Wednesday, Apr 16th, 2025 ~ Jeffrey Martinovic & Evan Park

 CAT'S EYE

CHATOYANCY

EYE believe we are looking at a debut puzzle for both constructors - congrats~! In a strange semi-duplicate of my previous blog, and a reflection of yesterday's puzzle, we have several repeat clues/answers and the dreaded circles, but in this puzzle, they appear in five Down fills and enclose four gems, or "rocks", and rise, or "climb" up the answers.  Four out of five fills are unique to crosswords, two of them being 15-letter spanners ( which, in the past, I actually called "climbers" when vertical ).   Contrarily, the names came back, but not too badly, and we had 22 3LWs as well.  The themers;

3. Meatless barbecue patties: SOY BURGERS - RUBY - this was what EYE expected the answer to be, but "VEGGIE" was too long

5. Light punishment: A SLAP ON THE WRIST - OPAL  - EYE figured this one out, too

9. "Au revoir": TILL WE MEET AGAIN - AGATE - Knew we were looking for a phrase for "Good B-EYE"

30. Former Samsung smartphone with a stylus: GALAXY NOTE - ONYX - My choice of smart device is an Android S22 - not an EYE-phone

17. Athlete who might have a "belayed" reaction, and what 3-, 5-, 9-, and 30-Down each contain?: ROCK CLIMBER - belaying is how one runs a rope (line) around a cleat, pin, rock - or perhaps through an EYE hook

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Broad views: VISTAS - During which Windows version was your kid born~?

Don McMillan, tehnically funny

7. Metaphor for a wearying work routine: RAT RACE - can't seem to JOG in the human race

Spinal Tap - the embedded lyrics don't reflect the intent of the song - or the band

14. Person who's self-obsessed: EGOIST

15. Frequent flyer: AVIATOR

16. "Casino __": Bond film: ROYALE - one of the best Bond films, IMHO, and THE best theme song

Chris Cornell, You Know My Name

17. Live, as footage: REAL TIME

18. Texter's "Just a moment": BRB - Be Right Back

19. Nerf darts, e.g.: AMMO - Nerf appeared last Wednesday, too; EYE was down on Long Island last weekend, and my buddy's son takes archery lessons; gave it "a shot", found my bow arm to be weaker than my drawing one - not what I expected

21. Cuts in a pie crust: SLITS

22. MLB official: UMPire - MLB abbr, answer abbr

24. Play part after the first intermission: ACT TWO - usually fills as "ACT II" - with two EYES

26. Super __ Bros.: MARIO - easy enough, but still a name, #1

28. Ring victory, for short: TKO - Technical Knock-Out; based on the decision that a boxer is in no condition to continue the bout

29. NBC foreign correspondent Richard: ENGEL - no clue, filled via perps, name #2

33. Skin and bones: ORGANS - yes, the skin is an organ, so this is a very clever clue

35. Pre-exam session: CRAM

37. __ carte: À LA - saw this Tuesday

38. Informal clothing option: TEE - Just got this one

Never Say Die~! Black Sabbath

39. Slogan: TAGLINE

41. Claiborne of fashion: LIZ - name #3; her clothing website

42. Sticky roadway substance: TAR

43. Colorful Hindu spring observance: HOLI - more here

Vibrant, and messy

44. Match wits with: DEBATE

46. "Jungle Fever" actor Davis: OSSIE - name #4

48. Long-legged bird: EMU

50. Formal options, informally: TUXES

51. Nerds: DWEEBS - Two weeks in a row; it's not on the chart . . . 

53. "__ takers?": ANY

54. Middle Eastern leaders: EMIRS

56. Vaping device: eCIG

58. "Planet Money" producer: NPR

61. Coin collector?: CREDITOR - Har-har; I don't recall seeing a Coinstar in my Big Y store

63. Seaside city in Italia: NAPOLI - the EYE-talian spelling of Italy and Naples; name #5

65. "Let me look!": "CAN I SEE~?" - This REVEAL is EYE Catching

mesmer-EYE-zing

66. Best of the best: TIP-TOP

67. Move like an old jalopy: STUTTER - meh.  Move like a stick shift in the hands of a new driver = more better-er - we had MANUAL yesterday for "car with a clutch"

68. Odin feature: ONE EYE - Went onl-EYE-ne to see if in fact, he had one EYE, not just one "i" as in o - d - I - n - and yesterday we had ONE BAR

DOWN:

1. Action word: VERB

2. Fictional lab assistant: IGOR - "No, EYE gor"

4. Aunt, in Mexico: TIA

6. Part of a winesap or a wineglass: STEM

7. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE - just about every other puzzle these days; name #6

8. Nautical "Halt!": "AVAST~!" - p-EYE-rate speak falls on Friday, September 19th this year

10. Mete out: RATION

11. Toiling away: AT IT

12. Rom-, dot-, or sit- enders: COMS

13. Prior to, poetically: ERE

20. Yoga roll: MAT - SUSHI didn't fit 😜

23. "Mamma __!": MIA - name(ish), but a crossword staple, and this song appeared last week

25. "Silent All These Years" singer Amos: TORI - name #7

26. Slogan: MOTTO - twice in two weeks, also, so "lather, rinse, repeat" is m-EYE motto

27. Fields of study: AREAS

31. Best of the best: ELITE - Dah~!  Not 'A-TEAM' . . . there's no EYE in TEAM, but one in e-l-i-t-e

32. Lounges (about): LAZES

34. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO - name #8

36. "On top of that ... ": AND . . . . another thing~!

That's no misprint - it is the sixth book in the trilogy

40. "Squee!" feeling: GLEE - Have to admit to never feeling the feeling "squee" 😝

45. Hairdo for General Leia: BUN - semi-meh; more like "bunS"

First driving lesson in the T-EYE Fighter

47. Words following a great accomplishment: "I DID IT~!" - EYE did a thing~!

Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear & Clarkson's Farm

49. The Trojans of the NCAA: USC - Don't follow college sports; filled via perps

52. First name in cosmetics: ESTÉE - Lauder - her Wiki, name #9

54. QED part: ERAT - Quod... Demonstrandum - Latin-speak "that which was to be shown" 

55. Host's handout: MENU

57. Really digging: INTO

59. Devious maneuver: PLOY

60. __ for the picking: RIPE

61. Adds to an email chain: CCs - C.C.'s involved in the crossword, again

62. Above, in poetry: O'ER

64. Safety gear for hosp. workers: PPE - OSHA-speak; Personal Protective Equipment; the long way to describe "mask & gloves" - maybe some goggles for the EYEs

EYE goggles

Splynter

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Victor Schmitt

The company you keep ...  The circles "repeat" an abbreviation for legal business.

15-Across. With some exceptions: IN CERTAIN CASES.  INC. is short for Incorporated.

27-Across. Place to pick up tickets at a theater, perhaps: WILL CALL COUNTER.  LLC is short for a Limited Liability Company.  A Limited Liability Company is a business structure that protects its owners from personal liability. The company combines the tax benefits of a partnership with the liability protection of a corporation.

41-Across. Thin Mint or Trefoil: GIRL SCOUT COOKIE.  CO is short for Company.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Goal of store loyalty programs, and what can be found in 15-, 27-, and 41-Across: REPEAT BUSINESS.

Here's the Grid so you can see the Repeated Businesses:

Across:

1. Spanish "more": MAS.  Today's Spanish Lesson.

4. Table salt, to a chemist: NaCl.  Table salt is an ionic compound composed of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) ions.

8. NBA great O'Neal, to fans: SHAQ.  Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (b. Mar. 6, 1972) played basketball for LSU before going professional.  There is a statue of him on the LSU campus.

12. "__ my words ... ": MARK.

13. French fashion monthly: ELLE.

14. __ Xtra: Dr Pepper rival: PIBB.

18. Queasiness: NAUSEA.

19. High degrees: NTHs.

20. GP's gp.: AMA.  A General Practitioner might be a member of the American Medical Association.

21. Mint-garnished rum cocktail: MOJITO.  Yummers!  This traditional Cuban cocktail is made of The cocktail white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint.

24. Will Ferrell holiday film: ELF.  Not a fan of Will Ferrell (né John William Ferrell; b. July 16, 1967).

31. Speaker output: AUDIO.

32. Impulse: URGE.

33. Tofu base: SOYBEAN.

36. Ancestry.com service: DNA TEST.

39. With 51-Down, soothing plant: ALOE.  //  And 51-Down. See 39-Across: VERA.

40. Boxing matches: BOUTS.

48. Fine and dandy: A-OK.

49. Gretel's brother: HANSEL.

50. Online addresses: Abbr.: IPs.  As in an Internet Protocol address.

51. Workshop clamp: VISE.

52. Pouch spun by a spider: EGG SAC.

60. At all: EVER.

61. Country road: LANE.

62. Son of Hera and Zeus: ARES.  It's all Greek to me.

63. TV warrior princess played by Lucy Lawless: XENA.  It's been over 25 years since Lucy Lawless (née Lucille Frances Ryan; b. Mar. 29, 1968) portrayed Xena: Warrior Princess. Lucy Lawless is from Auckland, New Zealand, which is also the country where Xena was filmed.

64. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.  Whenever I see Erie in the puzzle, I think of our old friend Abejo.

65. Tied the knot: WED.

Down:

1. Car with a clutch: MANUAL.

2. Circle segments: ARCS.

3. __-Ball: arcade game: SKEE.

4. Pickleball barrier: NET.

5. Pie __ mode: À LA.  Today's French lesson.

6. Medical center: CLINIC.

7. Gave for a while: LENT TO.

8. Mani-pedi spots: SPAs.

9. Casual hellos: HIs!

10. Fiver: ABE.  I never heard the term Abe as referring to a $5 bill, but it makes sense.

11. TD pass throwers, perhaps: QBs.  Think football.

12. Florida metropolitan area with an Art Deco District: MIAMI.  The Art Deco Historic District in Miami Beach is a known for its well-preserved Art Deco architecture, featuring pastel-colored buildings, geometric shapes, and intricate design details, making it a living museum of the 1930s. 

16. Holiday Inn competitor: RAMADA.

17. French pet name that also means "cabbage": CHOU.  Today's French lesson.  Children in France are sometimes called Mon petit chou, or Ma petite chou, which is a term of endearment.  It literally translates, however, to my little cabbage.

18. Casual denial: NAW.

22. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.  This Swedish actress used to make frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Chocolat is a 2000 film, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Joanne Harris.  The film is about a young women who appears in a French village and opens a small chocolate shop.  Soon, she and her chocolate influence the lives of the townspeople of this repressed French community.  Lena Olin (née Lena Maria Jonna Olin; b. Mar. 22, 1955) was one of those impacted by the chocolate.

23. Former "Idol" judge, to fans: J.LO.

24. Raison d'__: ÊTRE.  More of today's French lesson.  This phrase translates to the "reason for being." 

25. Trio on a stool: LEGS.

26. Guitar ridge: FRET.

28. Tag: LABEL.

29. Billiards stick: CUE.

30. Bananas: NUT-SO.

33. Epic story: SAGA.  The Welsh author Ken Follett (b. June 5, 1949), is known for writing sagas.  He wrote Pillars of the Earth, which follows several families in medieval England.

34. Mixed bag: OLIO.

35. Big name in peppermint patties: YORK.

36. Pour affection (on): DOTE.

37. Cell centers: NUCLEI.

38. From __ Z: A TO.  We saw this phrase recently.

40. Help wait tables: BUS.  Did you ever wonder where the term To Bus Tables originated?  Bus in this sense is a shortened form of Omnibus.  Originally, the term was Omnibus Boy, the person who did many jobs in a restaurant, then it was shortened to Bus boy, and from there the word Bus became a verb.

42. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

43. Stronghold with a keep: CASTLE.  What exactly is a Castle Keep?

44. Sign of weak cellular service: ONE BAR.

45. Smooched: KISSED.

46. "Skip me": I PASS.

47. Keyboard key that exits full-screen mode: ESC.

53. Nibble (at): GNAW.

54. "Sommersby" actor Richard: GERE.  Sommersby was a 1993 film about a man who returned home after fighting in the Civil War.  He seemed very different and this aroused suspicion in his wife and others, but  his tobacco-growing scheme became profitable for the whole town, so everyone was happy. Then he was accused of the murder of a man killed many years before.  Richard Gere (né Richard Tiffany Gere; b. Aug. 31, 1949) portrayed Jack Sommersby.  Jody Foster portrayed his wife.

55. Harrison of "My Fair Lady": REX.  Sir Rex Harrison (né Reginald Carey Harrison; Mar. 5, 1908 ~ June 2, 1990) portrayed Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.

56. New Year's __: EVE.

57. Calligrapher's tool: PEN.

58. Aussie's college: UNI.  Hello to our friend Kazie.  I hope she is doing well.  She used to make reference to her day at Uni.

59. "Catch my drift?": SEE.

We're all in Good Company here.  I hope this puzzle distracted you from the pain of paying your taxes today.

Many thanks to Tony who filled in for me last week.

חתולה

Chag Samech and Happy Easter!