Sunday, Oct 19th, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

• "EASY DOES IT" 

x x  TIMES Crossword Puzzle

The _os  _ngles Times building 

Splnyter stepping for our Sunday Bloggess C.C., who takes the honor of being today's constructor.  I usually skip Sunday's puzzle and work on my Wed blog, but it was a JazzB week, so here we are.  My solve had lots of "well, it fits, but it's wrong" answers ⁽⁺⁾ today.  No circles, a fair number of  names, a balanced spread of 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-letter words, 88 squares ( if my math is correct ) of theme fill - but - they're 'missing' the "L" and "A" from in-the-vernacular phrases, leading to some humorous, unique fill.  The themers, and the reveal in the final Across;

23A. *Ensemble for finals week?: (LA)TEST FASHION

28A. *Slug made from an old can?: (LA)TIN QUARTER

58A. *Christmas tree in an atelier?: ARTISTIC F(LA)IR

83A. *Courses full of twists and turns?: (LA)MAZE CLASSES - birthing technique

110A. *Organizer for a nail tech?: MANI(LA) FOLDER

119A. *Treadmill setting for a Roman emperor?: CAESARS PA(LA)CE

32D. *Pride of a jacked security guard?: ANTI-THEFT A(LA)RM

43D. *Thanksgiving stuffing dishes that aren't up to snuff?: SA(LA)D DRESSINGS

130. Mardi Gras city nickname, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: NOLA - New Orleans, LouisianA, "The Big Easy" ( the 'other' theme title ) or, parsed for the theme, "No L A"

And "L A" We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Layer outside the germ: BRAN - I do the DOWN clues first; I had B - - N to start

5. Like a perennial: HARDY - durable - they keep coming back~!

10. LAPD alerts: APBs - No LA~! #1

14. No. 1 pals: BFFs - Text-speak, Best Friends Forever

18. Sacred flower in Buddhism: LOTUS

I'll take this Lotus - the Turbo Esprit

20. In the know: AWARE - toyed with ALERT⁽⁺⁾ because this cluster was a bit messy with wrong fill

21. Helpful hint: CLUE

22. Ontario lake: ERIE

25. Purple boba tea flavor: TARO

26. Roof overhang: EAVE

27. Hit lists: TOP TENS

30. Playing surface that favors topspin: CLAY - I so wanted FELT here, as in pool tables

33. Video camera button: RECord - I am making a table for my brother for Christmas, and I am thinking about shooting a video of the process - I bought this thing for holding my phone:

34. Bro or stepbro: SIBling

36. Total score: TALLY

37. "Mulan" invader: HUN

38. Maker of off-road vehicles: TONKA - HONDA⁽⁺⁾ fit, and a good 60% correct, but Bzzzt 

40. Guitar licks: RIFFS - I am very familiar with this concept - it's good to go back to songs that were once difficult for me to play and now find easier from practice and learning scales

42. Runner-up: LOSER

46. Visiting the area: IN TOWN - I had planned to drive to Cincinnati, OH at the end of the month for the 25th anniversary of "The Golem", the made-for-TV movie I worked on, but now I'm told it's just a showing in a theater - no cast or crew were invited to attend - 12hrs is a long way to drive to sit in a cinema.

48. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO

50. Striped stone: AGATE

51. Egyptair hub city: CAIRO

52. David of "ABC World News Tonight": MUIR - filled via perps

54. LED component: DIODE - Light-Emitting, that is

57. Focalin target, briefly: ADHD - no clue, had ADHG via crossings

61. Greeting to a mate: G'DAY - an Aussie, mate~!

62. Genetic material: DNA

63. Application in some massages: HOT OIL - the subject of massages came up at the gym last week; they are offered in my club, but I have never actually HAD a massage - perhaps I should treat myself this Christmas

64. Creole chef Chase: LEAH - again, filled via perps; more here

66. Holds nothing back: LETS RIP

69. Course track for a future JD: PRE-LAW - "JD" being a learning moment for me - the Wiki

71. Falcons city: ATLANTA - their NFL team

74. Marathon setting: GREECE - I had AVENUE - but this is the city, not the run

75. Person who calls the shots: REFEREE - meh~?

77. Quindim ingredient: YOLK - with YOL -, I WAGed the "K"

78. Kale and cabbage: GREENS

80. Traditional mo. for a Bavarian beer festival: OCTober - happening NOW

81. Sultry growl: RAWR - I recall having this fill just recently, and not too many people cared for it

87. Make airtight: SEAL

89. Strip in the kitchen: STEAK - with - 24D. Cook wear?: APRON - cute misdirections

How's that for an apron - care for some (un)dressing with that salad~?

91. Parks of Alabama: ROSA

92. Crocheted mat: DOILY

93. "Snowfall" actor Damson __: IDRIS - my final fill; good to see an alternative to "ELBA"

95. Like most awards: ANNUAL

97. Mount __: Washington estate: VERNON - my gym is located in Vernon, CT . . .

98. Arizona State's city: TEMPE - my ex is located in Arizona . . .

99. Some choral singers: ALTOs - and my voice is located in the baritone range.

100. Harsh: ACRID

103. Classic muscle car: GTO - "Goat" - here's where the name G T O comes from

104. Doll with neon hair: TROLL

106. Dorm VIPs: RAs - Resident Assistants

108. Hack (off): LOP

109. Secondhand: USED

114. Tofu nutrient: PROTEIN - I have "plateaued" at the gym; my trainer has now dropped my calorie intake to 1900/day, with 30-35% Protein, 30-40% Carbs, and 25-35% Fat

117. 50-50: EVEN

118. Persian greeting?: MEOW - Persian, the cat, that is

123. Religious subgroup: SECT

124. Bend at a barre: PLIE

125. Minor key?: ISLET - Minor = small :: Key = island

126. Underground worker: MINER - the "other" MINOR

It's the key of  "B sharp"

127. Inquires: ASKS

128. Straight people, casually: HETS - Clunky, sorta meh; Heterosexuals - don't usually hear it spoken

129. Love, in arias: AMORE

DOWN:

1. Club alternative: BLT - sa'miches

2. Eggs in ikura sushi: ROE

3. Tags on social media: ATS - more commonly "@"s 

4. Like some brownies: NUTTY - I like my PB chunky, but not my brownies

5. Light a fire under: HASTEN - ah. Not IGNITE⁽⁺⁾

6. "Doggone it!": "AW HECK~!"

7. Desert rarity: RAIN

8. Smeltery waste: DROSS - SLAG was too short

9. Currency at pachinko parlors: YEN - in retrospect, this makes sense

More here

10. Start of a show: ACT I

11. Nursery nutrients: PLANT FOOD; the set of 8- & 9-letter down fills; 14D. Poses done in a taproom: BEER YOGA; 82D. "Happens to everyone": "WE ALL DO IT"; 88D. Some light cosmetics: LIP TINTS

12. Head-to-toe garments: BURQAS - I had the "K", not the "Q" at first

13. Han River capital: SEOUL 

15. Campus group: FRAT - Not ROTC⁽⁺⁾

16. __-second rule: FIVE - I frequently adhere to this phenomenon, despite what Mythbusters proved

The Five-Second Rule tested

17. Oracle: SEER

19. OAK alternative: SFO - I was stumped by this - I am not West coast, so I did not recognize the airport codes of California's Bay Area tarmacs - and now there's controversy . . . 

28. Classic Ford: T-BIRD - I had the less-than-classic, but still way-cool, 1986 Turbo Coupe

29. Ristorante menu preposition: ALLA - penne ALLA vodka, e.g.

30. Spanish girl: CHICA

31. Like some eclipses: LUNAR - Not TOTAL⁽⁺⁾

35. Fund that might grow for decades: IRA

38. Like some rear admirals: TWO-STAR

39. "Yeah, right!": "AS IF~!"

Wayne's World

41. Heebie-jeebies: FRIGHT - not CREEPS⁽⁺⁾

44. Sharing a cultural identity: ETHNIC

45. Orangutan: RED APE - I tried BIG APE⁽⁺⁾

47. Warbler lookalike: ORIOLE

49. Scouring brand: BRILLO

52. Wii Sports avatar: Mii - how you appear in the game; this is my Facebook Avatar

53. Golden State sch.: UCLA - No LA~! #2

55. Lentil dish: DAL

56. Product that may reduce dark circles: EYE GEL

59. Castle structures: TOWERS - I loves me a castle, especially with towers

60. Domain: REALM - Not ARENA⁽⁺⁾

65. Capital city in Anatolia: ANKARA

67. Like new tires: TREADED - But what about F1 racing~?

68. Motion detector, e.g.: SENSOR

69. Toast at a Bavarian beer festival: PROSIT - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - crossing IDRIS, a bit of a Natick

70. Go back: RECEDE - Not RETURN⁽⁺⁾

72. Ruthless ruler: TYRANT - Not DESPOT⁽⁺⁾

73. Forever and a day: AGES - Not EONS⁽⁺⁾

76. Put away: EAT

79. TV pioneer: RCA

84. French novelist Émile: ZOLA - seen this name in Crosswords before

85. Cotija-covered corn: ELOTE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

86. Council of clerics: SYNOD

90. Bouillon brand: KNORR - they make sides dishes in bags, too

94. Feudal laborer: SERF

96. Miss. home: USA - I was not fooled by this, but I did hesitate - Mississippi is in the US of  A

97. Deadly snake: VIPER - not ADDER⁽⁺⁾

99. Gene arising from mutation: ALLELE

101. End-of-game pitcher: CLOSER - Not RELIEF⁽⁺⁾

102. Revolve: ROTATE

105. Extra pep: OOMPH

107. Twitch: SPASM - I had a SPASM in my last puzzle blog

109. Let fall, as hair: UNPIN

That's a BIG PIN

110. Steep-sided plateau: MESA

111. Urban rtes.: AVEs

112. Giraffe feature: NECK

They're "necking"

113. Fleecy mamas: EWES

"Youse" got to check out this mama in fleece-lined tights~!

115. Move quickly?: RELO - move = relocate :: quickly = abbr 

116. Magnet end?: ISM - magnetISM - the beginning of Monster Magnet's album Last Patrol, but the link didn't hold up . . . .oh well

119. "Spy Game" org.: CIA

120. "So I should take that as __?": "A NO~?"

121. Cartoon frame: CEL

122. Dynastic period, e.g.: ERA

Splynter

Monday October 6, 2025 Agnes Davidson & Zhouqin Burnikel

All rise. The court is now in session, the Questionable Judge RustyBrain presiding - because sumdaze is in jail. Just kidding! She's actually out on bail. 

It's the trial of the century! Well, not quite, but when our boss, C.C., and our own Irish Miss collude, it's big news. In looking over the court documents, I see that that they have conspired over two dozen times in the past. I find them guilty of being habitual cruciverbalists!

The opening statement is the revealer:

37. Proceeding that may follow a subpoena, and what the ends of 16-, 23-, 46-, and 59-Across can make?: COURT APPEARANCE. Each of the following themers ends in a word that can be found in a courtroom.

16. Spot to paste a URL in a browser window: ADDRESS BAR. The BAR is the railing or barrier that separates the public area from the space reserved for judges, lawyers, and court officials. 

23. Holds firm against opposition: TAKES A STAND. The witness STAND is the location in a courtroom where a witness gives testimony. A witness called to testify is said to "take the stand."

46. Hall of Fame catcher who won two World Series with the Cincinnati Reds: JOHNNY BENCH. The judge's raised platform when presiding over a court is called the BENCH.

59. Place for oils and watercolors: ART GALLERY. The GALLERY refers to the public area in a courtroom where onlookers, citizens, and the media can observe court proceedings.

So, we have order in the court. All these answers are common phrases that match their clues. I also appreciate that the name-calling was kept to a minimum, or else I'd have to declare a mistrial. 

Let's see how the case unfolded:

Across:

1. "That's tragic": SO SAD. Too bad, SO SAD.

6. Bridal gown material: LACE. Also available in leather.

10. City ride with a sign on top: CAB. 

13. Ingredient in pepper pot soup: TRIPE. Campbell's discontinued Pepper Pot soup in 2010. Now it's hard to find a load of TRIPE.

14. Love, in telenovelas: AMOR. 

15. Temporary calm: LULL. I've been in the eye of a hurricane. After an hour's LULL with clear blue sky directly overhead, it struck again, except blowing in the opposite direction. Trees that were bent one way snapped as the storm wrenched them back the other way.

16. [theme]

18. Et __: and others: ALIA.

19. Extra charges: FEES. I hate hidden FEES. Especially in the travel industry, with flights and hotels being the worst.

20. Épée handle: HILT. Finally an épée clue where it's not the answer!

21. Colorado ski town: ASPEN. 

22. 48 hrs. before Sun.: FRI. Another cool way to clue a common answer. 

23. [theme]

25. Lose traction: SKID. 

27. Tree gunk: SAP. SAP from various trees has many uses: in foods, medicine and even sealants. Here's a cup Mrs. RightBrain gave me to use when collecting it: 

28. "Challenge accepted!": IT'S ON.

30. Colombian city: CALI.

33. Told a whopper: LIED. In our courtroom today, it would be perjury.

37. [theme]

40. Leg joint: KNEE. I prefer wing joints - like this one in Pompano Beach, FL that I've been going to for 45 years.

41. Raised, as horses: BRED. 

42. Cast member: ACTOR. Cast member: LEG JOINT.

43. Internet dial-up pioneer: AOL. America On-Line, I think. It's been forever.

45. Tech support caller: USER. TASS support caller: USSR.

46. [theme]

52. Clumsy fellow: OAF. Someone who says, "Oof," a lot.

55. Cropped up: AROSE. Cropped out: ERASE

56. Kapoor of "Slumdog Millionaire": ANIL. I could picture his face, but not his name. So I phoned a friend.

57. Openly declare: AVER.

58. Hornet, for one: WASP. Both are of the genus vespa, hence the sign they put up while building a nest in my garage.

59. [theme]

61. Blues singer James: ETTA. Finally squeezed in an album cover. Phew!

62. EverQuest monster: OGRE. EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Your basic MMORPG.

63. Spine-chilling: EERIE.

64. __ Moines River: DES. From the French meaning "The Moines." Actually, I don't speak French. But the name probably doesn't mean "of the monks," and likely came from a Native American word, "Moingona," which referred to the local Illinois tribe and their path around the rapids.

65. Topple (over): KEEL. Usually a bad sign when the KEEL is over the topple.

66. Daisylike flower: ASTER.

Down:

1. Office crew: STAFF. Also available on office polos.

2. Cry from a judge: ORDER. Part of today's courtroom drama!

3. Tangential topic: SIDE ISSUE.

4. Car loan figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage Rate$

5. Poor grade: DEE. 

6. Corrective eye surgery: LASIK.

7. Meander along: AMBLE.

8. Paint applications: COATS. And here's a COAT of paint:

9. Miss the mark, maybe: ERR. This is wrong.

10. Mea __: acknowledgment of fault: CULPA. OK, you got me. ERR is right?

11. Out of this world?: ALIEN. 

12. Lacking seasoning: BLAND. Also a bad name for a new restaurant.

15. The cellar, in sports: LAST PLACE. Funny, this is the first place I'd go for sports.

17. Fish prized for its roe: SHAD.

21. Happy __ clam: AS A.

23. Add color to: TINT. 

24. Angkor Wat's continent: ASIA. Angkor Wat is a Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia that is famous for being the world's largest religious monument.

26. Pampering spot known as jjimjilbang: KOREAN SPA. Unknown but inferable.

28. "Gross!": ICK. This clue is yucky.

29. Huge amount: TON.

30. EMS skill: CPR. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are trained in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

31. Primate with no tail: APE. SO SAD that he had no tale to tell. 

32. Took the reins: LED. Took the vows - this lucky mare has been LED by the reins to the altar! Good thing she bought a copy of Modern Bridal.

34. Social butterfly's opposite: INTROVERT.

35. __-conscious: green-minded: ECO. "Green-minded" used to mean jealous.

36. German article: DER. I read a German article once, and the only word I knew was "DER."

38. With skill: ABLY.

39. Poison ivy reaction: RASH. 

44. Lowest roll on a die: ONE. 

45. School near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California, Los Angeles chose Bruins as the team mascot because "Golden Bear" was already taken by Cal Berkley.

46. Talked and talked: JAWED. ORATE?

47. Speak in public: ORATE. JAWED?

48. Party planners: HOSTS.

49. Flat-bottomed boat: BARGE. I hate when they BARGE in like this.

50. Between, in French: ENTRE. Not to be confused your main meal or with entrez-vous which is "come in" in French. 

51. Hawthorne of "The Madness of King George": NIGEL. New to me but not to Brits. He was knighted in 1999.

53. Eagle's nest: AERIE.

54. Doughnut cooker: FRYER.

57. Hoppy brews: ALES. A hare of the dog?

59. Hunky-dory: AOK. The term "hunky dory" is widely believed to have originated from the Japanese phrase honcho dori ("main street"). When American sailors got disoriented (no pun intended) in town and found the main street that led back to port, they knew everything would be AOK.

60. Grassy expanse: LEA.

The court is adjourned. What's your verdict?