Saturday, May 24, 2025, Erik Agard

 Saturday Themeless by Erik Agard

Erik's byline and enigmatic smile always means to get ready for an adventure and this puzzle did not disappoint. His grid-spanning center stacked block was very helpful.

 I had a very unusual experience in that the SW corner had a lot of blanks at the end because of so many possibilities and my wrong take on Pacific in the down clue. Once I changed HAN Dynasty to QIN, that gave me QUARRELSOME and the SW cleared up as fast as I could type!

Across:

1. Point guard?: PEN CAP 😀 No basketball here.

7. Rihanna song with the lyrics "That was quite a show / Very entertaining / But it's over now": TAKE A BOW. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Unknown but the lyrics made sense quickly

15. Harlem theater: APOLLO - This theater and NASA's moon project use two "L's'" and skater Apolo Ono only uses one. It reminds me of Ogden Nash's silly poem

16. Upper management?: HAIR CARE 😀

17. Going from A to B, say: LINEAR - In plane geometry the shortest distance between two points is a straight line but not in curved geometry.

18. Far from fresh: OVERUSED - Even Erik could not avoid an OREO reference at 13 Down

19. Wave home: OCEAN 😀 Yeah, we baseball peeps thought of a third base coach signaling a runner to head for home

20. Uber around the Eiffel Tower?: TRES 😀 This finally occurred to me. Uber is German for "very" which is TRES in French.

21. Uncles, in Spanish: TIOS.

22. Save, in a way: DVR - DVR became a verb

23. China's first imperial dynasty: QIN - The Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) was the first imperial dynasty of China, establishing a centralized government and uniting the country after the Warring States period. I held on to HAN for a long time but it took over after only 20 years of the QIN Dynasty so...

24. 2, 4, and 24, e.g.: EVENS - I looked for a pattern but these were just random even numbers

26. Negative post?: PRE 😀 Erik! The opposite (negative) of "post" is PRE

27. Many a TV episode title: PUN - Here are some: 1. So Help Me Todd · 2. Better Off Ted · 3. Fawlty Towers · 4. Get Smart · 5. Schitt's Creek · 6. I Dream of Jeannie · 7. Grey's Anatomy · 8. Pawn Stars.

28. The Grand __ Opry: OLE.

29. Foreign exchange issue: LANGUAGE BARRIER - A fellow golf league member works in a packing plant where there are mostly Hispanic workers. He uses a device like this in verbal exchanges. 

36. Imposition lead-in: I'M TERRIBLY SORRY.

37. Setting for Haiti: EASTERN TIME ZONE - Haiti has chosen to be on the Eastern Time Zone but its island mate, the Dominican Republic, has chosen to be in the Atlantic Time Zone. 

38. Journey part: LEG.

39. Brahma, for one: GOD.

40. Gaming release of 1985: NES.

40 Years Ago

44. "__ Explain Things to Me": Rebecca Solnit essay collection: MEN - She is given credit for coining the phrase "Mansplaining". 

45. Paul with an axe: LES - Never mind Paul Bunyan, this axe is slang for a guitar and LES Paul invented the solid body electric guitar.

46. "Neat": COOL and 41. "Neat": SWELL.

47. Relaxation locations: SPAS.

49. Precipitated: LED TO.

51. Public: ON RECORD.

53. Frymaster filler: HOT OIL.

54. Fiction title?: MISNOMER 

55. Not busy: AROUND - "Can you help me on Sunday?" "I'll be AROUND."

56. React slightly: BAT AN EYE.

57. Tutor's charge: MENTEE - Every student I taught was said to be a CHARGE of mine or my responsibility  

Down:

1. Word for "stick" found in a Bay Area city name: PALO - Of course, PALO Alto means tall stick

2. "Shogun," for one: EPIC DRAMA.

3. Duds: NON EVENTS.

4. "Let's be __": CLEAR.

5. "Reacher" star Ritchson: ALAN.

6. Iberian country, on Olympic scoreboards: POR - Portugal

7. Rose barb: THORN.

8. Dialectical source of "no cap" and "down bad," for short: AAVE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  African American Vernacular English

9. "Long Division" novelist who wrote "Heavy: An American Memoir": KIESE LAYMON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

10. Get it wrong: ERR.

11. Angle type: ACUTE.

12. Wide bowl: BASIN - Old hotels always had a BASIN and a chamber pot in the room. Uh, I'm only showing one of those.

13. Fried __: fair fare: OREOS - "Nutritional" info on a fried OREO

14. Commits to, in a way: WEDS.

20. Giving a bit of color: TINGING.

23. Pacific counterpart: QUARRELSOME 

25. Knowledgeable: VERSED.

26. Ballet bend: PLIE.

27. Hand sanitizer brand: PURELL - Like DVR, it became a verb as in, "PURELL me."

28. Does as asked: OBLIGES.

30. Trick: GET.

31. Grocery payment meth.: EBT - Electronic Benefit Transfer

32. Marsha Warfield's "Night Court" role: ROZ.

33. Put right: IRONED OUT - "I took the job once we got everything IRONED OUT"

34. Human rights activist Eckstein who is profiled in Season 4 of the "Making Gay History" podcast: ERNESTINE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

35. Some deli loaves: RYES.

41. Supreme Court name: SONIA and 43. Supreme Court name: ELENA - Vowel-rich jurists

42. Lowest-tier: WORST.

44. Sierra __: MADRE - Three separate ranges in Mexico

45. Show a tell: LET ON.

46. Search thoroughly: COMB.

48. 2022 "Predator" prequel: PREY.

49. Focus of many fandom wiki pages: LORE.

50. Ye __ Shoppe: OLDE.

52. Trick: CON.

53. Cubano ingredient: HAM.

Friday, May 23, 2025 - Marc Goldstein

 Theme:  "Play ball!"

Today, we played baseball

Puzzling Thoughts:

Today's puzzle seemed a bit more Friday-ish in difficulty; clues were more suited to an end-of-the-week puzzle and made for a more satisfying solve

I don't know much about today's constructor, other than this similar puzzle that appeared early in 2024, so this might be a debut for Marc.  There are scores of puzzles from Rebecca Goldstein ... unlikely that they're related, but who knows? 

Today's "theme" is all about baseball.  Five entries; a mixture of words and phrases that begin with a baseball reference and are supported by clever clues:

17-across. Tube on an automatic ball launcher?: PITCH PIPE.  A pitch pipe is actually the image shown below and is used by choral groups when singing a cappella:

25-across. Batter's decision not to bunt?: SWING VOTE.  A swing vote refers to a vote that is regarded as decisive to the outcome of an election because it is not predictable which candidate or party it will be cast for.  Or maybe it just refers to this?

34-across. "I got it!" or "Blazing fastball!," for example?: CATCH PHRASE. Great clue!  Here is a little whimsy

50-across. Tally entered on a scoreboard?: HIT RECORD. Of all the hit records out there, I chose the one below as my favorite ... listen to as much or as little as you desire as it's the "album" version ... 

The video I found, coincidentally, combines the song with (58-across. Instructional video about getting under a tag?:) a SLIDE SHOW, so enjoy both simultaneously

Pitch, swing, catch, hit, and slide.  All BASEBALL terms

Well done, Marc - and if this is your debut LAT puzzle, congratulations are in order.  Feel free to post here if you stop by 

The Grid

Here are the rest of the clues/answers

Across:

1. "Whip It" band: DEVO.

5. Substantial account: SAGA.

9. Mint family herb: BASIL.  learning Moe-ment but not surprised by it

14. Photoshop, say: EDIT.

15. __ hygiene: ORAL.

16. "My Brilliant Friend" novelist Ferrante: ELENA.  A bit tougher clue than to use the name of one of our Supreme Court justices - good Friday clue

17. [entry]

19. "Sorry, got other plans": I CAN'T.  I tried "I PASS" first

20. Ghost __ chance: OF A.  Partial phrase - thought these were "no-no's" for 21st Century crossword puzzles

21. Cry of discovery: OHO.  I tried AHA first

22. Polar vehicle: SNO-CAT®.  This spelling refers to the brand name of vehicles produced by Tucker Industries.  The actual "vehicle" is referred to as snowcat - a portmanteau of snow and caterpillar 

23. __-Leste: first new sovereign state of the 21st century: TIMOR.  More info

25. [entry]

28. Bygone boxy Toyota: SCION.  

Debuted in 2003 - discontinued in 2016

29. Art Deco designer: ERTE.  aka, Romain de Tirtoff

30. Flagon kin: EWER.  A good Friday clue - the word flagon is rarely used, but then again, so is ewer

31. Suffix similar to -ess: ENNE.  

32. Crushes, in a way: ACES.

34. [entry]

39. Stock option?: SOUP.  You make soup by using stock - here is one of our favorites:

40. Starring role: LEAD.

42. Whack: SWAT.

46. "A Death in the Family" writer James: AGEE. One of many 4-letter proper names that have one consonant and three vowels

48. Container allowances on scales: TARES.

50. [entry]

52. Not suitable: INAPT.

53. Sudden charge: ONRUSH.

54. Racket: DIN.

56. Rock & Roll HoF city: CLE.  Here is the list of the 2025 inductees (Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is in CLEveland, OH)

57. Perch: ROOST.

58. [entry]

61. Govt. security: T-NOTE.  T-BILL and T-BOND fit, until they didn't

62. Obedience school lesson: HEEL.  STAY fit until it didn't

63. "Present!": HERE.

64. Ribald nature spirit of Greek mythology: SATYR.  This one certainly fits the description

65. "Relax": EASY.  "CHILL" didn't fit

66. "New-to-you," perhaps: USED.  Nice clue

Down:
1. Storehouses: DEPOTS.

2. Imposing structure: EDIFICE.  The reason the image of my puzzle grid has one black triangle in the corner of the second letter "I" is because I spelled the word edifAce

3. Nutrient in citrus: VITAMIN C. 

4. Like 3-Down pills: Abbr.: OTC.  Over-The-Counter

5. Former frosh: SOPH.

6. Melodic: ARIOSE.

7. Opening: GAP.

8. Brewpub brew: ALE. IPA fits, too, but I didn't fall for it

9. "The Perks of __ a Wallflower": 2012 teen drama: BEING.  Sure, why not

10. Secluded spot: ALCOVE.

11. Dugong, for one: SEA COW. A CSO to my fellow Friday sherpa, Malodorous Manatee

12. Natural: INNATE.  Not to be confused with its homophone enate which refers to those relatives traced to the female side of the family

13. More recent: LATTER.  LATEST was inserted by me which made the NE corner take longer than it should have to solve

18. Insects in the genus Vespa: HORNETS.  More, from Wikipedia

22. Scornful expression: SNEER.

Younger generation's "sneer"

My generation's "sneer"

24. Actress Chaplin: OONA.  One of many 4-letter proper names that have one consonant and three vowels

26. Spot for a bar code, often: WRAPPER.  aka, a SKU ... 

One of my favorites

27. Hankering: ITCH.  URGE also fit until it didn't

33. Cracker served with 39-Across: SALTINE.

35. Whistle blower: COACH.  Good clue

36. "Les Misérables" novelist: HUGO.

37. English actor Bean: SEAN.

38. Maladies treated with drops: EARACHES.

41. Strongly regret: DEPLORE.

42. Gym bottoms: SHORTS.  As opposed to tennis and/or golf bottoms, for women, SKORTS

43. Ryder of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice": WINONA.  She was also in "Beetlejuice" (the original - which I liked better than the remake)

44. Fundamentally: AT ROOT.

45. Unlikely to be undependable: TRUSTY.

47. Swirls of water: EDDIES.  <=== this is one of the entries that I considered for a Moe-ku

49. Like some tomatoes and prunes: STEWED.  <=== this is another 

51. Organic compound: ESTER.  No "ku" here

55. Aimlessly: IDLY. 

58. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE.  Is it just me, or did this song sound a bit like the Beach Boys??

59. Thompson of "Back to the Future": LEA.  In "Back to the Future", Thompson plays the role of mother to Michael J. Fox's character, Marty McFly ... in real life, Lea is but 10 days older than Michael

60. Moo __ pork: SHU. Finally, a "Moe-ku":

        The Three Stooges coined

        A new Chinese restaurant dish:

        It's called:  Moo SHU Shemp

Thursday, May 22, 2025 ~ Joe Marquez & Boaz Moser

Bad Poker Hand

In five card draw, one can dump 3 cards an PICK 3 more. That's what Joe & Boaz offers today... 3 PICKs. Let's look:

19. One who's bound to get away?: ESCAPE ARTIST. Houdini made his great escapes by hiding lockpicks on his person.

Eldest's first pick set & practice lock.

30. Fiddler accompanist in bluegrass, often: BANJO PLAYER.

Take your...  //sry too soon :-)

43. Artist who makes some pretty cool pieces?: ICE SCULPTOR.

A chain saw being used as an ICE pick.

50. "Go ahead and choose one," and what one might say to a 19-, 30-, or 43-Across?: TAKE YOUR PICK. 

And there you have it - 3 types of picks.

Across:
1. Basic lesson: ABCS.

5. Smack-__: DAB. In the middle...

8. PC shortcut employed when creating a draft: CTRL-S. Shortcut for saving a file.

13. Noted host of a couples' getaway?: NOAH.  Fav!

14. Vegetarian staple: TOFU.

15. Figure skater Sonja: HENIE. No clue - ESP.

16. Yarn: TALE.

17. Middle East sultanate: OMAN.

18. Magazine piece?: ISSUE.

19. [See: Theme]

22. Centers of interest: FOCI.

23. Formally withdraw: SECEDE.

27. Small pellets: BBS.

30. [See: Theme]

33. Indie genre with mainstream appeal: ALT-POP. Meh. Ok

35. "__ guesses?": ANY.

36. Cook fast, as steak: SEAR.

37. Guarded: LEERY.

38. French pal: AMI.

39. Bass kin: CELLO.  Hand-up if you were thinking fish.

40. Button on a scale: TARE.

41. Seasonal vaccine target: FLU. I should have gotten the summer one. I'm still under the weather.

42. More like a snoop: NOSIER.

43. [See: Theme]

46. Many "Grey's Anatomy" pros: DRS. A TV show with Drs making out or something.

47. Singled out: CHOSEN.

48. Some Minecraft blocks: ORES.

50. [See: Theme]

56. Deserted rest area?: OASIS.

A different "Alt-Pop" Oasis

59. Some tennis shots: LOBS.

60. Pod in Creole cuisine: OKRA. Fry it up! [See: Jolly below]

61. Top-level performance: A-GAME.

62. [Chef's kiss]: MWAH.

63. Bridle part: REIN.

64. Kits, eventually: FOXES.

Two guys on the hunt for Foxes

65. Played out: OLD.

66. Two-time Newbery Medal winner DiCamillo: KATE.  ESP but CSO to DW.

Down:
1. Request from a 25-Down: ANTE. To PICK some cards.

2. Feathery accessories: BOAS.

3. AP math class: CALC. Was that AP? I thought it was just Jr. yr. math.

4. Grain amount: SHEAF.

5. Taxonomic classification broader than kingdom: DOMAIN.

6. Out there: AFAR.

7. Part of a suicide squeeze: BUNT.
 

8. Woodshop tool: CHISEL.  Another kinda PICK.

9. Precedent-setting trials: TEST CASES.

10. Many ICU professionals: RNS. They were in Grey's Anatomy too, right?

11. Simu who plays Shang-Chi: LIU.  ESP.

12. "What did I tell you?": SEE.

14. Work boot tip: TOE CAP.

20. NOLA sandwich: PO'BOY.

If you've not seen the Jolly boys, you've missed out.

21. Spotting game: ISPY.  With my little 24d.

24. Lashes site: EYE LID.

25. Poker figure: DEALER.

26. Box score statistic: ERRORS.

27. Like Latvia and Lithuania: BALTIC.

28. Sodium hypochlorite: BLEACH.

29. Upgrade from mono: STEREO.

31. Clog: JAM UP.

32. Covert maritime org.: ONI.  Someone's gotta explain 'cuz I don't have time to look it up - too close to 34d.

34. Deadline set by a printer: PRESS TIME.

38. Start and end of the Musketeers' motto: ALL.

39. Apple device?: CORER.  Ha!  cute.

41. Doldrums: FUNK.

42. "I can wait": NO RUSH.  Do I insert RUSH here or follow the instructions of NO?

44. Puts an end to: CEASES.

45. "That's rough": TOO BAD. So sad.

49. Multipurpose utensil: SPORK.

51. Red Muppet with a goldfish: ELMO.

52. Pained cry: YOWL.

53. Big-box store with a Smaland play area: IKEA.

54. Lit __: CRIT.  DW knows all about this.

55. "Citizen __": KANE.  #Spoiler - Rosebud.

56. Clumsy fellow: OAF.

57. Before now: AGO.

58. Jazz horn: SAX.

The Grid:

The Grid

"You can PICK your friends, & you can PICK your nose, but you can't PICK your friend's nose." -Abe Lincoln (probably).

Cheers, -T