Monday July 7, 2025 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. 

Theme:  

Call Me   ~   Blondie   ~   1980

Today's puzzle has five fun themers. Each begins with a word that can be used to mean "make a telephone call".

18 Across. Trendy bits of jargon: BUZZ WORDS.

24 Across. Choice spots at a prizefight: RING SIDE SEATS.

38 Across. Carol lyric before "Oh! What fun it is to ride / In a one-horse open sleigh": JINGLE ALL THE WAY.  

48 Across. First line of "Moby-Dick": CALL ME ISHMAEL.

58 Across. Do a job half-heartedly: PHONE IT IN.  

Let's let our fingers do the walking through the other clues...

(Note:  To catch that reference, you have to be old enough to remember phone books and yellow pages.)

Across: 

1. Soft support for an injured arm: SLING.  

6. Halogen bulb unit: WATT.  

10. Sneaker, e.g.: SHOE.  

14. Social no-no: TABOO.

15. Jane Austen matchmaker: EMMA.  The protagonist's full name is Emma Woodhouse. This novel was originally published December 23, 1815. Did they schedule releases for Christmas must-haves back then?

16. Shed, as feathers: MOLT.  Penguins do a "catastrophic MOLT". That sounds serious, doesn't it? Whereas most birds lose and replace feathers here and there, penguins lose their feathers all at once. This is so they can remain waterproof most of the time. Their MOLT takes 2-3 weeks.  

17. Photographer Adams: ANSEL.  He is usually associated with his images of Yosemite but I have a pretty cool book of photos he took of University of California features called Fiat Lux. This photo is of Lick Observatory. (Jayce knows this place.)  

20. Writer/actress Issa: RAE.

21. Beaver creations: DAMS.  Here is a 3:51 min. BBC video about beaver DAMS. Baby beavers (kits) appear at 2:08.  

"A beaver can lift its own body weight in timber."

23. Natural sweetener: HONEY.  A typical beehive makes more than 400 lbs. (181.4 kg.) of HONEY per year. 

28. Etymologist's ref.: OED.  An etymologist specializes in word histories. One might study a reference book such as the Oxford English Dictionary.

29. School subject with fractions: MATH.  

30. First course of action: PLAN A.

33. Understands: SEES.    

SEE'S understands me.

35. King Kong, e.g.: APE.

42. Place for a facial: SPA.  "Face" was one letter too long.

43. Landed on a perch: ALIT.

44. One-named "I Drink Wine" singer: ADELE.  I know we have some Adele fans here on The Corner. Here is this 2021 song with lyrics:  

45. Use a peeler: PARE.  If you think of the phrase PARE down, you might think of a knife slowly peeling away layers.  This article lists six uses for a PARing knife:  peeling, coring/pitting/deseeding, segmenting, deveining, scoring bread, and making detailed cuts. (Apparently coring, pitting, and deseeding are all one use.)

47. Simile phrase: AS A.  

54. Hawk's nest: AERIE.  This word is also used for an eagle's nest. Perhaps you are familiar with the clothing store American Eagle. They have a sub-brand called Aerie.  

56. Nine-__ battery: VOLT.  Last night I replaced one of these in my smoke detector. Why do they always start the low-battery chirp in the middle of the night? It really freaks out my dog.

57. Army ration, briefly: MRE.  Meal, Ready-To-Eat. I think I've mentioned I take these backpacking. You only need  an ounce of water to activate the heating pouch. Each one is about 1,250 calories. I figure on one per day plus oatmeal for breakfast, a few Luna bars, and some herbal tea bags.  

61. "Rashomon" director Kurosawa: AKIRA.  Rashomon is a 1950 film set in Kyoto, Japan.

63. Chimney sweep's target: SOOT.  

Dick Van Dyke   ~  Chim Chim Cher-ee   ~   Mary Poppins  (1964)

64. __ Field: Queens stadium: CITI.  I know this one from doing XWDs.

65. "We Got the Beat" band: GO-GO'S.  They are an all-female rock band. This video is from American Bandstand in 1982.  

Hand up for being a fan back in the day!

66. Possesses: OWNS.  not in the creepy The Exorcist sort of way

67. Corporate VIP: EXEC.  Very Important Person and EXECutive

68. Just-in-case tire: SPARE.  

Down:

1. Ringo of the Beatles: STARR.  On January 10, 2025, Ringo released Look Up, a solo country album.  

2. Roofed patio: LANAI.

3. "A Doll's House" playwright Henrik: IBSEN.  This is another answer I know from doing XWDs.

4. __ Valley, San Francisco: NOE.  This neighborhood guide extols the area's virtues. Redfin says the median sale price of a home in Noe Valley last month was $2.2 million.

5. Shiny embossment on a certificate: GOLD SEAL.

6. Online health info source: WebMD.

7. Make chuckle: AMUSE.  It turns out that the ancient Greek word muse is not related to AMUSE. The latter comes from Latin.  

AMUSEd muses ???

8. Tabloid news org.: TMZ.  From wiki:  TMZ on TV is an American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television show that premiered on September 10, 2007.

and

The name "TMZ" is derived from the initialism for "thirty-mile zone" that was historically used in the film and television industry to refer to the so-called "studio zone"—an area with a 30-mile (48 km) radius centered on the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.

9. Looney Tunes character who spins wildly, informally: TAZ.  

Tasmanian Devil

10. Like satin: SMOOTH.

11. Traffic jam noisemakers: HORNS.

12. Ye __ Tavern: OLDE.

13. Online seller of many bespoke gifts: ETSY.

19. "Come again?": WHAT.

22. Provide support: AID.  The 2025 Tour de France began last Saturday. I watch the daily recaps on YouTube. Cycling is very much a team sport, with team members providing support for their lead rider.

Tadej Pogacar's team car was equipped to provide
whatever AID was needed at this year's Paris-Roubaix.
(I do not know how much that Audi costs,
but there is easily over $100K in bikes on its roof.)

25. "The __ Show": talent competition: GONG.  Its first run was from 1976-1980. One might describe it as the '70s version of America's Got Talent. 

26. Refine using heat, as metal ore: SMELT.

27. Sunrise direction: EAST.  

30. Jammies: PJS.

31. Chapstick target: LIP.

32. Marilyn Monroe portrayer de Armas: ANA.  

Ana played Marilyn in the 2022 film, Blonde.

33. Oregon's capital: SALEM.  

34. Former quarterback Manning: ELI.

35. Really impress: AWE.

36. Chum: PAL.

37. Needle hole: EYE.

39. __ Grey tea: EARL.

40. Symbols on social media: HASHTAGS.  This octothorpe has several names. For this clue, the HASH symbol (#) is used to metaTAG something in a post.  #LMGTFY

41. Dutch cheese: EDAM.  

45. Art classroom supply: PAINTS.

46. Sheltered, at sea: ALEE.  This diagram helps you SEE that while the leeward side of an island is more protected, it is also more arid than the windward side.  

47. Handspeak.com subj.: ASL.  

48. Serenade, perhaps: CROON.

49. Party request opened with a tap or a click: EVITE.

50. Greek column style: IONIC.  

neither dull nor too much

51. Latina chum: AMIGA.  Latina is feminine so we knew the last letter was an A.

52. Software flaw: ERROR.  

53. Rental contract: LEASE.

54. Lhasa __: Tibetan dog breed: APSO.  

I was surprised to read that they do not shed.

55. DIY tutorial site: EHOW.

59. Zamboni surface: ICE.  Who doesn't love the word Zamboni?

60. B'way buys: TIX.  Broadway and TIckets ???

62. Keystone bumbler: KOP.  Both cop and KOP are acceptable spellings.

That was the last one. You are now dialed in!

Here is the grid:  

There was no "reveal" today; so, no, you did not miss it.  😀

Monday June 30, 2025 Amie Walker and Darby Ratliff

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's theme is:  

not that this is a test or anything....

20 Across. Place to see some spectacles?: GLASSES CASE.  A bit of misdirection is always fun. Perhaps you were thinking of a spectacular display?  

25 Across. "Abbott Elementary" star: QUINTA BRUNSON.  Congratulations to you if this one was a gimme. It was ESP for me. I checked our archives. Quinta's full name was a themed answer on 10/22/24;  she appeared in a clue on 5/29/25;  and she was mentioned in the write-ups on 10/25/23 and 10/29/24. It is time for me to remember her name. 

42 Across. Coach at a health club: PERSONAL TRAINER.  

You could say that Mr. Miyagi was a
PERSONAL TRAINER for the Karate Kid (1984).

52 Across. Manager who opens up a shop, or an apt description of 20-, 25-, or 42-Across: KEY HOLDER.  I was not familiar with this title. As the clue indicates, it is an employee with added responsibilities, such as arriving early to unlock a business.

Also, the circles spotlight three KEYs of another variety -- computer KEYs. Furthermore, the KEYs are held within the themed answers:  ESC, TAB, and ALT. I liked how our puzzle setter placed all the KEYs so that they span the two word answers. I noticed that these three keys are in the top-to-bottom order that matches my keyboard. I wonder if that was intentional.

Next, we will enter the other clues & answers:

Across:

1. Fashion mag known for quizzes: COSMO.  Magazine is shortened, so is COSMOpolitan. 

6. Dog's foot: PAW.

9. Fan out, as toes: SPLAY.  When dogs lay with their legs SPLAYed, it is called splooting.  

14. Proprietor: OWNER.  OWNERs are usually KEY HOLDERs.

15. Prefix with system: ECO-.

16. Self-assurance: POISE.

17. Media watchdog org. that focuses on queer inclusivity: GLAAD.  This organization was founded on November 14, 1985.  website

18. Big boat that held animal pairs: ARK.  

19. Answers an invite, briefly: RSVPS.

23. Korean car company: KIA.

24. Pizzeria order: PIE.  Dean Martin sang about one in 1953.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza PIE, that's amore.  ♪♪

32. Mom's sister: AUNT.

33. Neckwear worn by Mickey Mouse at Aulani Resort: LEI.  This is a Disney resort on the island of Oahu's leeward side. Their website says aulani means "messenger of a chief".  

34. Ladybug feature: SPOT.  Cute clue! A ladybug's spots are not random. They serve as a deterrent to predators.  more about ladybug's spots

36. Laser tag sound: PEW.

37. Runs at full speed: GALLOPS.  It is surprising how smooth it feels on a horse's back at full gallop.

41. "__ bit confused": I'M A.

45. Digital counterpart: ANALOG.

46. Beat in a hot dog contest, e.g.: OUT EAT.  This answer has four vowels and two T's.

47. Spots for facials: SPAS.

48. Tax season helper: Abbr.: CPA.

51. "__ la vie!": C'EST.  That's life! (French)

55. Opposite of 39-Down: ANTI.     and     39 Down. In favor of: PRO.

58. Major fad: MANIA.  

Beetlemania came to mind.

59. "I so agree with you": AMEN.

63. Vanilla __: BEAN.  It takes 9 months from pollination to bean; 9 months to cure the bean; and 9 months to enhance the flavor in a humidor.

64. Humidor item: CIGAR.  "Vanilla BEAN" did not fit.

65. __ sago: tapioca dessert served hot or cold: TARO.  Google says this is a Cantonese dessert.

66. Karaoke selection: SONG.  Karaoke translates to "empty orchestra" in Japanese.  

67. Came to the surface: AROSE.

68. Dutch semisoft cheese: EDAM.  made in the Netherlands

Down:

1. Gear tooth: COG.

2. Hooting bird: OWL.  I have always been fond of burrowing OWLs. They are less than 10 in. (25.4 cm.) tall and are active during the day. This video was made by someone with a trail camera.  Burrowing Owl Facts

3. Catch (on): SNAG.  It took me a bit to catch on that this was like when your sweater catches on a bench splinter.

4. HelloFresh product: MEAL KIT.  HelloFresh delivers meal components to your house.

5. Confer holy orders upon: ORDAIN.

6. Samosa vegetables: PEAS.  During the fall I stock up on Trader Joe's mini spicy pumpkin samosas; however, those do not have PEAS in them.

7. Land measure: ACRE.

8. Pans that might require special burners: WOKS.

9. Wrist injury: SPRAIN.

10. To have or to hold: POSSESS.  I like this allusion to wedding vows.

11. "I will never __ this down!": LIVE.

12. Nile snake: ASP.

13. "I accept!": YES.

21. Stayed put: SAT.

22. Apple core, for short: CPU.  This apple is a computer with a Central Processing Unit.

25. Largest borough of New York City: QUEENS.  I just needed one perp to guess at this one.  

26. Open, as a present: UNWRAP.

27. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.

28. Bike signal: BELL. I have a bell on all of my bikes. I use them to notify other Rec Trail users that I am about to pass but they are usually too busy looking at their phones to hear me.

29. Barrel of laughs: RIOT.

30. Weighs in: OPINES.

31. Vegetarian restriction: NO MEAT.

32. Dad, in Korean: APPA.  

35. Like sourballs: TART.

37. Canadian honker: GOOSE.  I recently learned about how the Artic Barnacle GOOSE builds its nest on a high cliff then the goslings do a freefall to meet their parents at the bottom. Apparently their bones are soft enough to survive the fall during a 36-72 hour window. This video is bananas!  

Spoiler alert: the chick survives!

38. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.

40. Sriracha, for one: SAUCE.  

43. Satisfying, as thirst: SLAKING.  Def. (verb) (1.) <archaic> Subside; abate.  (2.) crumble.

44. Say over and over: ITERATE.  Is "reiterate" redundant?

48. Seat at the table: CHAIR.  Literally.

49. Father of many, many puppies in "101 Dalmatians": PONGO.  I pulled this one out of the punchbowl!

50. Ms. Marvel, for Kamala Khan: ALIAS.  

Canadian actress Iman Vellani played Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel
 in the 2022 Disney+ series.

53. Org. with a pool, often: YMCA.

54. Truth alternative in a party game: DARE.

55. Crunch muscles: ABS.

56. Prefix with classical: NEO-.

57. Beach vacation souvenir: TAN.  My old boss used to say that a vacation's good vibes fade at the same rate as the TAN.

60. Steamed: MAD.  

61. Notable span: ERA.

62. Snack, cutesily: NOM.  

Here's the grid. We do not usually see vertical symmetry on Mondays.

Two notes before I close:

1. Thanks to RustyBrain for covering for me last week!
2. Please join me in wishing our blogmistress C.C. a very happy birthday!  🎂 

Monday June 16, 2025 Kathy Lowden

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. If you woke up this morning thinking, "I'm in the mood for some silly rhymes," then today is your lucky day!

Theme:      

Ready, Freddy?

20 Across. "Why should I care if the peasants are starving?," snarled the __: MEAN QUEEN.

26 Across. "Teach your kids some manners! And get better snacks," snapped the __: BITTER SITTER.

43 Across. "Don't try and tell me the route -I've been doing this job for 20 years," growled the __: CRABBY CABBIE.

54 Across. "I need this work done yesterday!," shouted the __: CROSS BOSS.  

No reveal was needed today. Each themer is a two-word phrase where the first word is an adjective describing a cranky attitude and the second word is a human. All the clues are quotes. I liked this tight set! 

Moody Foodie???

Across:

1. Large group of bees: SWARM. SWARM is the collective noun for a large group of bees. My backyard neighbor has bees. They SWARM (verb) every year. It is fascinating to watch!

6. Female deer: DOE.  Some other four-legged mammal whose females are called DOEs are goats, antelopes, and rabbits. But today is Monday so ....

9. Expressed disapproval: TSKED.  

"handy"  haha!

14. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE.     and     48 Across. Rio automaker: KIA.

Last Monday we had 49. Across. Where Katie Ledecky won four Olympic golds:  RIO.

15. Wane: EBB.

16. Swiftly: APACE.  Def.:  (adverb) at a quick pace; swiftly.

If you read this one too swiftly, you might have thought it said "Swiftie".  

Taylor Swift fans call themselves Swifties.

17. Leaves the motor running: IDLES.  

18. Dove's sound: COO.

19. Come up with, as an idea: HIT ON.  

~  another meaning for HIT ON  ~
DH and I met running. He came up alongside me and said, "How you doin'?"

22. Clickable symbols: ICONS.  

23. Alums-to-be: SRS.  high school seniors  

Zits readers know that Pierce recently confused two types of seniors.

24. Sea urchin, on a sushi menu: UNI.  (rhymes with "Moonie")

Out of the 950 species of sea urchin, only 18 are edible.

I hear college students in The UK love UNI.

25. Consumed: ATE.  Yet when we describe people as consumers, the first thing to come to mind is not eaters.

32. Must: HAVE TO.

35. Rejections: NOs.

36. Went by skateboard: RODE.  

Rad Dog

37. Photographer's request: SMILE.  

Peg   ~   Steely Dan   ~  1977

"So won't you SMILE for the camera." 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯

38. Little one: TOT.

39. Goes out with: DATES.

40. Second to none: BEST.

41. Feel poorly: AIL.

42. Passionate: ARDENT.

46. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  federation and United Arab Emirites

47. Substance that may be crushed or cubed: ICE.

51. Heroic tales: EPICS.

57. Puts in order: RANKS.

58. Ray gun sound: ZAP.  Sometimes it is "pew".

59. Tests for doctoral candidates: ORALS.

60. Sock terminus, often: ANKLE.  

ANKLE socks

61. Lennox of R&B: ARI.  [b. Courtney Shanade Salter on March 26, 1991 in Washington, D.C.] I watched two videos and had to pass on both. Perhaps someone reading this is a fan and can suggest their favorite Ari Lennox song.

62. __ mignon: FILET.

63. Eye maladies: STYES.

64. TiVo button: REC.

65. Daring achievements: FEATS.  Ultramarathoners complete FEATS with their feets. 

Down:

1. Reads quickly: SKIMS.

2. Flamingo, for one: WADER.  

3. Book of maps: ATLAS.

4. "Non, je ne regrette __": Edith Piaf song: RIEN.  ESP for me but when I listened to the song, I recognized it. The title translates to, "No, I regret nothing." Edith's version came out in 1960.  

5. Wood used for grilling: MESQUITE.  

They are beautiful trees inhabiting arid and semiarid regions throughout
the southwest U.S., Mexico, South America, northern Africa, and eastern Asia.

6. Web of lies: DECEIT.  

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

8. Black, to poets: EBON.  EBONy.  "To poets" is a hint that the answer is somehow abbreviated.

9. Setting for many Gauguin paintings: TAHITI.  

Parau Api. What's new?, 1892. by Paul Gauguin

10. Silk Road enterprise: SPICE TRADE.  This link takes you to a 518-word article on the Silk Road. Some of the SPICEs that were TRADEd include cloves, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, frankincense, black pepper, cinnamon, and saffron.

11. The Green Hornet's aide: KATO. I thought he had a lamp so I first tried that. KATO was his crime-fighting sidekick.

12. Business maj.: ECON.  major and ECONomics

13. Fox holes: DENS.

21. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

25. Stubborn animal: ASS.

26. Prize at a rodeo: BELT BUCKLE.  

27. Sherlock's teen sister: ENOLA.

28. Go bad: ROT.

29. Fundraiser freebie: TOTE.  I have so many! I keep a TOTE full of TOTEs in my car.

30. Genesis garden: EDEN.

31. Take a breather: REST.

32. U.K.-based bank founded in Asia: HSBC.  Once known as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, HSBC began in Hong Kong in 1865 to finance trade between Europe and Asia. Today they are in 58 countries and territories, including the U.S. and Canada. 

33. U.S. citizen: AMER.  The abbreviation in the clue let us know that AMERican would be shortened.

34. Travel document: VISA.

38. Involuntary twitch: TIC.

39. Uses a towel: DRIES OFF.

41. Favorable vote: AYE.  All those in favor....

42. Basics: ABCS.

44. Voices lower than tenors: BASSES.  Last Monday we had 8-Down. Low opera voice: BASSO.  

There are detailed differences between the two; but, basically, basso is an Italian word and usually refers to opera or classical singing. Also note that this week we were looking for a plural answer because of voices.  

45. Film about a real person, informally: BIOPIC.  The word BIOPIC often makes the list of misles (pronounced with a long /i/). These are words that people often mispronounce in their heads while reading them because they do not match the pronunciation with the spelling. Their name comes from misled which people sometimes misread as MY-zel-ed. In the case of BIOPIC, people often read it as bi-OP-ic (rhyming with myopic). Some other misles are:  awry, colonel, corps, infrared, sword, and Yosemite.

48. Fluffy-eared marsupial: KOALA.  

today's "So cute!" moment

49. Small part of an archipelago: ISLET.  According to NOAA, an archipelago is an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago includes 36,563 islands.

50. Aides: Abbr.: ASSTS.  ASSisTS

51. Historical spans: ERAS.  

52. Huff and puff: PANT.  This common nighthawk is PANTing. Read more about how birds PANT at this U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service page.  

53. Deep black: INKY.

54. Policy honcho: CZAR.

55. Not medium or well: RARE.  Think "meat cooking options".

56. Camembert kin: BRIE.  fromage  

Click to enlarge.

The grid:  

I'll be away when today's blog posts. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

Read you later, alligator!