Saturday Themeless by Chandi Deitmer and Erik Agard
Chandi wrote, I am a full-time puzzler out of Cambridge, MA with a love of nice people, spicy food, and (whatever entry POWER CLASHING is!). Hmmm...I wonder who came up with that clue/fill? π
Erik Agard (born 1993) is a crossword solver, constructor, and editor. He is the winner of the 2016 LollapuzzoolaExpress Division, the 2018 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT), a frequent contributor to the New York Times crossword puzzle, a crossword constructor for The New Yorker, the former USA Today crossword editor, and a former Jeopardy! contestant. He is currently a crossword editor at Apple News+.
I had a lovely trip through this collaboration but POWER CLASHING, BURBLE and MOCHI DONUT were speed bumps. Also, 46, 47 and 53 Down were just devious. I got the fill and then wracked what little brain power I had to make sense of them.
Across:
1. Take off: STRIP.
6. Book jacket blurbs: BIOS.
10. Cover one's tracks?: DUB π - Did you enjoy the "singing" of Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Marni Nixon was the actual performer who glorious singing voice was DUBBED over for these famous roles.
13. African capital with a City of the Dead: CAIRO - More info
14. Step in some Sun Salutations: COBRA POSE - Number 5 below
16. Attorney-__: AT LAW.
17. Boxing titles?: RING NAMES - Take a guess at the RING NAME of this boxing great Walker Smith Jr.. Answer at bottom of write-up *.
18. Greta of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse": LEE ¯\_(γ)_/¯ She voiced a character named Layla
19. GPS figs.: ETAS - My GPS does not consider detours and construction zones or my tendency to drive 4mph over the speed limit so my Estimated Time of Arrival is not always so accurate.
21. Echelons: TIERS.
22. Magnetic presence in a classroom?: DRY-ERASE BOARD - My classroom board was home to many NASA and Disney magnetic "stickers"
26. Retired players?: VCRS - Failure to expand the idea of "players" made this take more time than necessary. At first I thought of baseball and OUTS.
27. Screenwriter's creations: ARCS - Those of us with a few miles on our tires will remember the name of the show whose story ARC was the search for the one-armed-man killer. Show is named below**
28. Halyard attachments: SAILS - This land lubber confused halyard with lanyard which is where we coaches carry our whistle and convention goers wear their ID'S. π
30. Dose holder: VIAL.
31. Pewter element: TIN.
34. Setting for some of "Pachinko": KOREA ¯\_(γ)_/¯
35. Participate in story time: TELL A TALE.
37. GPS fig.: LAT - This screen shot shows you the LAT and LONG of the White House.
38. Catch: SNAG.
40. Stream-ing music?: BURBLE - Not a common word to me but exchanging it for BUBBLE gave me TRANCHE
41. Increases: UPS.
42. Some social circles?: HORAS. π
44. Standard intro course: SALAD π the course was "intro" not "first". I wonder if this was a product of Chandi or Erik.
45. Rice flour pastry: MOCHI DONUT ¯\_(γ)_/¯
48. Team whose logo is a basketball with a B: NETS.
49. In some cases, it won't break: PHONE π My iPhone is in an Otter Box case and has been saved several times
50. Surprisingly good event?: MIRACLE - The 1980 Lake Placid Olympics is truly one
5. Looks in two different directions at once?: POWER CLASHING ¯\_(γ)_/¯ It's a fashion "thing". Chandi's note to me said she did not enter this. π
28. Genre originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble: SOAP OPERA.
29. Media training?: ART SCHOOL π
30. Honey-don't list?: VEGAN MENU - I'm a "meat and taters" kind of guy!
31. Dining room section: TABLE LEAF π Ours are stored in the dining table.
32. Unsettled: ILL AT EASE.
33. Maslovian considerations: NEEDS - I studied (read memorized) these for my Master's Degree and then forgot them.
34. Kloss's "Project Runway" predecessor: KLUM.
Heidi Klum Karlie Kloss
35. Tropical staple: TARO.
36. Financial term from the French for "slice": TRANCHE - This compelling scene from Margin Call uses the word TRANCHE and gives insight into a big cause of the 2008 financial crisis. It's worth 9:48 of your time.
39. Place to make a connection: NODE - Part of a Local Area Network
43. Apt: SUITED.
46. Lockers in a row?: HORNS - Wow, variations on locker, row and horns! Here we see two kudu locking HORNS during a row (rhymes with cow). People can do the same thing metaphorically.
47. Quarry containers: TRAPS - Continuing with animal references, some people use TRAPS to catch whatever quarry they are after.
51. Person to fight with: ALLY - Two ways to go: The person who is with you and fighting on your side is an ally. The person who is not with you is someone you are fighting with/against.
52. Piece of work?: GIG.
53. JASON's five, e.g.: MOS - I got this eventually. JASON stands for the first letters in the MO.'S July through November. All capital letters in the clue put me off the name and MOS is most likely months. Aarrgghh!
54. __ point: DEW - Recent numbers for Omaha.
*Walker Smith Jr. fought as Sugar Ray Robinson
**Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) sought the one-armed-man who killed his wife in The Fugitive
Theme: A Tale of Tails. The circled letters combine to make a 4 letter word that can follow TAIL and make a new in -the-language word or phrase.
18A. New Jersey nickname: GARDEN STATE. New Jersey is nicknamed the "Garden State" due to its long history of agriculture and fertile land. The nickname was popularized in the late 19th century and has been associated with the state ever since.
The highlighted letters following TAIL refer to TAIL GATE, a phrase with several meanings: a hinged flap at the back of a truck that can be lowered or removed when loading or unloading the vehicle; to drive too closely behind another vehicle; a style of jazz trombone playing characterized by improvisation in the manner of the early New Orleans musicians; or social gathering at which an informal meal is served from the back of a parked vehicle, typically in the parking lot of a sports stadium.
30A. Vino that doesn't require a corkscrew: BOXED WINE.
The TAIL BONE is the small bone at the bottom of the spine. It is made up of 3-5 fused bones. Also called coccyx.
45A. Headwear at a 29-Down: COWBOY HAT. A hat with a broad, often curled brim and a high crown, typically made of felt. I understand that in Texas, this is just called a hat.
A TAIL COAT is a man's formal morning or evening coat, with a long skirt divided at the back into tails and cut away in front.
59A. Full house, at times: WINNING HAND. In poker, a full house is a 5-card hand containing three of a kind plus a pair. This powerful hand can only be beaten by a royal flush, a straight flush or four of a kind.
A TAIL WIND is literally a wind blowing from behind that can aid in forward motion. Figuratively, it means positive trends and developments that have the potential to support a company's progress toward growth and profitability.
2 D. Lifting a beer bottle with just a straw, e.g.: BAR TRICK. A "bar trick" typically refers to a trick or illusion performed by a bartender or someone behind a bar, often using items found in a bar environment like napkins, bottles, or glasses. These tricks are used for entertainment, to impress guests, or as a way to engage with customers and enhance the bar experience.
In American football, a TAILBACK is a type of running back who typically lines up furthest from the line of scrimmage, often behind the quarterback and fullback in a "T" or "I" formation. Tailbacks are known for their speed, agility, and ability to make explosive plays, often acting as the primary ball carrier on rushing plays.
And the unifier 40D. Final parts, and what this puzzle's circled letters create: TAILENDS. The last or hindmost part of something. Note that each TAIL END in this puzzle is made up from the first two and last two letters of each theme entry.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here to take the lead and follow up on this excellent puzzle. Note also, the unusual symmetry, with 4 (!) of the theme fill in their normal horizontal positions, and the one remaining theme fill and unifier symmetrically vertical. That also makes this an extremely theme rich puzzle. Let's dig in.
Across:
1. "The Graham Norton Show" airer: BBC. British Broadcasting Company. Graham William Walker (b. 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show The Graham Norton Show (2007–present).
4. Owner of a bed deemed too hard: PAPA. Bear, to be complete.
8. Puccini opera set in Rome: TOSCA. Not knowing opera, I took a guess. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, La Tosca, is a melodramatic piece set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains depictions of torture, murder, and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias. Fun? You decide.
13. "Homemade" pasta sauce maker: RAO. Tasty - also, relatively low carb. It's all we use.
14. __-garde: AVANT. Something that is innovative, experimental, and pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable or mainstream, particularly in art, culture, and fashion
16. Theme park with a geodesic dome: EPCOT. Adjacent to Disney World. Once I was examining windshields in the bus garage there. True story.
17. Globe: ORB. Figuratively, any spherical object.
20. Most faithful: TRUEST. Most loyal and faithful, as a friend.
22. Parking area: LOT. A flat surface. Sometimes it will be paved.
23. NYC bus org.: MTA. Metropolitan Transit Authority. Or, in Boston, maybe.
24. Many a Qatari: ARAB. Qatar is a country located on a peninsula jutting east from Saudi Arabia into the Persian Sea.
25. Young'uns: TYKES. Little children.
27. Mail ctrs.: GPOS. These are General Post Offices. The term is historical, and used more in Britain than America.
28. Trail sighting: HIKER. A trial walker. Som people would prefer a bear.
32. Health law since 2010, initially: ACA. Affordable Care Act.
33. Major work: OPUS. Of a major composer.
35. Diner pour: JOE. Slang for coffee. This likely comes from the term "jamoke," a slang word for coffee that was popular in the 1930s.
36. Young'uns: KIDDOS. Tykes. Moppets, maybe.
38. Yellowjacket kin: HORNET. Flying insects that hurt you, because they can.
41. Fish that can shock its prey: EEL. Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, Electric eels, are not Anguilliformes, which are 'true' eels. Instead, electric eels belong to the genus, Electrophorus, in the family Gymnotidae of the order Gymnotiformes, also known as knifefishes, and are more closely related to catfishes and carp. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volts.
42. Desert that's home to the world's rarest bear: GOBI. The Gobi Desert is a vast, arid region in northern China and southern Mongolia. It's known for its dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards and Bactrian camels. The Gobi bear (Ursus arctos gobiensis), known in Mongolian as the Mazaalai (ΠΠ°Π·Π°Π°Π»Π°ΠΉ), is a subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) that is found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It is listed as critically endangered by the Mongolian Redbook of Endangered Species and by IUCN standards. Currently, there are only 51 bears left in the Mongolian Gobi Desert;
43. Grab: NAB. Grasp or capture.
49. Bounce: SPLIT. In slang, both of these words refer to leaving.
51. "I've got this!": ON IT. You can count on me.
52. Reacts to a tell-all, maybe: GASPS. Inhales suddenly with the mouth open, out of pain or astonishment.
54. Some fine art: OILS. Oil paintings.
55. Buzzing insect: BEE. More useful than hornets.
56. Dearie: HON. Sweetie.
57. Act as an intermediary: LIAISE. This uncommon verb means toestablish a working relationship, typically in order to cooperate on a matter of mutual concern.
62. Explosive stuff: TNT. TriNitroToluene is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagent in chemical synthesis, but it is best known as an explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered to be the standard comparative convention of bombs and asteroid impacts.
64. Utopias: EDENS. Hypothetical idyllic places.
65. Stuffed to the gills: SATED. Fully satisfied.
66. Princeton URL suffix: EDU. The ".edu" suffix in a web address signifies that the site belongs to an educational institution, typically a university or college.
67. Exposes, as fangs: BARES. "Baring fangs" refers to an animal displaying its teeth aggressively, often in a threatening or hostile manner. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a person showing aggression or hostility.
68. Trees used for longbows: YEWS. Coniferous trees which have red berrylike fruits, and most parts of which are highly poisonous. Yews are linked with folklore and superstition and can live to a great age; the timber is used in cabinetmaking and (formerly) to make longbows.
69. Mar.-to-Nov. hrs.: DST. Daylight Saving Time, the period during which the time is adjusted in order to gain an extra hour of daylight in the evening during part of the year. Daylight-saving time begins in the spring, when clocks are set one hour ahead.
Down:
1. Certain sib: BRO. Brother.
3. "Karate Kid" spinoff series: COBRA KAI. An American martial arts comedy drama television series created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. It serves as a sequel to the first three The Karate Kid films created by Robert Mark Kamen. Cobra Kai premiered on May 2, 2018, and concluded on February 13, 2025, after six seasons consisting of 65 episodes.
4. Diary sheet: PAGE. One side of a sheet of paper in a collection of sheets bound together, especially as a book, magazine, or newspaper.
5. Mariner's shout: AVAST. A command to stop or cease used by sailors.
6. Rental for a night of revelry: PARTY BUS. A large vehicle, often a converted bus or coach, designed to transport and entertain groups of people for recreational purposes, typically for celebrations or events.
7. "Then what happened?": AND. Do tell me more.
8. Lab procedure: TEST. A procedure intended to establish the quality, performance, or reliability of something, especially before it is taken into widespread use.
9. Decline, with "out": OPT. To choose not to participate in something
10. Garlicky shrimp dish: SCAMPI. Large shrimp or prawns, especially when prepared or cooked.
11. Tee fabric: COTTON. A soft white fibrous substance that surrounds the seeds of a tropical and subtropical plant and is used as textile fiber and thread for sewing.
12. Not on edge: AT EASE. Free from worry, awkwardness, or problems; relaxed.
15. Fax forerunner: TELEX. An international system of telegraphy with printed messages transmitted and received by teleprinters using the public telecommunications network.
19. Rhinoplasty, informally: NOSE JOB. Cosmetic surgery focused on reshaping the nose for aesthetic or functional reasons.
21. Purple yam: UBE. A kind of bright purple yam used as a flavoring and coloring in sweet dishes.
24. "Oh, that's what you mean": AHA. Expression of sudden recognition.
26. Cris Cyborg stat: KOS. Cristiane Justino VenΓ’ncio (b.1985), known professionally as Cris Cyborg and formerly by her married name Cristiane Santos, is a Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. "KO" means knockout, often used in sports like boxing to describe a situation where one fighter is rendered unable to continue due to a blow.
27. Longtime "Washington Week" journalist Ifill: GWEN. Gwendolyn L. Ifill (1955 – 2016) was an American journalist, television newscaster, and author. In 1999, she became the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program with Washington Week in Review. She was the moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and co-anchor and co-managing editor, with Judy Woodruff, of the PBS NewsHour, both of which air on PBS. Ifill was a political analyst and moderated the 2004 and 2008 vice-presidential debates. She authored the best-selling book The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.
29. Sport with roping and riding: RODEO. A competitive equestrian sport and public event that showcases the skills of cowboys and cowgirls, particularly in events like bull riding, bareback riding, barrel racing, and roping.
31. Historian __ Kearns Goodwin: DORIS. Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin (b.1943) is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of numerous U.S. presidents. Goodwin's book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995.
34. Square, e.g.: POLYGON. A closed, two-dimensional shape formed by three or more straight line segments (sides) that connect to form a closed figure.
37. Tech __: coder's concern: DEBT. A concept in software development where choosing quicker, easier solutions over more robust, long-term solutions results in future rework and increased costs. Hence the aphorism: There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.
38. Camping appliance: HOT PLATE. A flat heated surface, typically portable, used for cooking food or keeping it hot.
39. Joined the military: ENLISTED. Enrolled or was enrolled in the armed services.
42. Shell product: GAS. Shell Oil is the US-based subsidiary of Shell plc, a global energy and petrochemical company. It's a major player in oil and gas exploration, production, refining, and marketing, as well as petrochemical manufacturing. Shell USA, also known as Shell Oil Company, has its headquarters in Houston, Texas.
44. "Butter" K-pop group: BTS. BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. K-pop is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western dance music, hip-hop, R&B and rock.
I guess I'm too old.
45. Spooky decoration: COBWEB. A spider's web, especially when old and covered with dust. That 'cob' in cobweb is a very old, and now forgotten, spider. The Old English word for spider was atorcoppe, with ator meaning 'poison' and coppe meaning 'head' – that's the same 'coppe' that probably gave us the word corncob
46. Upstate New York lake: ONEIDA. It's just a bit North-east of Syracuse.
47. __ dog: dachshund: WIENER. The term "weiner dog" is an informal, often humorous name for the Dachshund breed.
48. Puts up, as a painting: HANGS. Suspends something from above with the lower part dangling free.
50. Polynesian taro dish: POI. A Hawaiian dish made from the fermented root of the taro which has been baked and pounded to a paste.
53. Strength: SINEW. A piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone or bone to bone; a tendon or ligament. Hence, strength, power or resilience.
56. Cobra's warning: HISS. A sharp sibilant sound.
58. Does sums: ADDS. Performs the mathematical process of addition.
60. Coos Bay-to-Portland dir.: NNE. North-northeast. Refers to the compass direction that is halfway between north and north east, or NNE. It's 22.5 degrees east of north, and therefore 45 degrees away from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
61. Stable fare: HAY. A stable is secure structure for housing horses or other livestock. HAY is livestock feed. Does that seem fair?
63. "Tsk!": TUT. Sounds expressing disapproval or annoyance. Less intense than "humbug." Maybe.
And that wraps it up for today. Hope you didn't end up too far behind.
Congrats to Sam Cordes for his L. A. Times debut. He has 3 published puzzles elsewhere, this this is his first here. Well done, Sam! Hope to see you again.
23. Poetry Out Loud org.: NEA. As in the National Endowment for the Arts.
24. Top poker cards: ACES.
27. Fatherly nickname: PAPA.
29. __-friendly: USER.
30. Quilters' gathering: BEE.
32. Positive quality: ASSET.
35. "It's a cinch!": EASY.
43. [OMG!]: GASP.
44. Sticky pine product: RESIN.
45. Long, slithery fish: EEL.
46. "Humpty Dumpty" rhyme scheme: AABB.
49. Thompson who won four NBA championships with the Warriors: KLAY. Klay Alexander Thompson (b. Feb. 8, 1990) currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks. He previously played for the Golden State Warriors for 13 seasons.
61. Pianist's practice piece: ΓTUDE. More of today's French lesson.
62. Cocktail garnishes: OLIVES.
66. Experts: MAVENS.
67. Rum quaff: GROG. There are several "origin" stories of how Grog came to be. Here is one version.
68. Not mainstream, informally: ALT. As in Alternative.
69. White of "The Golden Girls": BETTY. Betty Marion White (Jan. 17, 1922 ~ Dec. 31, 2021) was a wonderful comedian and actress. She also starred in the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
