Saturday, April 26, 2025, Marshal Hermann

 Saturday Themeless by Marshal Herrmann

All I could find while searching for this constructor was Marshal saying: My name is spelled atypically, and in instances where spelling matters, I always introduce myself as “Marshal with ONE L” He did not mention the two R's and N's in his surname.

One negative in my search for info on "Marshal with ONE L" was that Google kept offering me Field Marshall Hermann Göring. Yikes!

This puzzle bedeviled me in the NW corner. MATCHA TEA and bespoke accessories were not in my ken (how 'bout using that word?)! IMS, TATS, SHERE and TATTLE as clued were also impediments for various reasons I will enumerate. 

Across:

1. Opening remark?: IT'S A START - It truly is

10. Discussion topic for Oscar buffs: SNUBS - Here are some

15. Green energy source?: MATCHA TEA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

16. Colorful discovery on some Egyptian mummies: HENNA - Saturday cluing for a common word

17. Some bespoke accessories: STATEMENT PIECES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  bespoke furniture, quite simply means 'furniture made according to the specifications of an individual buyer'. Custom-made furniture, in other words. I did notice bespoke was not capitalized. Google at will!

19. Sound from a La-Z-Boy, perhaps: SNORE 😀

20. Authority figures: TOP DOGS.

21. Beats by __: DRE.

22. Subs: FILLS IN - Hey, I know a guy...😀

24. Ergo: THUS.

26. Patron saint of lost causes: JUDE - Any nominations?

27. Diner fare: HASH.

29. Alley-__: OOP.

30. Bumper sticker word: HONK - There's a link on Etsy to a company that will make you one

31. Twisted part of an Impala?: GAS CAP 😀

33. Unionized?: MARRIED.

35. Lap top covers: NAPKINS 😀

36. Curling devices: BROOMS.

37. Mesh: JIBE or not...

38. Greenlights: OKS

39. Legislative body reestablished after the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis: DUMA.

40. Ballpark figures: OUTS 😀

41. Wind blast: GUST.

42. Natural skills: TALENTS.

44. Provisos: IFS.

45. Craft that may utilize old phonograph records: SPIN ART.

47. Elitists: SNOBS.

49. Blissful stretch before reality sets in: HONEYMOON PERIOD.

53. Genre for composer Terence Blanchard: OPERA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

54. Fights before the big fight: UNDER CARD.

55. South Asian crepes: DOSAS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

56. Exams that require passing: ROAD TESTS - I don't think I remember passing another car as I was being so very careful but I did pass the ROAD TEST and got my license 62 years ago. 

Down:

1. Slack lines, for short?: IMS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I don't use nor have I ever heard of Slack 

2. Sleeve extenders?: TATS - Not ARMS. Here is a 3/4 sleeve tat that a man is considering extending to a full sleeve.

3. Sets of bits: STAND UP ROUTINES - Nobody did it better

4. Reel people: ACTORS 😀

5. Hite whose major work is subtitled "A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality": SHERE.

6. Lacking bite: TAME.

7. Had a bite: ATE.

8. Driver role: REN - Golf club, trucker, Minnie? All no!

 
 

9. Talk: TATTLE - 🤨 When the police tell a suspect to "talk" they are asking him to TATTLE  on illegal activities 

10. Orderly: SHIP SHAPE.

11. Question about a question: NEED I ASK - "Gary, do want some more onion rings?"

12. Internal force?: UNCONSCIOUS BIAS - Explained

13. Rare blood type, for short: B-NEG.

14. Lip: SASS.

18. Party person: POL.

22. Share holder with shareholders: FUND 

23. "Beats me," in a text: IDK.

24. The Taj Mahal, for one: TOMB - At Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001, India

25. More than collect: HOARD.

26. Fellas: JOES.

28. Youngest recipient of AFI's Life Achievement Award: HANKS - The youngest winner ever. 

30. High points of a trip to Asia: HIMALAYAS 😀

31. Jabbers: GABS.

32. Sibilant summons: PSST.

34. When I was one?: ROMAN ERA 😀

35. Small criticisms: NITS.

37. Project: JUT.

40. Like Taylor Swift for most of 2023 and 2024: ON TOUR - Making billions in the process

41. Liftoff sensation: G-FORCE.

43. Sound of hesitation: ERM.

44. Sluggish: INERT.

45. Not barefoot: SHOD.

46. Five-O: POPO - I had _ O P _ and entered COPS. Turns out I was a generation off.

47. Zipped: SPED.

48. Type: SORT.

50. "Imagine" co-producer: ONO.

51. Doc in some severance packages: NDA.

52. Deg. for one who faces oral exams: DDS 🦷

Friday, April 25, 2025, Dylan Schiff

 Theme:  Incidentally ...

[note, this cartoon is totally unrelated to the puzzle]

Puzzling thoughts:

I thought the name Dylan Schiff looked familiar.  I discovered that I was the blogger of his January 8, 2021 LA Times debut crossword puzzle; a collaboration between he and Mark McClain

BTW, yesterday we had a puzzle from Zachary Schiff.  Might they be related?

I digress ...   

After completing today's puzzle I kept thinking, "is there more to this that I am missing?"  So, with Mark McClain's help, I was able to reach out to Dylan and ask him about his thought process in coming up with today's puzzle.  And no, I didn't miss anything. [phew!] 

BTW, Dylan promises to stop by today and see what you all have to say about this, and answer any questions, so be nice!! 😀

Here are the entries:

17-across. Homeland, nation, or state?: ALT-COUNTRY.  Three different (alternative) synonyms for the word "country"

The thesaurus-saurus agrees, in part

25-across. Soapstone, shale, or mudstone?: SOFT ROCK.  Three different kinds of "rocks" that have a Moh's Scale rating of 2 or less.  Remember when Chairman Moe used the scale below to rate puzzles??

50-across. Cheerwine, Maine Root, or Jones Soda?: INDIE POP.  Not familiar with Cheerwine?  How about Maine Root? Does Jones Soda come to mind when you think of a soft drink?  As those who live or grew up in the Midwest/western PA area know, the word "pop" is the term used to describe a carbonated beverage.  Other parts of the country refer to it as "soda", and "Coke" (see map in the video below).  And for those in the deep South, you know that the word "Coke" refers to any carbonated beverage. 

Here is an example of ordering a soft drink at a drive-through in Mobile, AL: 

[you] "I'd like a Big Mac, Fries, and a Coke." 

[voice in the drive-thru]: "What kind of Coke do you want?" 

[you]: "I'd like a Pepsi, if you have it. If not, make it a Mr. Pibb"  

Fun Fact:  The term "indie" refers to independent (as in the term "indie" films which are produced by smaller companies not called "MGM", "Universal", "Disney", et al) Here, the examples of "indies" are the three independent bottlers 

[note, the video also contains other terms besides carbonated beverages]

62-across. Mercury, bismuth, or lead?: HEAVY METAL.  Once again, three types of metals that are "heavy" as it refers to their weight.  Here is a link to how Wikipedia defines "heavy metals".  As for the musical connection, heavy metal is not what I first think of when defining incidental music.  But hey, it's fun to listen to!  Here is one of my favorites from a band that arguably planted the seed for all heavy metal bands to follow

 

And the reveal: 

38-across. Score that sets the mood, and an apt description of 17-, 25-, 50-, and 62-across?: INCIDENTAL MUSIC.  From Dylan's e-mail reply to me: "This puzzle takes four music subgenres and clues them in non-music contexts by providing 3 examples. The revealer INCIDENTAL MUSIC points to how each of them also "happens to be" a music subgenre when put back in the musical context" ... so don't look for another, hidden meaning!! 😁

I've enclosed the finished grid to help you find the other answers ... since this puzzle featured an incidental reference to hardness, I will use the Moh's Scale Rating today instead of assigning ⭐'s.  Given that it took me just 6:33 to solve (more like my time for solving a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday puzzle) I have to rate it less than a "5", as it barely "whet my apatite" (pun, intended - go back and look at the Moh's Scale)

The completed grid

Across:

1. Food in red paraffin wax: EDAM.  Moe-ku #1:

        Judi Dench started

        Cheese biz.  Anagrammed headline:

        "The Dame made Edam"

        

5. Luxuriate in the great outdoors: GLAMP.  Glamp (see also, glamper and glamping) is a portmanteau of the words "glorious and camping", put into its verb form

What bears might think about glampers

And in a similar vein:

😂

10. Bird of prey: HAWK.  

14. Flatbread made with 3-Down: ROTI.  Here is a DIY recipe for ROTI 

15. Bay Area NFLer: NINER.  As in "Forty-Niner" - the nickname (singular) of the SF area pro football team

16. DOL division: OSHA.

17. [entry]

19. Fix, as a pet: SPAY.  Of course, I doubt that the pet would agree to be "fixed" if they had a say in it 😀

20. Beatles drummer: STARR.  Moe-ku #2:

        Quarterback Bart and

        His Center, Jim, had a child;

        Named him Ringo Starr

21. Unagi roll protein: EEL.  One of 19 three-letter-words in today's puzzle.  Hard to avoid that many when you have 4 entries (36 letters, total) and 1 reveal (15 letters) taking up so much real estate

22. Brand sold at Mattress Firm: SERTA.

23. Gondola propeller: OAR.  "Gondolier" was too big to fit

25. [entry]

27. Without stopping: AT A CLIP.

31. With 30-Down, accessory that may coordinate with cuff links: TIE. (30-down. See 31-Across: PIN.)

  

And then, as if being a spoonerism of sorts, Dylan found a way of including this: (45-down). Baking pan that inspired the Frisbee: PIE TIN.

32. More, in Mexico: MAS.  I kind of prefer this as an actual word (mas = Spanish for "more") as opposed to a clue that might read "Pa's companions"

33. __ out: discuss in detail: HASH.  Moe-ku #3

        I'm ticked off because

        Number sign's (#) meaning's been changed.  

        Let's HASH(tag) this out

34. Falsehood: LIE.  Fib also fits

36. Like many legal terms: LATIN.

38. [reveal]

42. French military caps: KEPIS.  Also worn during the US Civil War/War Between the States

43. Movie SFX: CGI.  Imagine that!

44. Insta- kin: REDI.  OK, I know that this is not the "redi" that Dylan was after, but I much prefer videos ... this video dates back to 2009.  I hope the plant in Pensacola is now able to meet demand for this fun-to-use product

45. Writing tool: PEN.

46. Baby hyena: CUB.  My first choice was pup.  Yours?

48. Without stopping: ON AND ON.  Kind of like my sentences when I write a blog ...

50. [entry]

53. "Shameless" network, for short: SHO.  Not a subscriber

54. "My goodness!": EGADS.  For all of the solvers here that are members of the "Silent Generation"

55. Media center?: DEE.  The "?" in the clue gave this away.  The letter D is in the center of the word, media

57. Flattens (out): EVENS.  I chose irons - anyone else make that mistake?

61. "Bob's Burgers" daughter: TINA.  This solved by perps as I never watched this sitcom

62. [entry]

64. Part of a foot: INCH.  Heel/sole/arch also fit, but I measured my choice precisely ... 

65. See eye to eye: AGREE.  Kind of an easy Friday clue

66. Assign stars to: RATE.  So, if I did assign ⭐'s to this puzzle I would give it a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐

67. "Because of You" R&B singer: NE-YO.  Total perps.  [internet info] "Shaffer Chimere Smith, known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards. He gained recognition for his songwriting abilities following the success of his first major credit, Mario's 2004 single "Let Me Love You"

68. __ verde: SALSA.  Mi favorito!

Salsa = sauce; Verde = green

69. Approach bumper-to-bumper traffic, say: SLOW.  I tried using the word "cuss" ... which is what I might have done once or twice back in my commuting days ... 

Down:

1. Notable times: ERAS.  We are currently in the Chairman Moe/Malodorous Manatee ERA of Crossword blogging.  I am coming up on my fifth year here at the Corner as your co-Friday blogger; MalMan is close behind ... 

2. Numbskull: DOLT.

3. Flour ground in a chakki: ATTA. Not familiar with the word "chakki". The "Silent Generation" (and this "Boomer") would prefer this clue: " ___ girl!"

4. Aid in locating a lost pet: MICROCHIP.

5. Serengeti grazer: GNU.  Moe-ku #4:

        Serengeti Times

        Deletes antelope stories.

        No GNUS is good news

6. Actor's "What am I supposed to say?": LINE.  Very clever clue for this word

7. Chips in?: ANTES.  How many different ways has this word been clued?

8. Bordeaux grape: MERLOT.  In my former life as a wine rep/sommelier, the "casual" wine drinker was still focused on the line from the movie "Sideways" and the popularity of merlot plummeted.  I can honestly say that the best ever wine I drank was a bottle of 2001 Paloma Merlot (ok, it was a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was f***ing awesome!)

Here is a clip of the movie and Paul Giamatti's utterance (NSFW).  BTW, the character, Miles, loves Merlot.  The problem is, so did his ex-wife; and every time he encounters that grape varietal it reminds him (negatively) of her 

9. Be nosy: PRY.  I reached out to Dylan for his thoughts about this puzzle before I finished my blog.  Hope he didn't think I was pry-ing

10. Canadian lout: HOSER.  Not sure that I would ever call this a CSO ... but maybe our resident Canadian, "Canadian, Eh!" can chirp in here and give us the true explanation for this 😉

11. "Just like we discussed ... ": AS PROMISED. I confirmed [@Crossword Tracker] that this entry phrase is seldom used; just twice (2019 and 2020)

12. "Tell me how to help": WHAT CAN I DO?.  Another in-the-language phrase that is seldom used in crossword puzzles 

13. Whitewater vessels: KAYAKS. 

18. Like many a thesis defense: ORAL. Just throw in a bunch of Latin words to impress and defend!

22. Cook over boiling water: STEAM.  

24. Maddens: RILES UP.  If the clue had read "Madden's", the answer would have had a far different meaning (sports gamers will get this!)

26. Temps: FILL-INS.  Moe-ku #5:

        The dentist was out

        Of amalgam, so he used

        Gum for his fill-ins 

27. Steak choice: AHI.  The only kind of steak (tuna) that offers a three-letter answer - unless you count the word "RAW" as a steak choice (har har! Tartare!) 😂

28. Thomas, for one: TANK ENGINE. Congratulations, Dylan, this is a first use for the phrase tank engine in a major crossword publication! For those unaware of who this is ...

29. Dominance: ASCENDANCY.  Congratulations, Dylan, this is also a first use entry ... you're on a roll today!

30. [see in the across comments]

35. List-shortening abbr.: ETC. and its clecho @ (58-down. List-shortening abbr.): ET. AL..

37. Fruit-filled pastries: TURNOVERS.  

39. Chops finely: DICES.

40. In the past: AGO.

41. NL Central team: CIN.  STL/MIL/PIT/CHI all fit, so I waited until a few perps came to the rescue

45. [see in the across section]

47. Corner store: BODEGA.  I also thought about using the word "tienda" ... does anyone here know the difference between bodega and tienda?

49. [Your attention, please!]: AHEM.

51. The Gem State: IDAHO. Immediately following is (52-down. Gem from a mollusk): PEARL

52. [see above]

56. Holiday lead-ins: EVES.

59. __ phonetic alphabet: NATO. *Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Unicorn, Victor, Whiskey, X-Ray, Yankee, and Zulu 

(*Who can spot the mistake?)

60. Whole bunch: SLEW.

62. Holds: HAS.

63. Assenting vote: YEA.

That's a wrap, folks.  See you in a couple of weeks.  A personal "ps" from the Chairman, today is my little big sister's birthday.  I know she won't be stopping by but as my only sibling, it is more than worth giving her a shout out. Happy Birthday, sis! 🎂

Thursday, April 24, 2025, Zachary Schiff

 

Theme:  When is a city not a city?

Constructor Zachary Schiff is back with his third crossword puzzle in the L.A. Times, which is his second solo effort in these pages.  Apparently Zachary is a writer living in New York City.  Today Zachary asks us about city names used for other purposes.  The theme answers appear in symmetrically placed rows Across, and two of them span the width of the grid.

20. Boston, e.g.: CLASSIC ROCK BAND.  Boston (a band formed in Boston, Massachusetts) has been rocking since 1975.  Their best-known songs include "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," "Foreplay/Long Time," "Rock and Roll Band," "Smokin,'" "Don't Look Back," "A Man I'll Never Be," "Hitch a Ride," "Party," "Amanda," and "Feelin' Satisfied."

Boston

32. Tacoma, e.g.: PICKUP TRUCK.  Tacoma is a city in Washington state, but also the name of a Toyota truck.  The city moniker comes from the indigenous people's name for Mount Rainier.  The mountain is a symbol of strength and rugged beauty -- qualities consumers might seek in a pickup truck.

Mount Rainier AKA Tacoma

41. Philadelphia, e.g.: CREAM CHEESE.  In 1872, William Lawrence, a dairyman from Chester, New York, attempted to make Neufchâtel, a tangy, crumbly cheese that was popular in Europe. He used too much cream and created a more spreadable cheese, eventually called "cream cheese." In 1880, Lawrence partnered with A.L. Reynolds, a cheese distributor in New York, to sell more cream cheese. At the time, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding area had a reputation for high-quality dairy products, so they used the name "Philadelphia" on their foil-wrapped blocks. It is still one of the best selling brands of cream cheese, currently owned by Kraft Heinz and Mondelez International.

51. Manhattan, e.g.: BOURBON COCKTAIL.  Manhattan is a borough of New York City, and also the name of a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, traditionally garnished with a maraschino cherry.  While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskies include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey.  The cocktail is said to have originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the mid-1870s.

Maybe later, thanks!  I just had cream cheese.

Now that the geography quiz has gotten us oriented, it's time to find our way through the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Yankee __: Christmas party tradition: SWAP.  A Yankee SWAP is a variety of white elephant gift exchange, or Dirty Santa party game, where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during Christmas festivities. Because Yankees are practical folks, the gifts exchanged in a Yankee swap are more likely to be practical or desirable than in other forms of the game.

Stealing is permitted in a Yankee swap.

5. Radar image: BLIP.

9. Go very slowly: INCH.  "The car inched forward in heavy traffic."

13. In a heap: PILED.

15. "Black-ish" star Tracee Ellis __: ROSS.  Even if you didn't watch Black-ish (which was very good), you've seen Tracee Ellis Ross here before!  And you know her famous mom, Diana Ross.

Tracee Ellis Ross

16. Acting gig: ROLE.

17. A-listers: ELITE.

18. Esq.: ATTY.  In the United States, "Esquire," abbreviated as "Esq.," is a courtesy title used for attorneys in written communications, generally used after the attorney's name.

19. Like avocados and eggs: OVAL.  Add bagels and CREAM CHEESE and call it brunch!

20. [Theme clue]

23. Number of "Seinfeld" seasons: NINE.

24. State where five U.S. presidents are buried: OHIO.  William Henry Harrison, James A. Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Warren G. Harding. 

25. Takes an extra base: STEALS.

28. Fixed: INTENT.  Both of these words can be used to mean focused, concentrated, resolved, determined.  

32. [Theme clue]

36. Baby talk syllable: GOO.

37. Haitian friend: AMIE.  Haitian Creole is a French-based language.  A male friend in French is an AMI, and a female friend is an AMIE.  They are pronounced the same.

38. Edgy fashion line?: HEM.  The hem of a garment can be described as a line, and it is also the edge of the garment.

39. Happy look: GRIN.

40. Four-legged sentry: DOG.  Dogs make good guards.

41. [Theme clue]

45. Make certain: ENSURE.

47. Element in a password: LETTER.  Upper case, lower case, a number, and a symbol, too!

48. Snoozes: NAPS.

50. "Veni, vidi, __": VICI.  "Veni, vidi, vici" is Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered."  It was reportedly uttered by Julius Caesar after a quick and decisive battle.

51. [Theme clue]

58. Unmoving: IDLE.

59. Botanical anchor: ROOT.

60. "The Hunchback of __ Dame": NOTRE.  You don't need to understand French to know the name of the cathedral, Notre Dame, which translates to "Our Lady."

61. "How We Do (Party)" singer Ora: RITA.  Rita Ora is crossword's favorite chanteuse (French for female singer.).

Rita Ora

62. Heavy book: TOME.

63. Again and again: OFTEN.

64. "Shake on it!": DEAL.

65. Risked a ticket, say: SPED.

66. Short-lived fashions: FADS.

Down:

1. Job detail, briefly: SPEC.  A job spec or specification is a requirement such as knowledge, skills, abilities, and minimum qualifications.

2. Mental resolve: WILL.  Intent can mean this, too!  

3. Shawkat of "Being the Ricardos": ALIA.  Being the Ricardos is a 2021 film about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  Alia Shawkat plays Madelyn Pugh, a writer on the show.  She's played many other roles in movies and on TV, too.  

Alia Shawkat

4. Purchase at a reptile shop: PET SNAKE.

5. "__ yourself": BRACE.

6. Fantasy trilogy, initially: LOTR.  Lord Of The Rings.

7. "Life __ short to skip dessert": IS TOO.

8. Medium with powers: PSYCHIC.

9. Will Smith sci-fi film set in 2035: I, ROBOT.  I, Robot is a 2004 science fiction film named after Isaac Asimov's 1950 short-story collection.  Will Smith plays a detective investigating the death of a robotics company founder.  Was it a suicide, or did a robot defenestrate the man?

Will Smith in "I, Robot"

10. Big East school in Pennsylvania, to fans: NOVA.  Villanova is a Catholic university in Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named for Saint Thomas of Villanova, Spain.  It is highly rated for both undergraduate and graduate academic programs.  In sports, "Nova" competes in the Big East Conference.

Villanova Wildcats mascot

11. Family group: CLAN.

12. Maintained: HELD.

14. Production company started by Ball and Arnaz: DESILU.  Echoes of 3-Down.

21. Clouseau's rank: Abbr.: INSP.  In The Pink Panther movies, Inspector Clouseau is an incompetent French police detective.  The role has been played by Peter Sellers, Alan Arkin, and Steve Martin.

Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau

22. Pain in the neck: KINK.

25. Comic actor David: SPADE.  David Spade started out as a stand-up comic.  He was a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to1996.  Since then, he's acted in TV sitcoms and quite a few movies.  He hosts a podcast, Fly on the Wall, with Dana Carvey.

Dana Carvey and David Spade

26. Meerkat in "The Lion King": TIMON.  According to Disney.fandom.com,Timon is a major character in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King and the protagonist of the 2004 film The Lion King 1½. He is a wisecracking meerkat and the best friend of Pumbaa, a warthog.

27. Tobaccoless smokes: E-CIGS.  An e-cigarette or vape uses a heating element to vaporize a liquid solution of nicotine.  The user inhales vapor instead of smoke.  There are many risks associated with vaping, including harmful chemicals in the liquid, and leaching of metal from the heating element into the liquid.  Flavored liquids attract younger users.

29. Gulf Coast wading bird: EGRET.

30. Tick or tock: NOISE.

31. Skin care product: TONER.  Toner is supposed to remove any remaining impurities after cleansing, balance the skin’s pH, and soothe and hydrate the skin.  

33. Part of FTW: THE.  For The Win!  Possibly originating with the TV game show Hollywood Squares, "For The Win" is used to express support for a choice that should guarantee success.  Lengthy example:  "Dining out is the classic date experience, but it can be really expensive depending on when and where you go. Weekend brunch FTW! It’s cheaper than going out to dinner at the same restaurant, and many places offer unlimited mimosas or other alcoholic beverages. Plus, you get to choose between breakfast and lunch options. Brunch is the best meal of the day."  -- https://lifehacker.com/top-10-wallet-friendly-date-ideas-1758826946

34. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen: REA.  Stephen Rea is an Irish actor of stage and screen. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1992 thriller The Crying Game.  Other movie credits include V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto. 

Stephen Rea

35. "Lemme think": UMM.

39. Squeal when a bug lands in one's hair: GET IT OFF.

41. Soft-shell __: CRAB.

42. School assignments: REPORTS.

43. Bic's __ Stic: CLIC.

44. Emphatic refusal: HECK NO.

46. Absolutely amazing: UNREAL.

49. Do some poking around: SNOOP.

50. Cast a ballot: VOTED.

51. Nesting creature: BIRD.  Here in Southern California, many eyes are glued to a webcam trained on a Bald Eagle nest in the local mountains.  The parents spent an incredible amount of time on the nest during a massive snow storm, and in the end, two of their three chicks survived.

Jackie and Shadow keep the eaglets warm.

52. Garfield's slobbering housemate: ODIE.

Garfield and Odie

53. Sephora rival: ULTA.

54. "On the __ Up": Angie Thomas novel about a teenage rapper: COME.  Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was published in 2019.

55. Flour for roti and naan: ATTA.  Learned in LA Times crossword puzzles.

56. Hopping mad: IRED.  Ire can be used as a verb, to make angry.  Nothing ires him more than having to wait for his dinner.  He had to wait for his dinner, and was predictably ired.  Or so Merriam-Webster's online thesaurus would have us believe.  

57. Perspective, figuratively: LENS.  As in, I see everything through the lens of cruciverbalism.

Here's the grid:

Did you enjoy the city tour?

Did you get IRED near the end?

NaomiZ

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Katherine Simonson

Theme: It's the unifier - FAILURE TO LAUNCH.   At my age, I think of this as an unsuccessful attempt in rocketry.  But the modern usage refers to young adults who struggle to achieve expected milestones of independence and self-sufficiency.  This seems to be Google's preference.  More generally, it can be any unsuccessful venture.  Here, we have an imbedded word or phrase in each theme fill that represents the concept.  Ironically, it seems like a success.

17 A. *Call to Rapunzel: LET DOWN YOUR HAIR.  Rapunzel is the main character in a German folk tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1812.   She is trapped in a tower with a window and no other entrance.  Her long, golden hair, when dropped down from the window, becomes a type of ladder.  A LET DOWN is a failure to provide some expected assistance.

Wikipedia

22 A. *Outmoded forms of payment for some commuters: BUS TOKENS.    Physical or digital tickets that allow passengers to ride a bus or other public transport service.  A BUST is a failed endeavor of almost any variety. 

33 A. * Like a beagle but not a corgi: FLOPPY EARED.  A description of an animal's ears that hang down the sides of the head, rather than standing upright.  A FLOP is an unexpected failure of some activity.  Our oldest granddaughter just returned from 15 months in Japan, where she was dancing at Tokyo Disney.  When she returned, I called her "cookie," because she was away fer so long.  As you can imagine this joke was a complete FLOP.  But I was amused.

Not Snoopy, probably

49 A. *Western vacation destination: DUDE RANCH.  This is a vacation site where city dwellers can experience some aspects of cowboy or old west living.  A DUD is an object that doesn't work, like a fire cracker that doesn't crack.

 55. Rocket mishap, or what can be found at the start of the answer to each starred clue: FAILURE TO LAUNCH.  Still, this gets the puzzle off to a good start.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, hoping to continue with success in this puzzle journey.  

Across:

1. Fish tacos fish, familiarly: MAHI.  More formally, mahi-mahi, a tropical fish also known as dolphinfish. 

5. Give a ring: PHONE.  Call someone on a telephone.  They don't necessarily ring any more, though that alert sound setting is usually an option.

10. Portland-to-Boise dir.: ESE.  East-south-east.

13. Revered figures: ICONS.  Originally depiction of religious figures, now often referring to famous athletes or entertainers.

15. Ingested: EATEN.  Consumed.

16. Bolt: RUN.  Run away suddenly.

20. Largest African antelope: ELAND.   A spiral-horned African antelope that lives in open woodland and grassland. 

Built like a cow

21. Party with a piñata: FIESTA.  A Latin-American party.  The piñata is a decorated vessel (such as of papier-mâché) filled with candies, fruits, and gifts and hung up to be broken with sticks by blindfolded persons as part of especially Latin American festivities 

26. Move stealthily: CREEP.  Move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.

27. Tension: UNEASE.  Mental or emotional strain.

28. Home to three of Massachusetts' Five Colleges: AMHERST.  Actually, there are five colleges there:  Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  The greater Boston area has dozens more.

30. Bagel shop: DELI.  A store where ready-to-eat food products (such as cooked meats and prepared salads) are sold; short for delicatessen.

31. Free, in a way: UNTIE.  Remove a restraining rope or cord.

38. Puffed on an e-cigarette: VAPED.  Inhaled and exhaled vapor containing nicotine and flavoring produced by a device designed for this purpose.

39. Honey liquor: MEAD.   An alcoholic drink of fermented honey and water.

42. Innocence: NAIVETE.   Lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.  Is this innocence?  You decide.

46. NPR White House correspondent __ Keith: TAMARA.  Tamara Dawnell Keith [b. 1979] is an American journalist. She is the White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast with Scott Detrow. She regularly appears on the PBS NewsHour weekly segment "Politics Monday". Keith is on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association, of which she served as president from 2022 to 2023

48. Big name in kitchen appliances: OSTER.  Oster is an American manufacturing company specializing in small kitchen appliances, known for its blenders, toasters, and roaster ovens. 

52. Vitriolic rant: TIRADE.  A long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.

54. Get fit for competition: TRAIN.  Prepare someone or yourself for a job, activity, or sport, by learning skills and/or by mental or physical exercise.

60. Stone or ice follower: AGE.  These are notable periods on planet earth.  The Stone Age is a prehistoric period characterized by the use of stone tools and weapons. It spans roughly 3.3 million years, from the first evidence of stone tools to the introduction of metalworking, marking the beginning of the Bronze Age.  An ice age is any geologic period during which thick ice sheets cover vast areas of land. Such periods of large-scale glaciation may last several million years and drastically reshape surface features of entire continents. A number of major ice ages have occurred throughout Earth history.  The last major ice age, also known as the Last Glacial Period, occurred between approximately 115,000 and 11,700 years ago. 

61. Eco-friendly vehicles: BIKES.  A two-wheeled vehicle powered by peddling.

62. Smooth change in topics: SEGUE.  A movement without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject, or situation to another:

63. K'Nex connector: ROD.  K'Nex is a building toy with a variety of interlocking shapes.

64. Clairvoyants: SEERS.  Persons who claim to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.

65. "So many!": LOTS.  An unspecified large quantity.

Down:

1. Domain suffix for a private employer: MIL.  You expect this to be COM, for a private company, but it's MILitary, the employer of privates.  Clever clue.

2. Star pitcher: ACE.   A person who excels at a particular sport or other activity.

3. Like cayenne: HOT.  Spicy! 

4. With painstaking precision: IN DETAIL.  With close attention to particulars; thoroughly.

5. Tubular pasta: PENNE. Penne pasta, a popular Italian pasta shape, derives its name from the Italian word "penna," which translates to "pen" or "quill" in English. The name reflects the pasta's shape, a short, cylinder-shaped pasta with diagonally cut ends, reminiscent of a quill or writing pen. 

6. Composer Joseph who mentored Mozart and Beethoven: HAYDN.  Franz Joseph Haydn [1732 - 1809] was an Austrian composer and a central figure in the development of Classical music. He's often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" for his contributions to establishing their forms and styles. 

7. Great Plains Native: OTO.   A Native American people of the Midwestern United States. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa, Missouria, and Ho-Chunk tribes.

Historically, the Otoe tribe lived as a semi-nomadic people on the Central Plains along the bank of the Missouri River in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri. They lived in elm-bark lodges while they farmed, and used tipis while traveling, like many other Plains tribes. They often left their villages to hunt buffalo.

8. Nine, in Normandy: NEUF.  9

9. Agent that gets good results: ENRICHER.  A component or entity that improves or adds to the quality, value, or richness of something.  This generally refers to things, not persons.

10. Soft end of a pencil: ERASER.  It's soft because it made of rubber; and it's called rubber because it erases pencil marks by rubbing them out.

11. Multiroom accommodations: SUITES.  A set of rooms designated for one person's or family's use or for a particular purpose.

12. Mesmerized: ENRAPT.  Fascinated, enthralled.

14. Pilots' milestones: SOLOS.   The experience of flying an aircraft alone, without an instructor or other pilot in the flight crew. It's a significant milestone in flight training, signifying a student pilot's proficiency and readiness to operate an aircraft independently. 

18. Ship follower: WAKE.  The track left by a moving body (such as a ship) in a fluid (such as water)

19. Present: HERE.  In or at this place or position.

22. Sign of spring: BUD.   A compact growth on a plant that develops into a leaf, flower, or shoot.

23. Half of deux: UNE. 1/2 * 2 = 1.

24. Subject of an autobiography: SELF.  A person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.

25. Quenched: SATED.   Satisfied fully, regarding drink or food.  Truly equivalent?  You decide.

29. Soccer star Hamm: MIA.  Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm [b. 1972] is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004.

31. Boosted: UPPED.  Augmented of amplified.

32. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  William Sanford Nye [b. 1955] also known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy", is a scientist, comedian, inventor, author, and television personality. He's best known for hosting the Emmy award-winning PBS show Bill Nye the Science Guy, which first aired in 1993 and educated millions about basic science. 

34. Layers audio tracks: OVERDUBS.   Overdubbing is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more available tracks of a digital audio workstation or tape recorder.

35. Gentle touch: PAT.  Touch quickly and gently with the flat of the hand.  With the back of the hand, it's a TAP.

36. President of France Macron: EMMANUEL.  Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron [b 1977] is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Minister of Economics, Industry and Digital Affairs under President François Hollande between 2014-16. He has been a member of Renaissance since he founded it in 2016.

37. College bigwig: DEAN.  a senior administrator who oversees a specific academic unit, such as a college or department. They are responsible for academic, programmatic, managerial, and fiscal responsibilities within that unit. Deans typically ensure the adequacy of instruction, monitor academic integrity, and are involved in student recruitment, admission, and academic progress. 

40. Path of a fly ball: ARC.   A continuous portion of a curved line, as part of the circumference of a circle.  Sometimes the result of a launch.

41. "Well, lah-di-__!": DAH.  Describes someone who behaves in an affectedly elegant or refined way, often in a way that seems unnatural and intended to impress others. It implies a pretentious or upper-class manner that is considered to be an over-the-top show of sophistication. 

42. In the vicinity: NOT FAR.  Near by.

43. Italian cheese with a nutty flavor: ASIAGO.  A cow's milk cheese, first produced in Asiago in Italy, that can assume different textures according to its aging, from smooth for the fresh Asiago (called Asiago pressato, which means "pressed Asiago") to a crumbly texture for the aged cheese (Asiago d'allevo, which means "breeding farm Asiago"). 

44. "Did my best": I TRIED.  Sometimes one's best u=isn't good enough.

45. Scaloppine meat: VEAL.  Veal is the meat from young cattle, typically those under one year old. It's a lighter, more tender meat than beef and is often pale pink in color. Veal production involves raising calves, many of whom are male calves from dairy breeds that are not needed for milk production. 

46. Blue-green hue: TEAL.  Or aqua.  Always need perps.

47. Prima donnas' songs: ARIAS.  Accompanied, elaborate melodies sung (as in an opera) by a single voice. 

50. Vocalize: UTTER.  Speak.

51. Trivial matter: DROSS.  The scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal, hence something useless or worthless.

53. Great Lake that drains into the Niagara River: ERIE.  Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest average water residence time. At its deepest point, Lake Erie is 210 feet (64 m) deep, making it the only Great Lake whose deepest point is above sea level.

56. __ out a living: EKE.  Manage to support oneself or make a living with difficulty.

57. Private aid gp.: NGO.  Non-Governmental Organization.
 
58. Trim: CUT.  Make something smaller by cutting away or otherwise removing a portion.

59. "__ making a list ... ": HE'S.  Keeping a record, to use for cataloging or decision making,   Sung of Mr. Claus.

And here we land after today's successful launch.  Hope you enjoyed the ride.

If you're in the Dearborn area on Sunday, come on down to the Michael Guido Theater in the Civic Center on Michigan Ave.  The Dearborn Big Band is playing a free concert at 3:00.  You can hear a song I wrote.

Cool regards!

JzB