Saturday April 19, 2025 August Miller

Themeless Saturday

C.C. here. Gary will be back tomorrow. 

Our Saturday puzzles often feature stacked 9, 10 or 11s on each side. Or a few sparkling 15's intersecting one another. Sometimes it's like today's grid. The key is in the middle (I so want to flip this grid over):

7D. Stay the heck away from: AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

8D. Time to throw in the towel, perhaps: LAUNDRY NIGHT.

20D. Elixirs: MAGIC POTIONS.

Once this stack was set, then the constructor branched out in 19A, 32A, 41A and 52A. He had more flexibility on the outside.

XWord Info shows that August Miller lived on a dairy farm in Western MA.

XWord Info

 Across:

 1. Conventional leader?: ABBESS. Convent-tional. A few more brilliant clues fitting Saturday: 17. Light show?: SITCOM. 19. Line of ownership?: THAT'S MINE. 34. Eat down by the river?: ERODE. 49. Event in which the best competitors are untouchable?: EPEE.  4. Breakout performer?: ESCAPEE. 11. Private performances?: USO TOUR. And 24. Something left on the cutting room floor?: TRESS.

7. Option for table service: A LA RUSSE. Unfamiliar to me. Wikipedia says it's "a style of serving food in which dishes are brought to the table sequentially and served separately to each guest." Russian style.

15. Pops in: SAYS HI. Not VISITS.

16. Went up in smoke: VANISHED.

18. Not shy: OUTGOING.

21. Art patron Henry: TATE. Founded Tate Gallery.

22. Some concert merch: EPS. Not TEE.

23. Supplements: ADDS TO.

25. Besides: ELSE.

27. Foundation of many cultures: AGAR.

28. Altercation: RUN-IN.

32. Big name: CELEBRITY.

35. Plumeria arrangement: LEI. 

36. Takes back: RECANTS.

38. Hem, for instance: SEW. And 14. Hem, for instance: EDGE. Clue echo.

39. African capital served by Kotoka International Airport: ACCRA. According to Wikipedia, the airport is named after "Named after Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (1926–1967), a member of the National Liberation Council. Kotoka was killed in an abortive coup attempt at a location that is now the forecourt of the airport."

41. Leg exercise that mimics a ballet step: PLIE SQUAT.

43. "Moneyball" squad: THE A'S. Oakland Athletics,

44. "Flights" novelist Tokarczuk: OLGA. She won Nobel prize in literature in 2018. "Flights" won Man Booker in 2018.

45. Some links: URLS.

46. Use leaves for eaves, say: THATCH.

48. Big name in sealant: DAP. Still one or two tubes in our garage.

52. Underground feminist punk movement: RIOT GRRRL.

55. Selena y __: American Tejano band: LOS DINOS. Unknown to me.

57. Beach bottle: LOTION.

59. Critical moment at Wimbledon: SET POINT.

60. Layette piece: ONESIE.

61. "Off the top of my head ... ": AT A GUESS.

62. Least: MEREST.

Down:

1. Zedonk parent: ASS. Zedonk is hybrid of created by crossing a zebra and a donkey. Also called Zonkey.

 

2. Chum, e.g.: BAIT.

3. Divisive way to sell pizza?: BY THE SLICE. Masterful use of "divisive".

5. Vaccinations: SHOTS.

6. Members of a virtual community: SIMS.

9. Poker offerings: ANTES.

10. Gulf structure: RIG.

12. Second-largest branch of the second-largest religion: SHIA. A few precious gimmes.

13. In transit: SENT.

25. Showiness: ECLAT.

26. Freeloader: LEECH.

27. "The Land Is Inhospitable and So __ We": 2023 Mitski album: ARE. You don't need to know the album to get the answer.

29. Expected: NO SURPRISE.

30. Just perfect: IDEAL. Yes, Renee, I use kabocha for my soup. Perfect texture and sweetness. Going to try this next.

31. Terrarium pets: NEWTS.

33. Irreverent: BRASH.

37. Assam export: TEA.

40. Fairly tame, per the MPA: RATED PG. Motion Picture Association.

42. One of four in the WNBA: QUARTER.

47. Golfer Palmer, to fans: ARNIE.

48. Bee that doesn't sting: DRONE. Drone bees don't work. All they do is mate with the queen.

49. Animated ice queen: ELSA.

50. Ada Limón, for one: POET.

51. "__ bien!": ESTA. Not TRES.

53. Latch (onto): GLOM.

54. Lane in Metropolis: LOIS.

56. Debtor's note: IOU.

58. Lets hit it: NET.

Happy birthday to Kelly Thatcher, our caring blog regular and constructor friend. Have a beautiful day, Kelly!

Happy birthday to AnonymousPVX also. 

C.C.

Friday, April 18th, 2025 ~ Doug Peterson

Verb Teams!

Happy Good Friday, all!

Today, Doug uses team names as verbs actioning their city. Take a look at what I mean:

20. Sends an invoice to an upstate New York municipality?: BILLS BUFFALO. The NFL team BUFFALO BILLS's city gets a remittance.

28. Makes hostile comments online about Alberta's biggest city?: FLAMES CALGARY. The NHL CALGARY FLAMES' city gets burnt by trash-talk.

42. Gamely faces the heat and humidity in Georgia's capital?: BRAVES ATLANTA. The MLB's ATLANTA BRAVES' city takes on the weather.

And the reveal:
47. Groups that do prep work ahead of an event, and a directive followed by this puzzle's theme answers?: ADVANCE TEAMS.

Too soon?

See? Doug put the team names as a verb ahead of their city. I really like how Doug used different sports. However, he left out the NBA:

Earns a borough?:  Nets Brooklyn.

Enough silliness, let's get on with it:

Across:

1. Bonobo relative: CHIMP.

6. Salazar of "Alita: Battle Angel": ROSA.

Rosa Salazar

10. In vogue: CHIC.

14. Zellweger who played Judy Garland: RENEE.
 

Renee Zellweger

15. School supporter, often: ALUM.

16. "Revenge of the Sith" mentor: YODA.
 

Yoda

17. Promising location?: ALTAR. Cute.

18. Indiana steel city: GARY.

19. Inferior to none: BEST.

20. [See: Theme]

23. Actress Zadora: PIA.
 

Pia Zadora

24. Grow dim: DARKEN.

28. [See: Theme]

32. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jerry: SLOAN.

34. High-altitude herd animal: LLAMA.

"Which one is the Dalai Llama?"

35. Golden __ Golf: video game series: TEE.

Golden Tee Golf video game

36. Qualify for: EARN.

37. Rajma masala ingredient: BEANS.

Recipe

38. Political alliance: PACT.

39. Hurricane spirit: RUM.

40. Ryan's "Wheel of Fortune" co-host: VANNA. Ha! Last time I blogged, VANNA was clued as: P-A-G-E turner.

41. Superman's adoptive parents: KENTS. Kal-El was named Clark Joseph by his Earth parents Jonathan & Martha Kent.

42. [See: Theme]

45. Gown fabrics: SATINS.

Moody Blues' Nights in White SATIN

46. Dot on a domino: PIP.

47. [See: Theme]

54. Test kit item: SWAB.

57. Classic Camaro: IROC.

Bitchin' Camaro [Dead Milkmen]

58. Rosalind's cousin in "As You Like It": CELIA.

59. Milker's container: PAIL.

60. Dreaded figure: OGRE.

61. "Hold it," from the bridge: AVAST.

62. Civic shaft: AXLE.

63. Dishwasherful: LOAD.

64. Buenos Aires cash: PESOS.

Down:

1. Beach creature: CRAB.

2. Prefix with pad: HELI.

3. Like many conglomerates: Abbr.: INTL.

4. Campus dining option: MEAL PLAN.

5. Iran's official language: PERSIAN.

6. Classico competitor: RAGU.

7. Snowman who sings "In Summer": OLAF. From the movie Frozen.

8. Roar producer: SURF.

9. "Arrival" star: AMY ADAMS.

Amy Adams

10. "Teen Titans Go!" character who's part robot: CYBORG.

11. Long-handled tool: HOE.

12. Wallet items: IDS.

13. Viral video star, often: CAT.

17m of silly cat videos

21. "There ya go!": BAM.

22. Sing-along syllables: LA LA.

25. Samurai sword: KATANA.

Video on how to use a Katana

26. Not slumped: ERECT.

27. Russian rejections: NYETS.

28. Style: FORMAT.

29. 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina: ELENA. The second E was my last square inked.

Elena Rybakina

30. Italics feature: SLANT.

31. Ear piece?: CANAL.

32. Some Slavs: SERBS.

33. Actress Dern: LAURA.

37. Instrument often paired with a harpsichord: BASS VIOL.

This

38. Knuckle cracking, for some: PET PEEVE.

40. Peddle: VEND.

41. Topper topped with a pom-pom: KNIT CAP.

43. Likely to work: VIABLE.

44. Mimic: APE.

48. Mythical vessel built in Thessaly: ARGO.

49. Comedian Dunn: NORA.

50. Included on a distribution list: CCED.

51. Sighed word: ALAS.

52. High-protein paste: MISO.

Miso

53. Pre-coll. exams: SATS.

54. Place that offers a menu of treatments: SPA.

55. 54-Down treatment: WAX.

56. Feel off: AIL.

The Grid:

The Grid

My experience:
WOs: wrong ALE, JEFF -> NORA (I was thinking of Dunham)
ESPs: ROSA, CYBORG (as clued), SLOAN, ELENA, KNIT hAt
Fav: I'll go with ALTAR's clue.

For those who celebrate,

Happy Passover!

Happy Easter!

Cheers, -T

Thursday, April 17, 2025, Emma Oxford

 

Theme:  Hey, where'd you find the neat horns?

Constructor Emma Oxford has favored us with her creations a few times already, and was published on this exact date last year!  This time, she is looking for a few good horns.

The theme clues and answers, symmetrically arranged in rows Across, are:

17. Place to find a pointy horn: RHINOCEROS.

23. Place to find many horns: FULL ORCHESTRA.

53. Place to find a loud horn: STEERING WHEEL.

63. Place to find a geographical horn: EAST AFRICA.

I'm impressed that each of the four horns is a completely different type:  animal horn, musical horn, vehicle horn, and geographical horn.  The Horn of Africa is the fourth largest peninsula in the world.

Let's grab the rest of the puzzle by the horns ...

Across:

1. 1975 thriller filmed largely on Martha's Vineyard: JAWS.  No horns, but big teeth!

5. Comedian Black: LEWIS.  No horns, but steam coming out of his ears!

Lewis Black

10. Store: MART.

14. Smoothie berry: ACAI.

15. Balderdash: TRIPE.  Rubbish, nonsense, baloney, hogwash ...

16. __ vera: ALOE.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Sizable barrels: KEGS.

20. Ready: SET.

21. Zip: NONE.

22. "__ the thing ... ": HERE'S.  Uh oh!  Some of our solvers hate conversational prompts.

23. [Theme clue]

27. Budget prefix: ECONO.

... as an example.

29. "The __ and I": song from "Wicked": WIZARD.  I am going to have to watch Wicked.  It is becoming a cultural touchstone.

30. Carey known as the "Queen of Christmas": MARIAH.  Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" is a holiday staple.  In 2021, Carey filed a petition to trademark the title "Queen of Christmas," meaning that no one else would be able to use it.  Other Christmas minded music makers filed opposing motions, and in 2022, the Trial Trademark and Appeal Board ruled against Carey.  Old news, but news to me.

32. __ de mer: MAL.  Adopted into English, meaning "seasickness," the original French is "illness of the sea."

33. "Klutzy me!": OOPS.  D'oh is too short.

37. Diagnostic scan: Abbr.: MRI.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body.

38. Composer Rorem: NED.  Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer.

Ned Rorem

40. Symbol of Aries: RAM.  Astrology.

42. "The Jungle Book" python: KAA.  A character from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, adapted various times for the silver screen.

43. Italian wine region: ASTI.  Asti is in Piedmont, a region of Italy surrounded on three sides by the Alps. Asti is the source of sparkling Asti wine, also called Asti Spumante. The wine is sweet and low in alcohol, and is made solely from the moscato bianco (white muscat) grape.

45. Rapper Lil __ X: NAS.  Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter who became famous for his 2018 song "Old Town Road."  The song became the longest-running number-one song in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.  Lil Nas X has won multiple awards, including two Grammys, five Billboard Music Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards. 

Lil Nas X
(My grandchildren *loved* Old Town Road.)

47. Lines at a karaoke bar: LYRICS. The lines you sing.

49. __ crab: HERMIT.

52. Ones always underfoot?: SOLES.

53. [Theme clue]

57. Some campus buildings: HALLS.

58. Carol: NOEL.

59. Gp. with badges: BSA.  Boy Scouts of America.  

62. Chain that sells Mexican Tres Leches Pancakes: IHOP.  The first International House of Pancakes opened in Burbank, California, in 1958.  The *third* one opened on Stocker Street in the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles, near my neighborhood, and is still in operation.  IHOP Corporation purchased Applebee's restaurants in 2007.  Clearly their cuisine is selling like hotcakes.

63. [Theme clue]

66. Bishop of Rome: POPE.

67. Rose: STOOD.  To rise is to stand *up*.  He rose = he stood.  Of course, stood could also be the past tense of stand.  He just stood there.

68. Provo's state: UTAH.

69. Plant-to-be: SEED.

70. Rescuee in "The Rescuers": PENNY.  I loved the 1959 novel The Rescuers written by Margery Sharp and illustrated by Garth Williams.  Penny is a character in Disney's 1977 animated adaptation.

71. Beauts: GEMS.  Beaut is an informal word meaning something beautiful, remarkable, or amazing.  That horn is a beaut!  Oh yes, it's a gem.

Down:

1. Canning array: JARS.  Preservation of foods in airtight containers started with glass CANisters, and  was called canning.  Later, factories introduced tin cans.  Today, when folks preserve foods at home using glass jars, they still call it canning.

2. Feel yesterday's workout: ACHE.

3. "Keep watching ... ": WAIT FOR IT.

4. Do bad: SIN.

5. Rank for Sen. Tammy Duckworth: LT COL.  Tammy Duckworth is an American politician, retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, and combat veteran of the Iraq War.  She has served as a United States senator from Illinois since 2017. 

Senator Tammy Duckworth

6. Heretofore: ERE NOW.

7. Feature of some glasses: WIRE RIM.

8. Wall St. debut: IPO.  An Initial Public Offering is when a private company offers its shares for sale to the public for the first time.

9. French possessive: SES.  Plural his/her/its.  "Ses amis" means his/her/its friends.  It is plural to match the modified noun, amis (friends).  "Son ami" means his/her/its friend, singular.

10. Gets by: MAKES DO.

11. On edge: ALERT.  I've been gathering photos and videos from the neighbors following a burglary on the block, and sharing the evidence with the Sheriff.

12. "Man Fire Food" host Mooking: ROGER.  Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. He has hosted the television series Man Fire Food since 2012, and is also the host of Everyday Exotic on the Cooking Channel and Food Network Canada.  

Check out his featured recipes at rogermooking.com

13. Thompson of "Thor: Ragnarok": TESSA.  Tessa Thompson began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College.  Since 2005, she's appeared in many TV series and movies, including Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

Tessa Thompson in "Thor: Ragnarok"

18. Like some exhibition pieces: ON LOAN.  My brother's wife manages private art collections, and sometimes travels internationally with paintings to be displayed in exhibitions overseas.

Amazing S-I-L, NaomiZ, and DH

22. "That woman?": HER.

24. College abroad?: UNI.  In England, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, "uni" is commonly used as a shorthand for "university."

25. Policy setter: CZAR.

26. Kosher : Judaism :: __ : Islam: HALAL.  Dietary rules.  Jews eat kosher food; Muslims eat halal food.  The rules have to do with what foods may be eaten, but also how they must be prepared.  

27. Stone with two Oscars: EMMA.  Emma Stone won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her roles as an aspiring actress in the romantic musical La La Land (2016) and as a resurrected suicide victim in the comic fantasy Poor Things (2023).

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in "La La Land."
DH watched this movie dozens of times.

28. Train units: CARS.

31. Painter Matisse: HENRI.

34. "Fine, tell me": OK, I'LL BITE.

35. Trot or gallop: PACE.

36. Fresh answers: SASS.

39. Curse: DAMN.  Verbs:  to condemn to a punishment or fate.

41. "If I do say so __": MYSELF.

44. "Give me some credit!": I HELPED.

46. Joins the team: SIGNS ON.

48. Fish-to-be: ROE.

50. Hosp. areas: ERs.  Emergency Rooms.

51. Weighing 4,000 pounds: TWO TON.

53. Roots for romantically, in slang: SHIPS.   In the context of transporting goods, "ship" means to send something from one place to another. In the context of fan culture, "ship" means to hope that two people will become romantically involved. When we watched The Office, we were all shipping for Jim and Pam.  Thank you, Emma Oxford, for teaching me this through today's puzzle!

Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski as Pam and Jim in "The Office"

54. Chevy SUV since 1994: TAHOE.

55. Skip the wedding planning: ELOPE.

56. Intoxicating: HEADY.

60. Offer that seems too good to be true, probably: SCAM.

61. Oohs and __: AAHS.  How the crowd reacts to fireworks.

63. Clairvoyance, e.g.: ESP.  Extrasensory perception.

64. Broke a fast: ATE.  Speaking of kosher and halal dietary restrictions, sometimes we cannot eat at all!

65. Throw __: RUG.

Here's the grid:

If you Finished It Right (FIR), you can toot your own HORN in the comments!

Otherwise, please horn in with your objections.

NaomiZ