Sunday September 20, 2026 Emma Oxford

 

Theme:  "SOUND CHECK" -The last word of each familiar phrase takes on a new meaning when pronounced differently.

23A. "In the name of that rice wine we drank ages ago"?: FOR OLD TIME'S SAKE. Rice wine sake (sah-keh).

 

38A Bird that makes its home in trash receptacles?: DUMPSTER DOVE. The bird rather than the past tense dove.

  
63A. Business run by a bunch of hens?: CHICKEN COOP. Co-op.

73A. Swiped refills for a mechanical pencil?: TOOK THE LEAD.

96A. One who is always pointing at shooting stars?: METEOR SHOWER. Show-er, one who shows.

 
115A. Anesthetic for a noted Italian chemist?: AVOGADRO'S NUMBER. Numb-er, something that numbs.

17D. Musical instrument made off the coast of South America?: CHILEAN SEA BASS. Not the fish.

48D. Rips caused by large reptiles?: CROCODILE TEARS. 

The last word of each familiar phrase (except 63A) is reinterpreted as a heteronym, right? Same spelling, but a different pronunciation and meaning. I love the CHICKEN CO-OP and its clue.

I think this is our Emma Oxford. Very cool.

 Across:

1. Course most look forward to: DESSERT. Sweet clue!

8. Imposing construction: EDIFICE.

15. Supports: BACKS.

20. Unmasks: EXPOSES.

21. Brunch cocktails: MIMOSAS.

22. Not cool: UNHIP.

25. "Goosebumps" series writer: STINE (R. L.) The Stephen King of children's literature.

 

26. Remove adverbs and add punctuation, maybe: EDIT.

27. PlayStation maker: SONY.

28. __ Reader: UTNE.

29. Actress Swinton: TILDA.

30. Inventor Handler played by Rhea Perlman in "Barbie": RUTH. I didn't know that she invented the Barbie dolls.

31. "__ we good?": ARE.

32. Vexation: IRE.

33. Church perches: PEWS.

36. Moose kin: ELK.

37. NNW opposite: SSE.

41. Coastal inlets: BAYS.

42. Insta post: PIC.

43. Male turkey: TOM.

44. One of Paul's letters to the Ephesians?: EPSILON. The letter E in Ephesians. The Epistle to the Ephesians was written in Greek.
 
46. Herbal infusion from Peru: COCA TEA. Also 68. Chinese brew: CHA.

50. Rationalist's belief: DEISM.

53. Places to perch: ROOSTS.

56. Estate units: ACRES.

57. Sgt., e.g.: NCO.

59. Shoe designer Jimmy: CHOO. Same character as the Zhou in my name.

61. Pamper: DOTE ON.

62. Many August babies: LEOS.

66. IM pioneer: AOL.

67. Top card in a Broadway straight: ACE. A Broadway straight runs from ten to ace.

69. Frying need: OIL.

70. Pts. that often result in dances: TDS. Touchdown dance.

71. U.K. network: BBC.

72. Mattel game: UNO.

76. Julia of "The Addams Family": RAUL.

78. Simplified language: PIDGIN.

80. Wows: AWES.

81. Not just most: ALL.

82. Worth a second bite: TASTY.

83. Competed in the Figawi, say: SAILED. The Figawi is an annual sailing race from Hyannis to Nantucket. Learning moment for me.

84. Prefix with net or com, but not org: INTER.

86. "OK, got it": YES I SEE.

88. Tempts: LURES IN.

91. Fuel additive brand: STP. Scientifically Treated Petroleum.

93. Young fellow: LAD.

94. [Clears throat]: AHEM.

100. Take advantage of a bear market, perhaps: BUY.

103. Stomach: GUT.

104. "What You Need" band: INXS.

105. Kanga's kid: ROO.

106. Badger: NAG.

107. Figure in Norse mythology?: RUNE. "Figure" here means a written character or symbol.

108. Lies for, maybe: ABETS.

110. Forget about: OMIT.

112. Supermodel Banks: TYRA.

113. Incantation syllables: ABRA.

114. Fish with a big net: TRAWL.

118. New employee: HIREE.

119. Wright of "Black Panther": LETITIA. She played Shuri. 

120. Italian football powerhouse: AC MILAN.

121. Strong point: ASSET.

122. Rival one loves to hate: FRENEMY.

123. Sneaks: WEASELS.

Down:

1. Yields (to): DEFERS.

2. Book that tells the story of Moses: EXODUS.

3. Soft drink with a seasonal Winter Spiced Cranberry flavor: SPRITE. I've never had Sprite. 

4. Quaint truth: SOOTH.

5. Subj. for a non-native speaker: ESL.

6. Manicotti topping: RED SAUCE.

7. Abbr. on a weather map: T-STORM.

8. Posthumous award for Chadwick Boseman: EMMY.  Boseman won a posthumous 2022 Primetime Emmy for his voice performance as T'Challa in the animated series "What If...?"

9. Run out of power: DIE.

10. "Positive": I'M SURE.

11. Jodie with two Best Actress Oscars: FOSTER.

12. "Love __ Open Door": "Frozen" song: IS AN.

13. Treat on a stick: CAKE POP.

14. Jargon suffix: ESE.

15. Hits 22, perhaps: BUSTS. Blackjack.

16. Not in favor of: ANTI.

18. With gentleness: KINDLY.

19. Holds forth: SPEAKS.

24. Not up to the task: INEPT.

32. Online "I can relate": IT ME. As in "That's me".

34. Chargeable cars, briefly: EVS.

35. Goofballs: WEIRDOS.

38. Morse clicks: DITS.

39. "We have that in common": SO DO I.

40. "KPop __ Hunters": DEMON.

41. Italy's shape: BOOT.

42. Bel __ cheese: PAESE.

45. Circuit: LOOP.

46. Ore. neighbor: CAL.

47. Micronesia's region: OCEANIA.

49. Dried poblano: ANCHO.

51. Most disgusting: ICKIEST.

52. Seashore souvenir: SHELL.

54. Absolutely adorable: TOO CUTE.

55. 1975 TV debut, familiarly: SNL.

58. "Queen of Funk" Khan: CHAKA.

60. In base eight: OCTAL.

64. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard: COHEN. I love Jon Bon Jovi's version. 

65. "It's strange ... ": ODDLY.

68. Denounce: CONDEMN.

71. Challah feature: BRAID. These remind me of Chinese mahua.

72. FedEx competitor: UPS.

73. Part of a pricing plan: TIER.

74. Strong string: TWINE.

75. Soil: EARTH.

77. Soap ingredient: LYE.

79. In the doldrums: GLUM.

82. Bygone ruler: TSAR.

85. Canadian fuel giant: ESSO.

87. Class: ELEGANCE.

89. "On the Basis of __": Ginsburg biopic: SEX.

90. "We're done": IT'S OVER.

92. Miyazaki film about a goldfish who longs to be human: PONYO.

94. Kathryn's "WandaVision" role: AGATHA.

95. Fatal flaw in classic myths: HUBRIS.

97. Beginning: ORIGIN.

98. Turn: ROTATE.

99. Polish capital: WARSAW.

100. __ bath: BUBBLE.

101. Hard to believe: UNREAL.

102. Aches (for): YEARNS.

104. Archipelago unit: ISLET.

107. "Groundhog Day" director Harold: RAMIS. He also directed "Caddyshack".

109. Overly precious: TWEE.

111. Bit of dust: MOTE.

112. Printer part: TRAY.

115. Fuzzy 1980s sitcom character: ALF.

116. Low-lit: DIM.

117. Actress Thurman: UMA.

C.C.

Friday, Jun 12th, 2026 ~ Emma Oxford

 ANTI-FACTERIAL DISPUNSER

This is my fourth Emma Oxford crossword - the last one was the memorial to my friend Greg and our mutual enjoyment of playing poker puzzle.  I breezed through this Friday fill-in, with only a typo slowing me down.  Today we have five themers, no reveal, totaling 51 squares, that are a punny play on common phrases, redefined as types of ( mostly ) popular bars of soap.  A standard grid, no circles, a three-knight "dog" (🙄), eleven 3LWs, a handful of names, a ridiculous number of abbreviations and/or acronyms - but - was missing just the F & J for a pangram~!

17. Soap that's easy to conceal?: POCKET DIAL - Not the "politically incorrect" butt-dial, this soap -

23. Soap that could use a friend?: LONESOME DOVE - Not the town from the 1986 Pulitzer-prize winning book ( and TV series ), but a solitary bar from this collection - 

37. Soap that's super popular?: HOT LAVA - Not the exercise we used to 'play' in Phys Ed., but this - 

Check out this "soap" artwork on Artsy

49. Soap that's falling apart?: BREAKING DAWN - Not the early rising sun, but the outlier, as this is more dish detergent soap - "Dawn is breaking everywhere . . . " lyric @ 0:30

Refreshing Rain scent is the one on my kitchen sink, and I buy the gallon refill at BJs

61. Soap that's perfect for adding color to a shower routine?: ORANGE ZEST - not the 'shaved' skin of the fruit, but this cleansing product - 

This racing version was a NASCAR promo

But Wash, There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Easter month, often: APRIL - It can be March - the convoluted way it's calculated; the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon after the Spring equinox 🙏

6. Apple resource with curated guides: MAPS - I am Android, so it's Google's version

10. Bygone handhelds, for short: PDAs - Personal Digital Assistan - it could be either, as in 'holding hands' being a bygone Public Display of Affection - either way, it's abbr/acr #1

14. Lift a finger?: POINT - 👉

15. Landed: ALIT

16. Reply to "I'm sure they'll be fine without you," perhaps: "OUCH." - Harsh, man . . . 

19. Low-carb diet: KETO - My friend Jay was a "keto" dieter; I missed his B-day last month, so I reached out via text a week late; he responded with "it's OK - btw, I met the love of my life, quit my job, sold my house, moved to North Carolina - oh, and had triple by-pass surgery in November . . . '  - and he's younger than me.  Sheesh.  Reminded me of this song

Billy Joel, My Life

20. Hunk: SLAB

21. Setting of the graphic novel "Persepolis": IRAN - filled via perps, Geo name #1

22. Arrive: GET IN

26. Estimate from a contractor: QUOTE - I tried PRICE first; Bzzzzt~!

28. "Me too": SAME - I wanted SO AM I, then AS ME - which was close, but, wrong

29. Relish: GUSTO - the noun, usu. in the prepositional phrase "with gusto" - you're welcome.

30. Big name in gaming monitors: ACER - filled via perps, crossword staple, name(ish)

32. Dec. holiday: XMAS - abbr/acr #2 - only 195 shopping days til . . . the countdown clock

36. Goal: AIM - Still have the same goal / aim / desire / intent to produce my board games - and now I have a fourth one to promote, too; I ran off a simplified version of the board on paper so I could work out the play details

40. Computer file suffix: EXE - for adding programs to PCs / Windows, "executable" - abbr/acr #3

41. School gps.: PTAs - PDAs and PTAs - abbr/acr #4

43. Root vegetable related to Swiss chard: BEET - I had the "EE" from my Down fills

44. SF NFLer: NINER - AND - 52D. SF MLBer: GIANT - five-letter San Fransisco major league teams, football and baseball respectively

46. Astronomical light show: NOVA - meh.  Technically, yes, but I think aurora is a better match

48. Birthplace of K-pop: SEOUL - Geo name #2

54. Signs on for another tour: RE-UPS

55. Pop diva Celine: DION - name #3 - the hot dogs go on . . . 

Peter May, comedian

56. American white __: Gulf Coast bird: IBIS - mostly perps

60. Org. with sponsored Medicare plans: AARP - American Association of Retired Persons - you can actually join at the age of 18 - but I doubt you've 'retired'.  I got my letter from UPS last month, saying I was now eligible for my retirement, having turned 55 in February this year - I think it's a whopping $337/mo., but I'll take it~! abbr/acr #5

63. Pop sensation: IDOL

64. Have too little of: WANT

65. Bowie's role in "The Prestige": TESLA - name #4, I had T _ _ _ A, but not having seen the movie . . . IMDb

66. Where Anheuser-Busch is BUD: NYSE - the New York Stock Exchange listing = BUDweiser beer - abbr/acr #6

67. Some specialist MDs: ENTs - Ears, Nose, Throat - abbr/acr #7

68. Autumn bloom: ASTER

DOWN:

1. Starters, casually: APPS - I was in sport mode, so I tried "ACES" - but this is the meals version "appetizers" - abbr/acr #8

2. Combine: POOL - I 64A. wanted MELD

3. Costa __: RICA - Geo name #5

4. Test pattern?: INKBLOT - the Rorshach inkblot test - I see Bigfoot from under a sheet of ice at #4

5. 5G precursor: LTE - a good WAG on my part, Long-Term Evolution - smartphone tech, abbr/acr #9

6. Spanish parent: MADRE - and another good WAG, 'mother' in Español

7. Cover name: ALIAS - my new board game involves spies

8. Support for a key player?: PIANO SEAT - cute, but meh.  I wanted BENCH or STOOL . . .

Hey, I found some good-looking legs on a piano CHAIR 🙄

9. Mo. town: STL - St. Louis, MissOuri - abbr/acr #10

10. Progress tracker for one trying to "catch 'em all": POKEDEX - I figured it was something like this, but waited on perps - the index of the Pokémon universe - more here

11. Caused by: DUE TO

12. When the fate of Ophelia is revealed: ACT IV - been doing crosswords long enough to know that this type of clue is looking for "ACT _ _", so it was either II or IV, possibly other Roman numerals

13. Sparkled: SHONE - ha~!  Nailed it

18. Prong: TINE

22. Jewel: GEM

24. Letters of equivocation: OTOH - On the Other Hand . . . I just read George Carlin's book, 'How to Rid Yourself of Doubt - or, Should You~?' abbr/acr #11

25. Harry's accomplice in "Home Alone": MARV - I did not know this name, #6

26. Walk out: QUIT - Dah~! Not EXit, but 50% correct

27. Home of the NCAA's Black Knights: USMA - knights #1, abbr/acr #12 - wait - 

there's a whole team of them~?

Uh, no - the United States Military Academy - the West Point football squad

29. Word with age or wage: GAP

30. Took off right after dinner: ATE AND RAN - Cool fill, and a nine-letter Thwurd

31. Rock & Roll HoF city: CLEveland, abbr/acr #13

33. Grubhub link: MENU

34. Rink leap: AXEL

35. Title for a knight in Westeros: SER - I am ashamed to say, I have not seen Game of Thrones

knight #2 - Ser Duncan, in the prequel

38. Short "Duh": OBVI - 21st century-speak for "obviously" - abbr/acr #14

39. Over again: ANEW

42. Maker of Trop-a-Rocka tea: SNAPPLE - Ah.  I didn't see this fill until I did the blog, and I was today-years-old when I learned that this was a flavor "invented" by the band Poison's frontman Bret Michaels for The Apprentice, though I did know he was a diabetic

45. Charges, in a way: IONIZES - WARNING~!  Science content

47. Gives a thumbs-up: OKs - 👍

48. Performed in a choir: SANG

49. Scarecrow's desire: BRAIN - ooops; I put in HEART, but that was the Tin Man - no, Oz never did give nuthin' to him - and an Easter ( see 1A) Egg chorus lyric at 1:11

America - Tin Man

50. Good to go: READY

51. Money in Monaco: EUROS - I didn't take the 'plural' into account, but I did think EURO - and I also learned today that this place is a "microstate", not a 'city' in France . . . Huh 

You can just see my "other" house up on the left, overlooking the Frawnche Riviera . . . 

53. Taboos: DON'Ts - I had "NO-NOs", 60% correct

57. One-up: BEST - the 'Canes are one-up on the LV Knights - knight #3, and my musical pun

58. Tropical spot: ISLE - I'd prefer a trip to Europe over any tropical vacation

59. Movie lead: STAR

61. Be in arrears: OWE - "I know the rent is in arrears" - see the themer link at 49A., lyric @ 3:30

62. GPS prediction: ETA - Estim . . . oh , never mind, it's another abbr/acr, #15

. . . and here's the missing F, J 

Here's my buddy Cooper - chillin' in the humidity on Long Island

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.2

Sunday February 8, 2026 ~ Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

Theme: "Doing Business"

Cutthroat compounds are verb-noun compounds where the verb acts on the noun (i.e. cut-throat). While the themers are not compound words, they are in-the-language nouns turned into 'verb-ing on a noun' for each whimsically-clued career.

Let us play...

23. Job for an elephant caretaker?: BATHING TRUNKS.

He doesn't have a trunk.
He has a glove compartment.

33. Job for a department store model?: SPORTING GOODS. To sport clothes is to wear the goods.

51. Job for a tailor?: EVENING DRESSES. Read this as EVEN-ing a dress and then "tailor" makes sense.

65. Job for a nanny?: HANDLING CHARGES. A nanny's charges are the little imps she must handle with grace.

Mary Poppins, Burt, and her charges, Jane and Michael Banks.

85. Job for a cheesemonger?: PITCHING WEDGES.

Monty Python's Cheese Shop Sketch taught me all the cheeses.

100. Job for an interior designer?: CHANGING ROOMS. My fav of the themers.

117. Job for a corporate VIP?: RUNNING BOARDS.

Across:

1. Screenwriter's output: SCRIPT.

7. Confined: SHUT IN.

13. Emma of "Madame Web": ROBERTS.

20. "Gotcha": OH I SEE.

21. Excalibur, notably: CASINO. Sword was a letter short and perps didn't agree. My first gamble was roulette at Excalibur. I won on my first bet (on 19) and played with the house's money the rest of the night. I've never been that lucky since.

Excalibur Casino - Las Vegas, NV

22. Resolve: IRON OUT.

23. [See: Theme]

25. Hot pepper: CAYENNE.

Baldo is always a fun read

26. "Double-quick!": STAT.

27. Eggs __ easy: OVER. How I build my eggs every weekend.

28. Sugar source: CANE.

29. Mountain __: DEW.

30. Dangerous biters: ASPS. Egyptian snakes.

33. [See: Theme]

38. Show contempt for: SNORT AT.

41. Carrot, e.g.: ROOT.

42. Ring bearer, perhaps?: EAR. Who else thought "wedding" 1st?

43. Alter, in a way: HEM.

44. Coastline feature: RIA.

45. "__ Fideles": ADESTE. Better known as the carol "O Come, All Ye Faithful." [Wikipedia]

47. Kibble maker: ALPO.

51. [See: Theme]

54. Onetime Nissan make: DATSUN. In college, DW & I had a used ('84?) Datsun Z for a few years. I can't recall if it was a 240 or a 280Z but many of the parts were stamped "Nissan."

56. Galoot: BIG APE.

57. Cartesian conclusion: I AM. Rene Descartes: "cogito, ergo sum" ("I think therefore I am"). I learned that from Monty Python, too ;-)

The Philosopher's Song - Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl

58. Needle holder: TONE ARM. On your [98a] SPINNER.

59. "C'est la vie": ALAS. "C'est la vie" is classier than "sh** happens."

60. Saint __ fire: ELMOS. St. Elmo's Fire is a weather phenomenon caused by a pointy object in an electrically charged atmosphere [WikiP] and a Brat Pack movie from the mid-'80's.

62. Brook fish: TROUT.

64. Casual attire: TEE.

65. [See: Theme]

70. Cry of realization: AHA.

73. Roos in pouches: JOEYS.

I'm fairly sure I was much
younger when I figured that out.

74. 1990s cardio workout system: TAE BO.

75. Third-longest river in Europe: URAL.

79. Summers on "Gilligan's Island": MARY ANN. Dawn Wells (Reno, NV) played the character from KS who won the Three Hour Tour via a lottery.

Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Summers

81. Las Vegas drama: CSI. Crime Scene Investigation. I don't think I've ever seen an episode.

82. Brand for competitive divers: SPEEDO.

Image, fortunately, not available.

84. Entice: ALLURE.

85. [See: Theme]

90. Ran off with: TOOK.

91. Bounces back: ECHOES.

92. Bounce house filler: AIR.

93. Ginger __: ALE. A soda flavor.

94. Uni ref. work: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

97. Microbe: GERM.

98. Record player: SPINNER. While I've heard "spin some records," I've never heard a turntable called a spinner.

100. [See: Theme]

106. Whirlybird: HELO. I'm guessing Gary & Amy are looking for helicopter and not the opening command in RFC 821 - SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) § 3.5.

107. Feel poorly: AIL.

108. __ Goose vodka: GREY.

109. Cedar Point state: OHIO. The Internet tells me that Cedar Point is a Six Flags property on the shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio.

111. Wall alternative: MOAT. Why not both?

Let's see if this meme clip works.

115. More clear, as a photo: SHARPER.

117. [See: Theme]

122. Small: COMPACT.

123. Back, on a boat: ASTERN.

124. Completely committed: IN DEEP.

125. Rubs with oil: ANOINTS.

126. Affixes in a scrapbook: PASTES.

127. Subatomic particles: BOSONS.

WikiP explains.

Down:

1. Breaks down in tears: SOBS.

2. Online help option: CHAT.

3. Pop singer Ora: RITA.

4. Heavily panned 1987 Beatty/Hoffman comedy: ISHTAR. I heard it was bad so didn't bother.

5. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame architect: PEI. If you look closely, it's a TONE ARM on a stack of SPINNERS.

More info here

6. Mark of perfection, at times: TEN. But these go to 11...

Obligatory clip

7. Sketch show that once starred John Candy, for short: SCTV. Second City [Toronto] TeleVision. So much talent -- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara (who passed last week), Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, et.al. -- came out of SCTV. Lorne Michaels could pick 'em even b/f SNL.

Having been a smoker, the bit about "golden arm" stuck with me.

8. Animals that can run up to 50 mph: HARES. Cheetahs didn't fit and they run 60+ mph.

9. Appropriate, as power: USURP.

10. Pewter metal: TIN.

11. Tats: INK.

12. Discouraging words: NOS. If you think it's a NO, don't ask 'til it's time for forgiveness (learnt that in the Army, I did :-))

13. Puerto __: RICAN.

14. Anaheim's county: ORANGE. Anaheim, CA is in Orange County. I don't know why I know this 'cuz I've never been there.

15. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" actor John: BOYEGA.

16. Compass reading: ENE.

17. Repetitive musical composition: RONDO. Think Row, Row, Row Your Boat repeated over and over but started on three separate downbeats.

18. Properly pitched: TUNED.

19. Hearty dishes: STEWS.

24. Show up solo: GO STAG.

28. Mentions in a footnote: CITES.

31. Ribbon of fabric: STRIP.

32. "Common Sense" pamphleteer: PAINE. Thomas, the OG pamphleteer rabble rouser.

34. Assayers' stuff: ORES.

35. "The Joy of Painting" host Bob: ROSS. Pop & I would watch on PBS every Saturday.

36. Carry: TOTE.

37. Take the floor: ORATE.

38. Kingdom in what is now Yemen: SHEBA.

39. "On the Beach" author Shute: NEVIL.

40. Alpha's opposite: OMEGA. Greek to me.

45. Friend of d'Artagnan: ARAMIS. I'm thinking a Three Musketeers reference - Google says I'm right :-)

46. Evil fiend: DEMON.

48. Exam with an Argumentative Writing section: LSAT. Youngest passed hers and now has a semester of GWU Law under her belt.

49. 100%: PURE. My shower barsoap, Ivory, is touted as 99.44% pure.

50. "Put your wallet away": ON ME. Their treat.

52. Poet Ogden: NASH.

53. Humdinger: DILLY. Does anyone say this now? I'll tell Eldest; She'll bring it back to fashion.

54. Pederson who coached the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win: DOUG.

55. Penny-__: ANTE. FIL used to say this for anything unimportant.

58. Tuna tartare cut: TORO. Sushi!

60. Locale in a Steinbeck title: EDEN. Just a little East of, if I recall correctly.

61. Certain NCO: SGT.

62. Core argument: THESIS.

63. 1990s Israeli prime minister: RABIN.

66. Open a bit: AJAR. When is a door not a door? When it's a jar. Pop got me a Dad Joke of the Day calendar and now you must all suffer.

67. __ the wiser: NONE. Y'all really don't want the Dad Joke desk calendar.

68. Secret store: CACHE.

69. Sought damages: SUED.

70. Part of a Latin 101 conjugation: AMAT.

71. __ Top Creamery: HALO.

72. "The Good Dinosaur" dinosaur: ARLO. Google tells me Arlo is the protagonist in Disney's 2015 movie. An Alice's Restaurant or Motorcycle Song reference is more in my wheelhouse for ARLO.

76. Lear daughter: REGAN.

77. "Easy on Me" singer: ADELE.

78. Last one to cross the finish line: LOSER. How about the softer euphemism "didn't place"?

80. Klondike Gold Rush site: YUKON.

What would you do?

82. Run off with: SWIPE. Took [90a clecho], steal, rob, sometimes clued as 'take badly.'

83. Risk: PERIL.

85. "Mad Men" role for Elisabeth Moss: PEGGY.

86. "Happy Birthday" writer: ICER.

87. "Comin' __ the Rye": THRO. Robert Burns' 1784 poem.

88. Singer Perry: COMO.

89. Fuel guzzler: GAS HOG.

95. Omelet maker: EGG PAN.

96. Work behind the camera: DIRECT.

99. Wanderers: NOMADS.

Dion

100. Brutus co-conspirator: CASCA. He, too?

101. Casual lead-in to "I'm home": HI HON.

102. Memorable Texas mission: ALAMO. The first time I went to the Alamo was post-Basic AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio in '88. The River Walk has grown a lot since then, but the core (and the Alamo) remains the same.

Remember the um, um, um...

103. "Botheration": NERTS.

104. "Haystacks" painter: MONET.

Haystacks

105. English county: SHIRE. The OED [94a] (subscription required, so this instead) will tell you that Sheriff comes from "Shire's Reeve" where reeve is an official steward.

110. Quaint hotels: INNS.

112. Black-and-white treat: OREO.

113. Arabian port: ADEN.

114. Cough syrup amts.: TSPS.

116. Upstate NY school: RPI. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy (Hi, IM!) New York.

117. 50 Cent piece?: RAP. 50 Cent, aka Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), is a Rapper.

118. Letters on Megan Rapinoe's jersey: USA. Megan in a soccer player.

119. Some Windows systems: NTS. Windows NT / XP / Vista / 10 / 11 all have the same kernel base first developed for IBM's OS/2. I first worked with NT 3.1 & 3.5 on a DEC Alpha in the early '90's.

120. Chest protector: BIB.

121. "Painting To Be Stepped On" artist Yoko: ONO. Is there any other Yoko? Oh, there is (but not in crossword-world).

Painting To Be Stepped On [MOMA]

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: DoTSUN - > DATSUN, rIB -> BIB
ESPs: ROBERTS, BOYEGA, ADESTE, RITA, ARAMIS, NEVIL, REGAN, PEGGY, ICEO, CASCA, ARLO (as clued) & probably other names.
Fav: SCTV brings back many fond memories.

Y'all have a great Sunday.
Cheers, -T

Wednesday, Oct 22nd, 2025 ~ Emma Oxford

  BLUFFY McLIARPANTS

It seems fitting that I should get a poker/card-playing theme - sadly, I was down on Long Island this past weekend to attend the wake of my dear friend Greg B., whom I'd known for nine years, as he died last Tuesday after a three-year battle with brain cancer.  I had not seen him since the diagnosis, as the disease had made it diffiuclt for him to retain your name or the thread of a conversation, so he opted to spend his time ( rightfully ) with his wife and daughter.  I was grateful to him for inviting me to his home for a poker game once a week, and you knew it was poker night because he would wear a shirt with "Bluffy McLiarpants" across the front; the image above was my response to that shirt; I wore this at the card table to "distract" the other players 😵.  We've seen several Emma Oxford puzzles for the LA Times, and today's grid was a pleasant solve for me; no circles, just a few names, and a Wednesday difficulty.  The themers which represent the "stages" of a card game;

18. 1977 Top 20 single by Boz Scaggs: LIDO SHUFFLE - Cool song

23. "Love your work!": I'M A HUGE FAN - we would fan first, to see who dealt first

38. Engagement ring option: PRINCESS CUT - done by the player to the dealer's right

54. Aspiring musician's goal: RECORD DEAL - always to the left

59. Dramatic presentation often staged during Lent: PASSION PLAY - we would PLAY high/low games, with a "stack" of chips, and the winners would "split" the pot; you could also go 'both ways', and if you won, you would "sweep" - thus, the words on my T-shirt

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Civil War POTUS: ABE - I wondered what his middle name was; POTUS is the abbr for President of the United States, so I wondered what A_L would be - more here

4. Anklebones: TARSI - crossword staple

Such beautiful Tarsi

9. Lawn ornament in a hat: GNOME

14. Bagel topping: LOX - I stopped in to see Cooper ( also my brother, who shares the same house with the dog ) and had me another bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese - it's better than it sounds~!

15. Not suitable: INAPT

16. Aspirational, as goals: LOFTY - my lofty goal is to be recognized for my fantasic board games - still trying to figure out how to get them produced

17. Hill worker?: ANT - not the quaint reference to the "US Capitol", on the "hill"

20. DEA agent: NARC

22. 44th first family: OBAMAS

27. Drive-__: THRU

30. Polite assent in Seville: SIS, ENOR - Si, C.C.~!

31. Court figs.: DAs - District Attorneys

33. Rower's implement: OAR

34. "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN

36. Face With Tears of Joy, for one: EMOJI - 😂

41. Selected: CHOSE

43. Cars: AUTOS

44. Zeus, e.g.: GOD - "high -ODs" . . . 

45. Skip the grass seed: SOD - low "-ODs"

48. Cloaks: MANTLES - I watched two "classic" movies over the weekend - "The Curse of Frankenstein" ( that's Fron-ken-schteen - see 7D. ) and "The Horror of Dracula", both starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - two actors who would later have roles in the Star Wars films

Tis the season~!

52. Highlander of ancient Peru: INCA

56. Zeus's daughter: ATHENA

58. Not fooled by: ONTO

64. Do some mending: SEW

65. The Ivies, e.g.: OCTET - those eight being these

66. Leader of the girl group Red Velvet: IRENE - we've seen her here before - KPOP

67. Before, before: ERE - "Able was I . . . "

68. Some Southwest landmarks: MESAS

69. Things to read on the road: SIGNS - 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯 if you're gonna rock down to . . . .

... and not recharge your smart phone 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯

70. Australian airport code: SYDney

DOWN:

1. "Ironic" singer Morissette: ALANIS - I linked her and the song in a previous puzzle

2. Brand of scouring powder: BON AMI

3. Bonuses: EXTRAS

4. Up to, for short: TIL - unTIL

5. Alex and __ jewelry: ANI - I had ANN to start, but she showed up later at 62D.  Here's a shocking story behind the woman who founded the jewelry company

6. "Tubular!": "RAD~!"

7. "Spaceballs," for one: SPOOF - Mel Brook's parody of the Star Wars films; it's a tough call as to which of his other spoofs is better  - Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein~?

Dark Helmet & Colonel Sandurz

8. Bleak assessment: IT'S BAD

9. Down in the dumps: GLUM

10. Skim, in the dairy aisle: NO FAT

11. Branch: OFFSHOOT

12. The NHL's Canadiens, on a scoreboard: MTL - abbr for Montreal; I had MON - MTL is nearly a unique fill; The "Habs" - too early in the season for me still, CandianEh!

13. Quiet part of a hurricane: EYE

19. "Pitch Perfect" actress __ Mae Lee: HANA - filled via perps

Her IMDb

21. "Here's to you!": "CHEERS~!"

24. Boxers or briefs: UNDIES - which are you~?  Or do you go "commando"~?

25. Formal dress: GOWN - were undies "formerly" worn beneath that gown . . . ?

26. Actor Stoltz: ERIC - I liked him in Pulp Fiction

Prank caller~!

28. "The Big Bang Theory" character: RAJ - I asked my brother, sitting across his dining room table, for this answer - he likes it, but I cannot stand to watch a single scene of this show

29. New England sch.: URI - University of Rhode Island - my "CT nextdoor neighbor"

32. __ fiddle: SECOND - HA~! FIT-AS-A- worked, too~!

35. Teacher's org.: NEA

37. High-priority activity, per some guidebooks: MUST-DO

38. Downloads before a long road trip, perhaps: PODCASTS - ROAD MAPS worked, too, but duped

39. Japanese sport: SUMO

40. Rating unit: STAR - I give this crossword four-and-a-1/2 out of five "Moe Stars" 

41. Much of the F/X in the MCU: CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery, the Marvel Comic Universe; I am not a fan of this genre, tho I did like Deadpool

42. Babe: HON - I prefer this quaint three-letter SO nickname to "bae"

46. Black-and-white treat: OREO

47. "Mystic River" novelist Lehane: DENNIS - I have read the book; one of a just a handful from authors whose work gave me an emotional response - another was The Secret Place by Tana French

49. Inserts in some frames: LENSES - those kinds of frames

50. Diner or bistro: EATERY

51. Lost steam: SLOWED

53. Lost: AT SEA

55. Island off Naples: CAPRI

57. Battleship successes: HITS - the Milton-Bradley ship-hunting game

59. Juice brand with distinctive bottles: POM

60. Nail, as a test: ACE - R.I.P. ACE Frehley of KISS

Shock Me - the extended "smoking guitar" solo from 1977

61. Relay segment: LEG

62. "The Baby-Sitters Club" writer __ M. Martin: ANN - more here

63. "Affirmative": "YES."

For Greg

Splynter