Monday December 29, 2025 Keegan Edgar

  

Happy Monday, everyone! This is Keegan Edgar's second LAT puzzle. His debut was on Feburary 6, 2025. Today's theme is:  

We will begin with the four fin-tastic themers:

17 Across. Hangout with ramps and rails for boarders and bladers: SKATE PARK.  I liked the bit of misdirection with hangout the noun versus hang out the verb. In this case, it is the place where skateboarders and rollerbladers can practice their tricks.  

23 Across. Exclamation of surprise: HOLY MACKEREL.  This phrase goes back at least 200 years. It likely originated as a minced oath, substituting mackerel for "Mary" or the archangel "Michael".  

46 Across. Diving stance with bent hips and straight legs: PIKE POSITION.  

57 Across. A-OK: HUNKY-DORY.  This slang expression means "everything is quite satisfactory". It is believed to have Dutch origins and was first spotted in English in the mid-1800s.

(I get those mixed up but I think this mnemonic will help now.)

The reveal spans the equator:  

36 Across. "This doesn't seem right," or what can be said about 17-, 23-, 46-, and 57-Across: SOMETHING'S FISHY.  

In case you have not yet smelt the gimmick, there are four types of fish hidden in the themed answers, making them FISHY. 

(clockwise from top-left)  skate, mackerel, dory and pike

This puzzle earns a gold-starfish for its separation between the themed answers and the reveal. Additionally, note the alternating pattern of the fish word placement. Well done, Keegan! No trout about it!

Now, let's see what other clues we can catch....

Across:

1. "You snooze, you __!": LOSE.  ... said the tortoise to the hare.

5. Not doing anything: IDLE.  not the same as snoozing  

9. Data on baseball cards: STATS.  CSO to our former Monday sherpa, Boomer.

14. Consumes a 15-Across: EATS.     and     ↙

15. Lunch or dinner: MEAL.  

I love a good Venn diagram.

16. Cockpit figure: PILOT.  One of the noun definitions for figure is "bodily shape or form especially of a person".  

19. French "between": ENTRE.  

20. Nine-digit ID: SSN.

21. Hard drive capacity prefix: TERA-.  If you are truly curious, this article explains the basics.  

22. Gemstone with colored stripes: AGATE.  all about AGATE

26. British nobles with low ranking: BARONS.  By comparison, Lord Grantham of Downton Abbey was two steps up:  Earl.

It could be worse....

29. Scottish gal: LASS.  Have you heard of Ally Crowley-Duncan, aka Ally the Piper? She was a guest on WWDTM a while back. Ally was born in Latham, New York in 1995. She is known for playing songs from rock, pop, and metal music on the bagpipes. Although she is not from Scotland, her piper skills surely give her LASS cred. In this video, she plays The Session, the title track from her 2025 album.  

30. Grows older: AGES.  

31. __ pie: dish with corn chips: FRITO.  

recipe

33. Tennis server's success: ACE.  An ACE is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, winning the point for the server.

40. Self-image: EGO.

41. Aired again: RERAN.  Think "old TV shows".

42. __-Ball: target game in arcades: SKEE.  

43. Add to the payroll: HIRE.

44. Places for bracelets: WRISTS.  "Ankles" was too long.

51. Actress Tatum: O'NEAL.  [b. November 5, 1963]  Tablet claims her father Ryan named his daughter after the jazz pianist Art Tatum.  source

52. Convent residents: NUNS.  CSO to Lucina!

53. Spot for a facial: SPA.  

56. Blue-gray color: SLATE.  

These walls are painted with Glidden's blue-gray SLATE.

59. Guiding principle: TENET.

60. Length x width: AREA.  

61. Sunburn-soothing succulent: ALOE.  

62. Small earrings: STUDS.  Basically, they are earrings that do not hang down past the lobe.

63. Trial run: TEST.

64. Archery items: BOWS.  "Arrows" was too long.

Down:

1. Not as expensive: LESS.  

2. Acorn droppers: OAKS.  

3. "Thunderbolts*" actor Sebastian __: STAN.  Thunderbolts is a Marvel movie that came out earlier this year.

4. Approximate fig.: EST.  Another noun definition for figure is "value, especially as expressed in numbers".  In this case, that figure is and ESTimate.

5. Spurs to action: IMPELS.

6. Sweetie pie: DEARY.  

7. SoCal NFL player: LA RAM.

8. Large deer in the Rockies: ELK.

9. Talks about: SPEAKS OF.  

The Gossips   ~   Norman Rockwell  ~  1948

10. Touches of color: TINGES.  A TINGE of color is like a "splash of color", only more subtle.

11. "I do" venue: ALTAR.  

Notice what is in their hands.

12. Rich layer cake: TORTE.  

This one certainly has a lot of layers.

13. Construction girder metal: STEEL.

18. Historic British school: ETON.

23. Hydrant hookup: HOSE.  Hee!Hee!

24. Arrange in a row: ALIGN.  You know ... so they line up.

25. Purring pets: CATS.  

I have been cat-sitting for my neighbor.
This gray tuxedo looks sweet but she will not let me get any work done.

26. Acid counterpart: BASE.  This clue references the pH scale.

27. Eager: AGOG.  

28. San __, Italy: REMO.  Population ~55,000. Wiki says it is Sanremo in Italian but two words in English.  It is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. I was curious how many other municipalities fit the clue (but not the perps). Cono, Fele, Fili, Fior, Luca, Lupo, Rufo, Siro, and Vito all work.

31. "Little __ Everywhere": Celeste Ng novel: FIRES.  goodreads link

32. Genetic messenger molecule: RNA.

33. Queries: ASKS.

34. NBA player Holmgren: CHET.  [b. 2002 in Minneapolis, MN] He plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

35. Potato spots: EYES.  I always thought they were poisonous if ingested but the Idaho Potato Commission says otherwise. Nevertheless, do not take my word for it! Do your own research. 

37. Three siblings with the same birthday: TRIPLETS. This cute clue deserves a cute image.

St. Bernard TRIPLET puppies
(BTW, I recommend Googling "TRIPLET puppies images".)

38. One saving the day: HERO.  

Mighty Mouse made his debut in 1942.

39. "The proof __ the pudding": IS IN.  M-W explains this idiom

43. Like a sauna: HEATED.

44. Reassure that one's joking, in a way: WINK AT.  😉

45. Like pink cheeks: ROSY.

46. Sends with a stamp: POSTS.  To POST a letter is to mail a letter.

47. Small bay: INLET.

48. Actor Reeves who plays John Wick: KEANU.  [b. September 2, 1996] His mother was English; his father was American; he was born in Beirut, Lebanon because his mother was there for work; and yet Keanu is Canadian.  

There are four John Wick movies ... so far.

49. Become accustomed (to): INURE.  I found this example sentence online:  Does the violence on television INURE children TO violence in real life?

50. Adjusts a piano's pitch, e.g.: TUNES.  It was fun to see a verb meaning for TUNES instead of a plural noun.  

53. Brand of red plastic cups: SOLO.  When filmmakers include red SOLO cups in a scene they send the viewer a quick message about the characters and the gathering. It might be a message of formality, taste level, financial situations, group dynamics, age range, attitudes towards alcohol, or a combination of all those.  

Friends     ~     Phoebe is in charge of cups and ice.     ~     (1:26 min.)

54. Boat's front: PROW.  The bow is the front part of a boat. It includes the PROW, the stem, and the foremost part of the hull. the PROW is the part of the stem line above the waterline.  

55. Affirmative votes: AYES.

57. Part of a Santa costume: HAT.  

58. Apply gently: DAB.

The grid:  

That's all for this puzzle and that's all from me. Changes are afoot on The Corner. Beginning in 2026, another project will require my time and attention. I simply will not have enough free hours to continue in this role. I still intend to add to the comments most days. I will also be around as an occasional substitute blogger. So, I am not leaving -- just transitioning. I am thankful to C.C. for creating and maintaining this space where solvers can share a common hobby. It has been my pleasure to be a part of her team. I have learned so much! Speaking of the team, I happen to know you will be in excellent hands going forward! So long and thanks for all the fish!

~ sumdaze

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

I'm sad that today marks Sumdaze's final Monday blog post. Renee gives her all to every write-up. Her posts are always rich with images, video clips, and thoughtful, detailed explanations. Mondays won't be  the same without her.

That said, Mondays will remain in very capable hands. The incredible Naomi will begin covering Mondays starting next week. RustyBrain will take over Thursdays, and Splynter will blog Fridays, as both Chairman Moe and MM have decided to scale back and blog once a week. They'll now be sharing Wednesdays alongside Jazzbumpa and CrossEyedDave.

Hahtoolah and Husker Gary will continue their excellent work on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Anonymous T (Tony) remains our ever-reliable pinch hitter.

I can't say how thankful I am for the dedication and generosity of our blogging team. Each post represents hours of care, often three or more, spent choosing the right words, finding just the right images, and tracking down helpful links. This blog simply wouldn't exist without them.

 

Sunday, December 28, 2025 Zhouqin Burnikel

"What's The Matter"

Welcome to another C.C. Sunday puzzle.

Hi All! It's Anonymous -T sitting in for C.C. 'cuz it'd be silly for her to review her own puzzle.

Anyway, today we are given an in-the-language "<word> matter" clue and we need to ink a thing that fits. You'll see:

22. Weighty matter?: HEAVY CREAM. Heavy is a synonym for weighty and Heavy Cream is a thing.

24. Pressing matter?: FRUIT JUICE. In 2008, DW & I were leaf peeping in VT at a 27a -- they served us fresh pressed apple cider at breakfast.

47. Dark matter?: BLACK LICORICE. One of my favorite candies.

I get a dozen at a time

67. Small matter?: FINE PRINT. Fine is a synonym for small. But, in contracts, it's no small matter.  Youngest will tell you all about it in few more semesters :-)

87. Private matter?: BASIC TRAINING. Ha! A military Private.

111. Sensitive matter?: TOUCH PANEL. Some Touch Panels are sensitive while others, like the printer at my office, havta be whacked with a knuckle to get it's attention.

115. Grave matter?: BURIAL SITE. Yep.

35. Gray matter?: HUMAN ANATOMY. This was my favorite of the themers. I kept thinking of Poirot's "little gray cells" but "brain" didn't fit. Gray's Anatomy is the reference book of human anatomy. Oh, it's also a TV show with Dr.s hooking up -- I've never seen an episode but it was in the zeitgeist.

40. Laughing matter?: NITROUS OXIDE. N₂O -- aka "laughing gas."

I'm not sure why the title doesn't have a question mark but otherwise, it's a matter of fun. Onward [Apologies to Splynter] to the fill's review!

Across:

1. Caravan's refueling spot: OASIS.

6. Inner ears?: COBS. That's corny :-)

10. Coil in a garden: HOSE.

14. Hinge and Her: APPS. Both are dating apps.

18. Cackling carnivore: HYENA.

19. Reebok rival: AVIA. Sneakers, tennies, running shoes.

20. Peak performances: BESTS. SpeedySolver can tell us his bests.

21. Heartfelt sign-off: LOVE. Love, <your name here> - AI generated love note, maybe :-)

22. [See: Theme]

24. [See: Theme]

26. Capri, for one: ISLE.

West of Naples.

27. Cozy Vermont stopovers: INNS.

Here is where DW & I stayed during leaf peeping.

28. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH.

Chris Farley's Motivational Speaker

29. Space to maneuver: ROOM.

30. Part of a flight: STAIR.

32. Author with morals: AESOP.

Aesop & Son

34. Beach protection: SUN HAT.

38. Big name in orange soda: FANTA. Not Crush?

R.E.M. - Orange Crush live

41. Coin toss choice: TAILS.

43. Letters before xis: NUS.

45. Encourage a comedian: LAUGH. This fill is why HYENA wasn't clued as a laughing carnivore @18a. When setting a grid, it's easy to miss a dupe like this - that's how you know C.C.'s a pro.

46. "Is that true about me?": AM I.

47. [See: Theme]

51. Nintendo Switch avatar: MII. I guess a MII for your WII :-)

52. Dull learning method: ROTE.

54. Popped the question: ASKED. But the answer is always 42*

55. Dry run: DRILL. Think fire DRILL.

56. Autograph hounds: FANS.

57. Wall paintings: MURALS.

Click here for more Houston murals

59. Dances to an upbeat song: BOPS.

61. Playful mockery: TEASING.

63. Saws logs: SNORES.

64. Copenhagen native: DANE.

65. First woman, in Greek myth: PANDORA. She had a box with all the evils, but, when she opened it, all save hope escaped. Just like Eve, she's blamed for all the evils in the world.

66. Skipjack, for one: TUNA.

Click for a Sportsman's Guide to Tuna

67. [See: Theme]

69. Lens care brand: RENU.

71. Chain known for its Beauty Insider perks: SEPHORA. A makeup store I got dragged to once.

73. Sits in the sun: TANS.

74. Ones who never butter up?: VEGANS.

76. Craft few people practice now: LOST ART.

77. Wave radio maker: BOSE. I kept thinking CC Wave Radio but that's the Skywave.

78. Thrillingly hot: EROTIC.

79. Call alternative: TEXT.

80. Only country with a nonrectangular flag: NEPAL.

Click for the Mathematical Properties of the Flag

82. Control jointly: CO-OWN.

85. Crepe served with sambar: DOSA. Wanna hear a funny? I didn't know this fill but, after completing the puzzle, we went to an Indian restaurant and Eldest ordered it w/o hesitation. DOSAs are delicious.

Dosa

86. "Vive le __!": ROI. Long live the [French] King!

87. [See: Theme]

90. Utility closet tool: MOP.

91. Not on a major label: INDIE. Think music.

93. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

94. "Interstellar" actress Burstyn: ELLEN. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Her Wikipedia page.

95. Liam of One Direction: PAYNE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ibid.

97. __ together: PIECED.

99. Symptoms: SIGNS. Is my failing eyesight a sign of aging? That's what I'm chalking it up to.

101. Moth-repellent wood: CEDAR. I put cedar chips in my sweater storage bags. Living in Houston, I need sweaters about 3 weeks a year so,... [I have sweaters from brick-n-mortars that closed in the '90's].

103. Recycle bin, e.g.: ICON. Cute. An ICON on your "desktop."

105. Pet doc: VET.

106. Result of a good pitch: SALE. Nice clue. I was thinking C.C. would go with baseball's strike or foul and only perps saved me from filling foul.

107. Stack-selling chain: IHOP. International House of Pancakes.

111. [See: Theme]

115. [See: Theme]

117. Lift with a bent elbow: CURL.

118. Unholy things: EVILS. The crossing of apse @104d stalled this fill far too long.

119. Word said with a sigh: ALAS. I could have prefaced above's response w/ this fill :-)

120. Karate rank indicators: BELTS.

121. Distance between markers: MILE. Highways. In some states, especially on long bridges [looking at you I-10 over LA swamps], I've seen 1/10 mile markers.

122. Refuse to admit: DENY.

123. Mixed-breed dog: MUTT.

124. Spot to boop a doggo: SNOOT.

Down:

1. "Well, hello there": OH, HI.

2. House calls?: AYES. Think Congress.

3. Mammal that barks and claps: SEAL.

4. Play the market: INVEST.

5. Blurt out: SAY.

6. Pork in a burrito: CARNITAS.

Yummers!

7. Roasting pan holder: OVEN RACK. Not an insulated pot holder.

8. Partiality: BIAS.

9. "Unholy" singer Smith: SAM.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's ok to dupe a clue [see: 118a]

10. Respectful reference in court: HER HONOR. It's remarkable that, coming from a language w/o (I think) gendered pronouns, C.C. "gets it." In college, I worked at a wastewater testing lab w/ a guy from China (a PhD candidate in ChemE) who kept using "its" for him/her. I was befuddled until he explained Chinese doesn't use gendered pronouns (and it's silly that English does, he said).

11. Sch. whose mascot is a buckeye nut: OSU.

Brutus Buckeye

12. Cake mix instruction: STIR. Youngest has been building from scratch since she was 9 yrs old. And her cakes get quite elaborate.

Youngest's Mardi Gras Cupcakes

13. These, in Tijuana: ESTOS. English to Spanish.

14. Smith College graduate: ALUMNA. Smith is an all girls college; ALUMNA is gendered alumni.

15. Introductory food for keiki: POI. Keiki is Hawaiian for offspring. Poi is a taro dish. You do the math :-)

16. Pipe plastic, for short: PVC. Polyvinyl chloride - hard plastic.

17. "What did I say!?": SEE. Oh, I usually ask that question not 'cuz I was right but when someone gets peeved at me :-)

20. Degs. for graphic designers: BFAS. We got a Fine Arts major that didn't go to grad school :-)

23. Org. in many spy thrillers: CIA. Central Intelligence Agency.

25. Unit of energy: JOULE. I know the EEs got this. To everyone else, it's 0.0009478 BTUs.

28. "Being the Ricardos" role: DESI. I 🩷 Lucy.

31. Key above Caps Lock: TAB.

32. "Chores finished!": ALL DONE.

33. Early Boston settlers: PURITANS.

35. [See: Theme]

36. Gerontologist's focus: AGING.

37. "Totally agree!," on social media: THIS. In the Discord channels I frequent, it's an pointy-up finger emoji [☝].

38. Rural businesses: FARMS.

39. Word on receipts: AMOUNT.

40. [See: Theme]

42. Practice depicted in the Japanese film "Flower and Sword": IKEBANA. It's the art of arranging flowers.

44. Mum: SILENT.

48. Young lady: LASS.

49. DJ's stack in the 1990s: CDS. 90's Disk Jockeys with Compact Disks instead of vinyl  -- unless they were a Rap DJ that needed to scratch a sample :-)

50. Decked out: CLAD.

53. Sincere: EARNEST.

56. Hot-headed deity?: FIRE GOD.

58. Jumped: LEAPT.

60. __-Bismol: PEPTO. Susan Stamberg's Mother-in-law's cranberry relish recipe results in the hue of Pepto.

62. More tender: SORER. Not a fillet but your own muscles after exercise.

64. Desserts with crushed Oreos: DIRT PIES.

Recipe

65. Natural disinfectant: PINE OIL.

67. __ green: FOREST.

68. Troublemakers: RASCALS.

70. People might sing in it: UNISON. All together now.

72. Flower, in Japanese: HANA. HANAs in 42d Ikebana :-)

74. Kind of circle diagram: VENN.

Don McMillan

75. Garlic __: pungent stalk: SCAPE.

76. "Madam Secretary" star: LEONI.

77. Diner fave: BLT.

79. Voyage: TRIP.

81. With true effort: ACTIVELY.

83. Diamond size: ONE CARAT.

84. Menu with reds and whites: WINE LIST. I'll let Chairman Moe bring one out.

87. Tree with a "copper" variety: BEECH.

Everything you want to know

88. Payment for a flat: RENT.

89. Stat on a transcript: GPA. Grade Point Average.

92. Frozen spike: ICICLE.

96. Up and about: ARISEN.

98. Sussed (out): DOPED.

100. Some toothpastes: GELS.

102. "Narcos" org.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration.

104. Cathedral part: NAVE. Apse was right out.

106. Enterprise navigator: SULU. Star Trek.

Sulu

108. County seat of Hawaii County: HILO.

109. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO.

110. Irksome insect: PEST.

111. Old film channel: TCM. Turner Classic Movies.

112. "Okay by moi": OUI.

113. Address with slashes: URL. An internet address.

Composition of a URL as per RFC 1738

114. "Delta of Venus" author: NIN. NIN means metal's Nine Inch Nails to Splynter & me :-)

115. "Pow!": BAM.

116. Abbr. on barbells: LBS.

You can get fake barbells on Amazon :-)

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: Pilgrims was started but too many boxes @33d; LPs -> CDs; APSE -> NAVE; BurCH->BEECH; Trek->TRIP.
ESPs: DOSA, SAM as clued, LEONI, ELLEN, DOPED, IKEBANA, NIN and probably others.
Fav: I'm going w/ FANTA 'cuz of this Gabriel Iglesias bit. //Don't watch too long unless you start from the beginning.

Cheers, -T
*HHGTTG [Scientific American]