Wealthy, and what 17-, 24-, 39-, and 50-Across literally are: IN THE MONEY.  The circles spell out slang words for Money.  The rest of the answer is "in" the Money.

What other wealth has out Blog Mistress given us?  Let's find out.

Across:

1. "Power Up" rock band: AC/DC.  AC/DC is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. 

5. Farfalle or fusilli: PASTA.  Farfalle is also known as bow-tie pasta.  Fusilli is corkscrew pasta.

10. Follow a command: OBEY.

14. Bring to a bubble: BOIL.

15. Helps with the dishes: DRIES.

16. Jakarta's island: JAVA.  The 1983 movie The Year of Living Dangerously took place in Jakarta.

19. Mix: STIR.

20. Alabama march city: SELMA.

21. Detectives, briefly: PIs.  As in a Private Investigator.

23. Like antiques: OLD.

29. Includes furtively on an email: BCCs.  As in Blind Carbon Copies.  The "Carbon Copy" is a relic from the days when carbon paper was used to make typewritten copies.

32. Sippy cup user: TOT.

33. The "I" of IV: INTRA-.  As in an IntraVenous line.

35. "I'm so relaxed!": AAH!

36. Fly like a hawk: SOAR.

37. Make reparations: ATONE.  Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset tomorrow.

43. Centipede maker: ATARI.  The video game that first came out over 40 years ago!

44. "Consequently ... ": THUS.

45. "Don't be that __!": GUY.

46. Snooping sorts: SPIES.

48. Gear tooth: COG.

49. Animation frames: CELS.

53. "Ewe talking to me?": BAA.  //  And 18-Down. "Ewe OK?": MAA.

55. __ Lanka: SRI.  In May 1972, Ceylon became known as Sri Lanka.  The official name of the country is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.  It is the tear-shaped Island country that lies off the southern tip of India.

56. Wear away: ERODE.

60. Crafts partner: ARTS.

66. Hide-and-__: SEEK.

67. Alternative to Midol: ADVIL.  Both are pain relievers.

68. Image reshared for laughs: MEME.

69. "Nothing to it!": EASY.

70. Makes it to the end: LASTS.

71. Spanish "those": ESOS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

Down:

1. Preschool basics: ABCs.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

2. Sprouse of "Riverdale": COLE.  I am not familiar with Riverdale, so did not know Cole Sprouse (né Cole Mitchell Sprouse; b. Aug. 2, 1992).

3. Rotary phone part: DIAL.

4. Tackles a rock face: CLIMBS.

5. File format for some invoices: PDF.  As in Portable Document Format.

6. __/ace: LGBT+ orientation: ARO.  I was not familiar with this term.  It short for aromantic asexual and describes a person who experiences little to no sexual or romantic attraction to others. 

7. Title for the Black Knight: SIR.

8. Pace set by a metronome: TEMPO.

9. Home of St. Francis: ASSISI.  St. Francis of Assisi (1181 ~ 1226) was the founder of the religious order of the Franciscans.  He is also known as the patron saint of animals.

10. Some brunch drinks, for short: OJs.  As in Orange Juice.

11. Mall of Louisiana city: BATON ROUGE.  Let's see.  How many cities in Louisiana are 10 letters?  Lots of choices fit into the spaces provided:  Alexandria; Baton Rouge, Mandeville; Marksville; Morgan City; New Orleans; Plaquemine; Shreveport; West Monroe.  The Mall of Louisiana is a mid-scale shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between I-10 and Bluebonnet Blvd.  It is the largest mall in Louisiana.

12. Rather wicked: EVIL.

13. Place for a swing set: YARD.

22. Acoustic location devices: SONARS.

25. Execs behind R&D breakthroughs: CTOs.  As in the Chief Technology Officer.

26. Zen master's paradox: KOAN.  A Koan is a question or riddle in Buddhism to facilitate spiritual growth and enlightenment by challenging logical thought.  Probably we have all heard this example of a Koan:  What is the sound of one hand clapping.

27. Loosen up before exercising: STRETCH.

28. Uno less than nove: OTTO.  Today's Italian math lesson.

29. Daddy, in Chinese: BABA.

30. Golf course rentals: CARTS.

31. Companions who don't mind fast food: CHEAP DATES.  Fast food isn't so cheap anymore.

34. Void: ANNUL.

36. Racers who make tracks: SKIERS.

38. Ben & Jerry's rival: EDY'S.  Both are brands of ice cream.

40. "Brown Skin" singer India.__: ARIE.  India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter.  She will celebrate her 50th birthday on Friday.

41. "What a thrill!": WHOO.

42. "Loki" actress Mbatha-Raw: GUGU.  I am not familiar with this Gugu Mbatha-Raw (née Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw; b. Apr. 21, 1983).  She is an English actress.

47. Story told in episodes: SERIAL.  Many of the novels by Charles Dickens were serialized and appeared either in weekly or monthly publications.

49. Safari alternative: CHROME.  Both are internet browsers.

51. In a way, casually: KINDA.

52. Diamond or ruby: GEM.

53. First coat of paint: BASE.

54. __ rug: floor decor: AREA.

57. Tip jar bills: ONES.

58. Showroom model: DEMO.

59. Organs closed during sleep: EYES.

61. Cloud location: SKY.

63. Sets in hotel rooms: TVs.

64. Smashing success: HIT.

65. Golf great Ernie: ELS.  I learned about Ernie Els (né Theodore Ernest Els; b. Oct. 17, 1969), the South African golfer from doing the crossword puzzles.

חתולה

Saturday, September 20, 2025, Zhouqin Burnikel

Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel

The only really hard name for me was a soaper star but C.C. gave me every letter I needed. C.C.'s penchant for clever word play definitely was part of this fun puzzle.

As you can see in the grid, the center of the puzzle was dense with unique fill. Very impressive! C.C. told me this is his lowest themeless word count she has ever achieved. She aims to have only 70 - 72 words and this one only has 62!! WOW!

Across:

1. Dress to impress: GLAM UP - We've seen GLAMPING and GLAM ROCK and this phrase fits that pattern. 

                 

7. Hit up quickly: PINGED.

13. Muralist on some Mexican 500-peso notes: RIVERA - $26.74 in Nebraska! The Rivera mural shown hangs in The Mexican National Palace.

                                                                                 

14. Citrus hybrid: TANGELO - A tangelo is a hybrid citrus fruit that is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo or grapefruit. The name "tangelo" comes from combining the names of the parent fruits.  

15. Track unit: ONE LAP.

16. Left out words?: WHY NOT ME.

17. Place to go for a drive?: TEE. 😀

18. Mosslike organisms: LICHENS.

20. Only Canadian NBA city, for short: TOR.

21. Something that may be a little fishy: TANK 😀

23. Valley known as the "Garden of France": LOIRE.

24. Tricks: CONS.

25. Montana motto: ORO Y PLATA - I learned here that this is "gold and silver"

27. Fighting chance?: BOUT - Over 70,000- people filled the Alegiant Stadium last week to see Terence "Bud" Crawford of Omaha become the first boxer to hold undisputed crowns in three different weight classes. Some say he is the best "pound for pound" boxer in history.

28. Pocket money: LOOSE CHANGE.

30. Dis-illusioned?: DOWN TO EARTH - All that glitters is not gold.

31. "Something just occurred to me": HERE'S AN IDEA.

32. At any time: EVER.

33. "Days of Our Lives" actress on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills": LISA RINNA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Talk about GLAMED UP!

37. Put on a happy face: GRIN.

38. Small porch: STOOP - From the Dutch word stoep meaning step or platform brought to America by Dutch settling in the Hudson Valley. You're welcome. 😀

39. Grant consideration: NEED.

40. "Details later" letters: TBA.

41. "I'm not buying it": C'MON NOW.

43. Tom yum __ soup: GAI - Thai dish: Tom (to boil), Yum (to mix) and Gai (chicken)

44. Judged events for pedigreed and companion animals: CAT SHOWS - Yeah, even I put DOG first

46. Start of a rumor: I HEARD - When I first HEARD this, it became a mission of mine to take on anyone who believed it. 

48. Ravaged by time: AGE WORN - My old Chucks had to be falling apart before I pitched them

49. Snapple rival: NESTEA.

50. Fly-by-night operation?: RED EYE 😀 We left Honolulu at 11 pm to arrive in LA at 5 am. It was New Year's Eve and so they turned on the cabin lights for ten seconds over the Pacific where it was midnight and wished us a Happy New Year. 

51. Sturdy woolens: TWEEDS - Professor Henry (Indiana) Jones wore TWEED

Down:

1. Spelunking site: GROTTO.

In the Timberline GROTTO in Colorado

2. Flat, in a way: LINEAR - Well known for us math peeps

3. Active Naturals brand: AVEENO.

4. Airport code in Victoria: MEL.

5. Eurasian border range: URAL.

6. Toy spaniels: PAPILLONS - Also know as Continental Toys

7. Stewart who won the U.S. Open twice in the 1990s: PAYNE - He was very popular, known for his colorful outfits and died far too young at 42.

8. Trip stops: INNS.

9. Many a charitable gp.: NGO.

10. Bring the hammer down: GET TOUGH - Mahler also called for this during his sixth symphony

11. Los Angeles suburb: EL MONTE - A 19 minute drive.

12. Busy bodies: DOERS.

14. "And they're off!": THE RACE IS ON.

16. Hot dog option: WHITE ONIONS.

19. Beach resort locale: COASTAL TOWN.

22. Padmé Amidala's grandson: KYLO REN - Halloween is just around the corner

24. Hold: CONTAIN.

26. It might be lost in a storm: POWER - It happened to us for three days in March.

27. More minimalist: BARER - Most of us can remember our dorm room

29. Wasn't talking nonsense: HAD A POINT.

30. Strayed: DEVIATED.

31. Grass and such: HERBAGE.

34. Cancel out: NEGATE.

35. Closed in on: NEARED.

36. Athletic brand based in Bavaria: ADIDAS - Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. They have supplied Husker gear for years

 

37. Aston Martin DB12, for one: GT CAR - Grand Touring. Those Europeans always get their abbreviations backwards. 😀

38. Three-ingredient treat: SMORE.

41. Baby bok __: CHOY.

42. Cry of relief: WHEW.

45. Nor. neighbor: SWE.

47. Tip of the tongue?: ESE - Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Maltese, Burmese, Sudanese...