Monday November 17, 2025 Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle from seasoned constructor, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano. Enrique's puzzles are known for their sparkly fill. We have some fun examples of that today. Let's get into it!

Theme:        Geological Time Scales  

The circles in each of today's themers alerted solvers that a three-letter word for a geological unit of TIME could be found twice in the full answer.

20 Across. *Overseer of a theatrical production: STAGE MANAGER.  

26 Across. *Law that governs interstate electricity transmission: FEDERAL POWER ACT.

45 Across. *Little Free Library instruction: TAKE ONE LEAVE ONE.  

As an added bit of fun, notice that AGE, ERA, and EON are in order from shortest to longest.  

Sussing 20-Across meant that I had six gimmes waiting. That helped to make for a smooth solving experience. No complaints from me. This is a Monday, puzzle, after all.

I won't waste any more time. Here is the reveal:

51 Across. Repeatedly, or what's found in the answers to the starred clues: TIME AND AGAIN.  I smiled a smile of recognition and quickly typed in "TIME After time" but ran out of boxes -- which momentarily perplexed me. Nevertheless, I found Enrique's reveal to be equally delightful. Well done!

Now that we know the gimmick, it's about TIME we look at the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Tea infuser material: MESH.  I am a tea drinker so I have a few of these. (I am sure I would find more if I opened more drawers.) I bought the top, right one at Sally Lunn's in Bath, UK. It has a metal MESH. The green one has a plastic MESH. The other one just has little holes, no MESH. 

5. Give a poke: PROD.  

9. __ and pains: ACHES.  

14. Inkling: IDEA.

15. Like some overcooked meat: ROPY.  The more I tried to find a fitting definition, the more grossed out I got. "Viscous" is pretty close.

16. Accessory used by Woody in "Toy Story": LASSO.  

Riders in the Sky     ~     Woody's Roundup

album:  Toy Story 2 (Original Soundtrack) (1999)

17. Indication: SIGN.     and     18 Across. Portentous 17-Across: OMEN.  

19. Very much so: TRULY.  

Also, Truly Scrumptious was the name of the lead female character in the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang played by Sally Ann Howes. I think you already know that the movie was based on the book by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame.

23. Little bit: TAD.

24. Part of a good story?: MORAL.  Good one! We are not talking about any old above-average story. We are talking about a story that promotes making good (MORAL) choices. Such stories usually end with, "And the MORAL of this story is...."

33. Come to deserve: EARN.  

34. Knotted accessory: TIE.  Here's a 2:28 min. video on how to TIE a Windsor knot. I like the camera angle.  

35. Croc kin: GATOR.  Crocodile and alliGATOR are both shortened.

36. "Just __ thought!": AS I.  

Honest John from Pinocchio

37. Declared for the NBA draft, e.g.: WENT PRO.  National Basketball Association is shortened, so is PROfessional. "Going pro" or "turn pro" refers to when an athlete relinquishes their amateur status, as would be the case when being drafted to a PROfessional team.

40. Yale student: ELI. Yale University students are nicknamed ELI after benefactor Elihu Yale.

41. Techno keyboard: SYNTH.  A SYNTHesizer is an electronic musical instrument. They are typically played with keyboards.

43. "__ you decent?": ARE.  Translation:  Do you have clothes on?

44. "Don't come any closer!": STOP.  

The Supremes     ~     Stop! In the Name of Love     ~     1965

49. Enjoy thoroughly: SAVOR.  

50. "Eternals" actress McHugh: LIA.  Lia will celebrate her 20th birthday tomorrow. 🎂 Eternals was a 2021 movie that was external to my radar. Lia played the character Sprite.

57. Gem that may be natural or cultured: PEARL.  What's the difference?

60. First Nations people: CREE.

61. Pakistani language: URDU.

62. Spur into action: IMPEL.  

63. Prong: TINE.  Def.:  (noun) a slender pointed projecting part.

64. Melodic vocal quality: LILT.

65. Blender setting for baby food: PUREE.

66. Ooze: SEEP.

67. Big name in potato chips: LAY'S.  As it turns out, just last month Lay's announced it's biggest rebranding in nearly a century. In its news release, Lay's said that 42% of people who eat Lay's potato chips do not realize they are made with real potatoes (I am not making that up.) so they want to show more potatoes on the bag. Read all about the big changes and see the new bag design here.  

Lay's bags 1944-2025 (but not the new one)

Down:

1. Fail to notice: MISS.

2. Revise, as prose: EDIT.  EDIT's etymology says that it is a back-formation from editor, meaning that the word editor predates the word EDIT. I found that surprising.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog game company: SEGA.  Sonic the Hedgehog started out as a video game. It was later made into a TV series and a movie.

4. Surf with one's toes off the board: HANG TEN.  Fifty years ago, this surfing maneuver was a symbol of West Coast lifestyle. It requires a longer board than surfers use nowadays.

On a related note, in 1960 the Hang Ten clothing company was launched in Seal Beach, CA. Their merchandise featured the bare feet logo. In my neck of the woods, it was the Izod crocodile of the 1970's. more Hang Ten company history  

5. One sharing a limo ride to a formal dance: PROM DATE.  This is the "ride to the prom" scene from Napoleon Dynamite (2004). It's 4 min. long. Be patient or fast-forward.  

6. Slender tomato: ROMA.

7. Up for new experiences: OPEN.

8. Bundle of energy: DYNAMO.

9. Catwoman, for Selina Kyle: ALTER EGO.  While you might not know who Selina Kyle is, pouncing from "Catwoman" to "super hero" to the answer was not too much of a stretch.

10. Italian city known for marble: CARRARA.  Do you want to know what a Carrara marble mountain looks like? Or perhaps you want to know how to pronounce this word? Watch this 2-min. video.  

11. "The Wild Robot" voice actress Stephanie: HSU.  Stephanie will celebrate her 25th birthday a week from tomorrow. 🎂  The Wild Robot is a movie that came out last year.

12. Night school subj.: ESL.  subject and English as a Second Language

When I lived in Japan, I was grateful for the city-sponsored Japanese language classes. My fellow students represented many countries.

13. Source of tofu and tempeh: SOY.  I have both in my refrigerator. If you are OPEN to learning more, read this article.  

tofu (l.) & tempeh (r.)

21. Unit of corn: EAR.

22. Pai __: casino game with tiles: GOW.  wikiHow says that this "is a Chinese betting game that uses tiles instead of cards."

25. Not punctual for: LATE TO.  

White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

26. Decadent meal: FEAST.  In WHOVILLE, their FEAST was "Who-pudding and rare Who-roast-beast, which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least!"  

27. Course that should boost a GPA: EASY A.

28. Beverages: DRINKS.

29. Songwriter/actor __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.  Can you believe it's been 10 years since Hamilton opened on Broadway?

30. Poppy part: PETAL.  This is California's state flower. Each flower has four PETALs. I took this picture last May.  

31. Double-dot symbol: COLON.  

32. Menudo ingredient: TRIPE.  TRIPE is stomach tissue used for food. Menudo is a traditional Mexican soup made with TRIPE. 

37. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" town: WHOVILLE.  In this clip the Whos sing their joyous Christmas song even though the grinch took all of their presents.

38. Not post-: PRE-.

39. Oh-so-profound: REAL DEEP.  

Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

42. Source of a medicinal oil: TEA TREE.  A tree that is a member of the myrtle family. Oil from the tea tree is used in shampoos and skin care products and to treat skin infections. It has been used in some cultures to treat other skin conditions, including acne, burns, and insect bites. The scientific name is Melaleuca alternifolia.  source

44. Beach bird: SEAGULL.  

46. __ de plume: NOM.  This is a name a writer uses instead of their legal name.

47. Raises, as a monument: ERECTS.

48. Routing word: VIA.

52. Grammy winner India.__: ARIE.  [b. Oct. 3, 1975]  This singer/songwriter performs in our puzzles often. I wonder if she has ever sung an ARIA.

53. State bird of Hawaii: NENE.  The NENE is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and the Big Island, but you can also see these beautiful birds at the zoo in Waikiki on Oahu.

54. Opera highlight: ARIA.

55. With no particular purpose: IDLY.

56. Trail mix ingredients: NUTS.

57. Dice-y spot?: PIP.  The dots on dice are called PIPs.  

Also, Gladys Night hung out with three cool Pips.

58. Source of green eggs: EMU. ... but not ham.

When I was teaching at a one-room school, I made green eggs and ham with my students on Dr. Seuss' birthday. I had Araucana hens at the time so I brought in a few of their green eggs. When the kids were not looking, I put a drop of green food coloring in a bowl. Then I let the kids crack the eggs into the bowl which was just above their eye level. When they whisked it together they oohed over the green mixture. Next we cooked it up with some ham cubes. So fun!

59. Boston Marathon mo.: APR.  It is traditionally held on the third Monday in the month of April. Cruciverbalists will be interested to know that the race course includes four miles through Natick, MA.  details here

The grid:  

Enrique's grid has two 12-letter and two 15-letter themed answers.

That's all for today. See you next time!

 

 Notes from C.C.:

Our dear blog friend Inanehiker (Nina) lost her mother last Tuesday. You can read Jorae's obituary here. Please keep Nina and her family in your thoughts during this difficult time. 

Monday November 10, 2025 Michael Hobin

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with Michael Hobin's second LAT puzzle. His first one was published on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. 

Theme:                   

Here are today's themed clues and answers:

17 Across. Superhero nemesis, often: EVIL GENIUS.  

I thought of Gru from the Despicable Me movies.
He is a supervillain. Is that the same thing?

24 Across. Massive dark spots in outer space: BLACK HOLES.  NASA's Black Hole Basics

38 Across. Place for a "No Trespassing" sign: PRIVATE PROPERTY.  

49 Across. William S. Burroughs work: NAKED LUNCH.  goodreads link

The reveal:  

62 Across. Unexpectedly enlightening, and what can be found at the starts of 17-, 24-, 38-, and 49-Across: EYE-OPENING.

Each of the OPENING (first) words of the themed answers can be placed in front of the word EYE to create an in-the-language phrase. In doing so we now have:  EVIL EYE, BLACK EYE, PRIVATE EYE and NAKED EYE. (For the last one, think, "Visible to the NAKED EYE".) 

Works for me!

Let's take a look at what else Michael has for us:

Across:

1. __ rug: small carpet: AREA.  Two weeks ago I posted a Dear Modern video about Feng Shui. This time he teaches us about AREA rugs (2:48 min.):  

5. "Cool!": NIFTY.  Nifty is an informal word that means "very good". Merriam-Webster says it was first used as an adjective in 1865.  

10. St. Louis landmark: ARCH.

14. Player's set of cards: HAND.  I liked this less-common definition of HAND.

15. Peter of "The Maltese Falcon": LORRE.  [1904 - 1964]

(l. to r.)  Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet

16. Spotlight moment in a concert: SOLO.

19. Antlered deer: STAG.

20. Radio, TV, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.

21. RR stops: STNS.  Railroad and Stations

23. Passports, e.g.: IDs.

28. Tapioca source: CASSAVA.  

Tapioca comes from the roots.

31. Brewery kilns: OASTS.  They are buildings used for drying the hops. They have cone-shaped tops.  

34. Athletic gp. for the Blue Devils: ACC.  Duke University is one of a group of schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

35. Egg cells: OVA.

37. "That is perfect!": LOVE IT.  

If we change the I to a T, we'd have Lovett, as in Lyle. Here is his 1988 song, Give Back My Heart. 

42. Move to a different folder, e.g.: REFILE.

43. Schoolyard game: TAG.  I recently learned that "Touch And Go" is a backronym. 

44. Suffix with percent: -ILE.  Percent and percentile are easily confused. In the example below, Sam's test scores earn him a 70%. Because his scores are better than most of his classmates, he ranks in the 82nd percentile of his class.  

45. Last Supper question from Judas: IS IT I.

46. Beards similar to Vandykes: GOATEES.  Sometimes people confuse a GOATEE with a Vandyke beard. A Vandyke includes a mustache that is not connected to the chin beard. A true GOATEE is just the hair on the chin, with no mustache at all.  

Uncle Sam sported a GOATEE but Dick Van Dyke did not.

53. Number of players in Connect Four: TWO.  It is an elaborate tic-tac-toe-ish game.  

55. New York canal: ERIE.

56. Virtuous: MORAL.

60. Partake of: HAVE.  Think "food".

65. Celebrates birthdays: AGES.     and     63-Down. Having celebrated many birthdays: OLD.    

Today is the Marine Corps' 250th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Marines!

66. Large member of the violin family: CELLO.  Are you curious what modern day cello music sounds like? This song is off of Clarice Jensen's new album released last month. Clarice also collaborated with Taylor Swift on two of Taylor's albums.  her website 

Unity     ~     Clarice Jensen     ~     2025

67. Dollop: GLOB.

68. Swollen mark: WELT.

69. Swap: TRADE.

70. Email folder: SENT.  

Down:

1. Throat-clearing sound: AHEM.  

2. Glowing review: RAVE.

3. Oklahoma home of Vance Air Force Base: ENID.  

4. Goes off script: AD-LIBS.

5. Div. for the Phillies: NLE.  The Phillies won the National League East division this year.  

6. Lithium-__ battery: ION.

7. Pat down at a security checkpoint: FRISK.  

"down pat"  LOVE IT!

8. Verified fact: TRUTH.

9. Binary type of question: YES/NO.

10. Donkey: ASS.

11. One that takes turns making dinner?: ROTISSERIE.  This clue had a little misdirection with the meaning of turns.  

12. Dressed (in): CLAD.

13. Leaves none for others: HOGS.  

18. Fundraising fete: GALA.

22. Sailboat with one mast: SLOOP.  

Sloop John B     ~     The Beach Boys     ~     1966

This song was adapted from an old Bahamian folk song.

25. "Let's put it to __": "Show of hands": A VOTE.  Speaking of 32-Down TITLE, this answer reminds me of Charles Grodin's memoir, It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here. In this case, the "you" is the indefinite article. Oh, well, sometimes that is what it takes to make a grid work.

26. Spelunking site: CAVE.  

27. Roof projection: EAVE.  

28. __ pants: calf-length garment: CAPRI.

29. Agricultural measures: ACRES.

30. Work of fiction considered for a Hugo or Nebula Award: SCI-FI NOVEL.  Stellar fill!

The Hugo Awards are annual literary awards for the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous year. They are voted on by fans. The Nebula Awards recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the U.S. They are voted on by writers. The 1965 book Dune is an example of a book that won both awards.

32. Book name: TITLE.  25 Beautiful Unique Book Titles  What would you add to this list?

33. Eyelid sores: STYES.  Easter Egg Alert!

36. Tending (to): APT.  

37. Enter one's user name and password: LOG ON.

39. "La Dolce __": VITA.  Translation:  The Sweet Life. The quotation marks indicate it is a title. Wiki says it is a 1960 film by Federico Fellini. Here is the trailer. It looks like a wild ride!  

40. Similar: ALIKE.

41. Prego competitor: RAGU.  Both are spaghetti sauces.  

47. Maker of rocket-powered roller skates, in cartoons: ACME.  

48. Suits found on many a beach bum?: THONGS.  

50. Not hunched over: ERECT.

51. Renovation project enthusiast, casually: DIYer.

52. "Futurama" captain with one eye and purple hair: LEELA.  The first L could be troublesome here for solvers unfamiliar with both this character and the W. S. Burroughs book. The show's title tells us to expect nontraditional names so any guess from A to Z is possible for _EELA. Fortunately, the book title narrows it down a bit. The letters B, H, L, and P all had potential for _UNCH.   

Leela of Futurama

53. Spring melt: THAW.

54. Salary: WAGE.

57. Agitate: RILE.

58. Short story writer?: ANON.  The question mark indicates wordplay. On the surface, it looks like the clue is asking for the author of a short story. However, in this case short refers to a shortened form of the word ANONymous. Fun! 

59. Pride parade inits.: LGBT.

61. Ballpark fig.: EST.  figure and ESTimate ... not umpire

64. American writer Edgar Allan __: POE.  

The grid:  

👁 cannot believe we are finished. Looking forward to reading your comments below!

Notes from C.C.:

 

Happy 79th birthday to Husker Gary's loving wife Joann and her twin sister Joyce. Here they're with their mom Martha, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 100. 

 

 

 

Monday November 3, 2025 Ajay Bhargava

  

Whassup Cornerites! sumdaze here. Our theme is:            

Today we run up against four themed clues:

17 Across. Lunch combo component, perhaps: CUP OF SOUP.  This was my favorite themer today because it was the least rhyme-y.

25 Across. Out of this world: SUPER-DUPER.

36 Across. Classic Connie Francis song with the line "I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly": STUPID CUPID.  

50 Across. Spanish candy brand whose logo was designed by Salvador Dal : CHUPA CHUPS.  Did anyone know this one without perps?

Next up, the unifier:

59 Across. Forming couples, or a feature of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 50- Across: PAIRING UP.

UP does not point to a vertical grid feature (as it sometimes does). Instead we have PAIRs of UPs in each themed answer.

It would have been fun to see the gimmick applied to the reveal. By changing the reveal clue to "Forming pairs ....," we could have had the reveal COUPLING UP. (Making 17-Across plural would have preserved the grid symmetry.)

Let's see what else Ajay has gotten UP to....

Across:

1. Baseball hat: CAP.

4. Ran a towel over: WIPED.

9. Inter Miami star Lionel: MESSI.  People say he is the most famous active footballer in the world.  

14. Post-OR area: ICU.  Operating Room and Intensive Care Unit

15. Baghdad resident, e.g.: IRAQI.

16. Sean of "Rudy": ASTIN.  [b. February 25, 1971] He was also Mikey from The Goonies and a hobbit (not The Hobbit) in TLOTR.

Here is Sean Astin when he appeared in this 1993 movie.  

19. Media mogul Winfrey: OPRAH.  [b. January 29, 1954]

20. Enough: AMPLE.

21. Brewpub letters: IPA.

23. April or May: NAME.  "June", too

24. Monopoly card: DEED.  

28. Picnic invader: ANT.

29. Gerund ending: -ING.  Learning about language is fun!

Click to enlarge.

30. Camping gear retailer: REI.     and     7-Down. Supply with gear: EQUIP.

REI stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc.  

31. Air pump fig.: PSI.  "Figure" is abbreviated, so is "Pounds per Square Inch".

32. Like figure skaters: AGILE.

34. Toga costume, in a pinch: SHEET.  

39. Rapper/actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA.  [b. Feb. 24, 1991] He is Ice Cube's oldest son.

41. Old Testament figure who is instructed by a burning bush: MOSES.     and     46-Across. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL.  [b. June 28, 1926]  

Notice that MOSES sits above MEL in the grid. Nice one, Ajay!

Mel Brooks played Moses in this 1:10 min. scene from

  History of the World: Part 1  (1981).

42. Piglet pal: ROO.  

Pooh, Roo, and Piglet

43. Peacock network: NBC.  

Can you see the peacock in its logo?

47. Wet dirt: MUD.

53. Crunch target: CORE.

54. Loathe: HATE.

55. Pic taker: CAM.  Picture and CAMera

56. Not improving: WORSE.  

57. Off-white hue: IVORY.

62. Tennis tie: DEUCE.  Here's a song for the car lovers on The Corner:  

The Beach Boys     ~     Little Deuce Coupe     ~     1963

This video includes some scenes from American Graffiti (1973).

63. Write to online: EMAIL.     and     44-Down. Secretly 63-Across: BCC.

64. Every bit of: ALL.

65. Browser history list: SITES.

66. Swiss chocolatier: LINDT.  If you are unfamiliar with this brand, consider yourself lucky. Knowing Lindt is eating too much Lindt.  

67. Anti vote: NAY.

Down:

1. Noisy insect: CICADA.  This 1-min. video says they are the loudest insects on Earth.

2. Mental sharpness: ACUMEN.  My first guess was ACUity.  

3. Sock __: PUPPET.

4. Marital partner, perhaps: WIFE.

5. Return-processing org.: IRS.  Oh, those types of returns. The IRS processes tax returns.

6. Kung __ chicken: PAO.

8. Big or Little formation in the night sky: DIPPER.     and     48 Down. "Earthsea" series writer __ K. Le Guin: URSULA.  

9. Card game with unspoken rules: MAO.  This game is new to me. From what I can tell, it is sort of a hybrid of Crazy Eights and Uno but new players are not told the rules. Here is a 2-min. video from wikiHow:  

10. Broadcaster of some NCAA games: ESPN U.

11. Low on funds, say: STRAPPED.  The idiom STRAPPED for cash means to be without money, especially temporarily.

12. Cat breed with blue eyes: SIAMESE.  I have been fortunate to have been the human for two SIAMESE cats. If you have ever been around a SIAMESE cat, you know that they have very special and distinct personalities.

H-Gary's cat Lily (l.) and my cat (r.) who has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge

13. Acquire from a will: INHERIT.

18. Like a nonagenarian: OLD.  Ninety-nine-year-OLD Mel Brooks is a nonagenarian.

22. "__ you serious?": ARE.  

25. Scissors sound: SNIP.  "While scissors go “snip” in English, the noise translates into “su-su” in Chinese, “cri-cri” in Italian, “riqui-riqui,” in Spanish, and “katr-katr,” in Hindi."  more foreign language onomatopoeias

26. Hybrid tangelo: UGLI.

27. Put to rest, as rumors: DISPEL.

29. Lizard with a spiny crest: IGUANA.  

I took this photo of a gorgeous IGUANA in Costa Rica.

32. Munched: ATE.

33. Genre at a rave: EDM.  Electronic Dance Music

35. That guy's: HIS.

36. Public message of appreciation: SHOUT-OUT.  Example:  I just want to give a SHOUT-OUT to C.C. for keeping this blog going since 2008.  

Here is another example from last week's news.

37. Provide for free: COMP.  COMPlimentary

38. Puts to work: USES.

39. Prom flowers: ORCHIDS.  

I learned so much about ORCHIDs from this book.

40. "Me too!": SO HAVE I.

45. Place for prayer: CHAPEL.  

The Dixie Cups     ~     Chapel of Love     ~     1964

47. Freeman of "Glory": MORGAN.  [b. June 1, 1937] Here is some trivia:  Morgan Freeman was not nominated for his role in Glory; however, he was nominated that same year for Best Actor for his work in Driving Miss Daisy. Denzel Washington won best supporting actor for playing Pvt. Silas Trip in Glory and Daniel Day-Lewis took home the Best Actor award.

Here is Morgan Freeman when he appeared in this 1989 movie.
Denzel Washington is standing behind him.

49. From the bottom of one's heart: DEEPLY.

51. Nez __ tribe: PERCE.

52. Savory taste: UMAMI.

53. Fool: CON.  Both are verbs here.

56. Droop: WILT.

58. "Absolutely!": YES.  a more formal version of yup

60. Bond novelist Fleming: IAN.  [1908-1964]

61. Free (of): RID.  

If you use this product, you will be free of lice.

The grid:  

That about sums up today's puzzle. If you have questions, we have an amazing SUPPORT GROUP here on The Corner to help you out.