Sunday May 4, 2025 Kelly Richardson & Amanda Cook

Theme: "At Any Rate" -  The last words of the theme entries form a logical movement sequence.

 23. *Old-fashioned establishment?: COCKTAIL LOUNGE. Resting rate.

 37. *Measurement unit on some graph-ruled paper: SQUARE INCH.

 46. *Commodity sold in board-feet: ROUGH LUMBER.

 52. *Charge up?: PRICE HIKE.

 66. *Annual upriver migration: SALMON RUN.

 82. *Group nearly eradicated in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy": HUMAN RACE.

 90. *What may hang by a thread?: HEXAGON BOLT.

 98. *Invasive species that may be spotted in the garden?: LANTERN FLY.

Reveal:

112. Loop in, and a hint to the progression found at the ends of the answers to the starred clues: BRING UP TO SPEED.

Steady progression, from stillness to fly.  Just like the reveal explains, the constructors are bringing things up to speed.

Across:

1. Subwoofer output: BASS.

5. Salsa partner on a dip platter, casually: GUAC. Tasty on the Seeduction bread.

9. Pasta __ Norma: ALLA.

13. The Beyhive, e.g.: FANDOM. Beyoncé's fan base.

19. Spark: IDEA.

20. Fully aware of: ONTO.

21. Tusked hog: BOAR.

22. Like Chamonix: ALPINE.

26. Features of New York's Guggenheim museum: CURVES.

27. Roller coaster material: STEEL.

28. Behind schedule: LATE.

29. [Cough cough]: AHEM.

31. Self or sheep suffix: ISH.

32. Smoked beef cuts: BRISKETS.

35. Writers with star power?: CRITICS. Because they rate in stars. Great clue.

40. Water cooler sound: GLUG.

41. "You rock!," facetiously: NOICE.  OK, it's exaggerated Nice, not NO ICE. Thanks, Anonymous!)

44. Rush: HURRY.

45. D.C. pro: NAT.

48. Memoji platform: IOS.

49. __-12: athletic org.: PAC.

50. "__ Maria": AVE.

51. Staunton of "The Crown": IMELDA. She played Queen Elizabeth.

56. Blueprint: DESIGN.

59. Dates: SEES.

60. Travel plaza fuel supplier: SUNOCO.

61. Villain's hideout: LAIR.

63. Japanese camera brand: NIKON.

65. Org.-wide message: MEMO.

69. Kitten cries: MEWS.

72. Small sound: INLET.

74. "American Fiction" actress Rae: ISSA. Super talented.

75. "Sure, that totally sounds credible": YEAH OK.

77. "Shoot to Thrill" band: AC/DC.

80. Polar dome: ICECAP. Hence NOICE rather than NO ICE earlier. Patti normally doesn't allow this type of dupe. 

85. Carving tool: CHISEL.

87. "Last Week Tonight" network: HBO.

88. Articulate: SAY.

89. Solder element: TIN.

93. Prevail: WIN.

94. Like slow lorises and snow leopards: ASIAN. Look at his eyes. Some live in China's Yunnan province.

96. Knicks legend Patrick: EWING.

97. Like some wine: OAKY.

100. Crux: ESSENCE.

102. Plovdiv's country: BULGARIA. Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, 93 miles southeast of Sofia, a la Wikipedia.

103. Buffalo Bills gp.: AFC.

105. Out of control: AMOK.

106. "You" actor Badgley: PENN. Also in "Gossip Girl".

107. Email option: REPLY.

110. Muss: TOUSLE.

117. Single word on its own line, in typesetting: ORPHAN. Learning moment for me. The orphan and the last widow look the same to me.

118. "If it __ broke ... ": AIN'T.

119. Subscription level: TIER.

120. At any point: EVER.

121. "Kinda weird ... ": IT'S ODD.

122. "Sky Landing" artist Ono: YOKO.

123. Salty septet: SEAS.

124. Ceremony: RITE.

Down:

1. Pen brand: BIC.

2. Big bothers: ADOS.

3. Religious subgroup: SECT.

4. Place to sample Dassai: SAKE BAR. Dassai is a premium sake brand. It means "otter festival". Their website said there used to be many otters frolicking in the nearby rivers where the brewery is based.

5. Net asset?: GOALIE. Hockey net.

6. College, abroad: UNI.

7. Falcons city, briefly: ATL.

8. Gather: COLLECT.

9. Borders: ABUTS.

10. Unaccompanied: LONE.

11. Twitch streamer's headache: LAG.

12. Throw on the floor: AREA RUG. Noun "throw".

13. Jewel side: FACET.

14. Lightweight metal: ALUMINUM.

15. "Code Switch" network: NPR.

16. Capable of an even split: DIVISIBLE.

17. Vending machine bills: ONES.

18. Mosquito net fabric: MESH.

24. "Fresh Air" host Gross: TERRY. Used to listen to her often.

25. Pledge: OATH.

30. Lofty: HIGH.

33. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.

34. Natural talent: KNACK.

35. Puzzle hints: CLUES.

36. Approaches: COMES NEAR.

37. Impossibly bottled objects: SHIPS.

38. Minimum needed for action: QUORUM.

39. Bearlike: URSINE.

40. Serves the people: GOVERNS.

42. Formally yield: CEDE.

43. Notable periods: ERAS.

46. Ad with a jingle, maybe: RADIO SPOT.

47. Connection: LINK.

49. Vietnamese beef noodle soup: PHO.

53. Creative type?: COMIC SANS. Because the font has a creative vibe?

54. B-school course: ECON.

55. Tail end?: ELL.Just the final letter Tail.

57. Shiba __: INU.

58. Martini ingredient: GIN.

62. Not unkindly: AMIABLY.

64. Portent: OMEN.

66. Length of 24 film frames, briefly: SEC. 24 frames per second is the standard frame rate for movies.

67. Gobbled up: ATE.

68. Repeated syllable in Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance": RAH.

70. "Let's say ... ": WHAT IF.

71. Gregarious: SOCIAL.

73. Stitch's friend: LILO.

75. "Woot woot!": YAY.

76. "Footloose" singer Loggins: KENNY.

77. Yearning: ACHE.

78. Think (on): CHEW.

79. Lemonade stand stackers: DIXIE CUPS.

81. Blow it under pressure: CHOKE.

83. Implementing: USING.

84. Big-brained ray: MANTA.

86. Deli sandwich filling: EGG SALAD.

91. Wearing white to a wedding, e.g.: NO NO.

92. Ritzy Boston neighborhood: BACK BAY. Tom Brady lived in this area for many years.

93. Carrot cake additions: WALNUTS.

94. Latin for "ram": ARIES.

95. Fish often served whole: SNAPPER.

98. Organ in the chest cavity: LUNG.

99. Blunders and bobbles: ERRORS.

101. Fix, as syntax: EMEND.

102. Lunch box with compartments: BENTO. Bento is derived from Chinese Biandang, literally "convenient".

103. Yours, in French: A TOI.

104. Cozy blanket structure: FORT.

106. "__ Pony Club": Chappell Roan hit: PINK.

108. 22nd U.S. vice president Morton: LEVI. Didn't know him. Under Benjamin Harrison.

109. Throw, slangily: YEET.

111. "Fellow Travelers" airer, for short: SHO.

113. Carnival city: RIO.

114. Dessert with a crust: PIE.

115. Rooibos, for one: TEA.

116. Hip-hop pioneer Dr. __: DRE.

C.C.

Saturday May 3, 2025, Ricky Sirois

Themeless Saturday by Ricky Sirois

Ricky had a generous portion of proper names but they all succumbed to adequate help.

Across:

1. Shillelagh cousin: MACE - Shillelagh would knock me out of any spelling bee I would enter!

 

5. Hooey: GIBBERISH.

14. B in chemistry: BORON 😀 It can be found on the 25. Primo who wrote "The Periodic Table": LEVI ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Review of Levi's book that is only peripherally about chemistry 

15. Suddenly: ALL AT ONCE - 95% on Rotten Tomatoes

16. Elite: A LIST.

17. Gradually: PIECEMEAL.

18. Friction: STATIC - A great demo in my physics classes

20. Pose: ASK.

21. Locks in place?: PERM - Locks of hair will stay in place after a PERManent which, of course, is only temporary. 

22. Hidden assets: HOLE CARDS.

24. Only native of Great Britain to be named "Doctor of the Church": BEDE - Somehow I knew this. No, really!

26. Research Triangle city: DURHAM.

28. Moving violation?: FALSE START - Ya gotta wait for the gun!

32. Ovine mother: EWE.

33. Jason's ship: ARGO.

34. Thought-provoking: MEATY.

35. Surveyor's map: PLAT.

36. German article: DER.

37. Spitting image: CARBON COPY - Digital version 😀

39. Escalate: DEEPEN. 

41. Close: NEAR.

42. Color for a San Jose Shark: TEAL.

43. Card that opens doors for journalists: PRESS PASS - Everyone here can tell what Super Bowl required this pass for reporters.

48. Crust: CHAR.

49. Level with Space Cowboys and Storm Chasers: AAA - We've seen many baseball games in Omaha where the AAA Storm Chasers play. FWIW, real storm chasers around Omaha have been very busy this spring.

50. Patronize: SHOP AT.

51. Bloody Mary, e.g.: URBAN MYTH - Here ya go!

54. One-named singer who played Nettie in the 2023 remake of "The Color Purple": CIARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

55. "See?": TOLD YOU SO.

56. Isaac of "Dune": OSCAR ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Isaac seems to be his surname.

57. Really good point: SWEET SPOT.

58. Rock band whose founding members adopted the names Gene and Dean: WEEN ¯\_(ツ)_/

Down:

1. Very, musically: MOLTO - Allegro Non Molto means lively but not too lively

2. Default font in Google Docs: ARIAL.

3. Elvis, for one: COSTELLO  - One too many blanks for the King

4. Beguiles: ENTICES.

5. __ year: GAP - Our daughter had a wealthy friend who took a GAP year to "find himself". Our daughters found themselves in the University of Nebraska.

6. Source material for "Troilus and Cressida": ILIAD - Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida" draws inspiration from Homer's "Iliad"for its setting, characters, and themes, but it also incorporates elements from Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

7. Favor: BLESS.

8. Support: BACK.

9. Saison chaude: ETE - In France, the hot (chaude) season (saison) is summer (ETE)

10. One-piece garment: ROMPER.

11. Words admitting vulnerability: I NEED HELP.

12. Run off: SCARE AWAY.

13. Leadership position: HELM.

14. Pan: BASH.

19. Common character in "The Far Side": CAVEMAN.

23. Help for a choir that wants to sing higher: RISER 😀

24. Save: BUT - Not much is known of Little Richard's childhood SAVE that he was a music prodigy. This use of SAVE is a long way down the list in Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

26. Winter affliction, perhaps: DRYNESS.

27. "Have we __?": MET.

28. Unblockable shot: FREE THROW 😀

29. Pleasant: AGREEABLE.

30. Aid in learning to play guitar: TAB.

31. Compensate (for): ATONE.

33. Put in: ADD.

35. Sea creature that uses echolocation: PORPOISE.

37. "Scooby-Doo" souvenir, maybe: CEL - This original Hanna Barbera CEL can be yours for $5,250.

38. Income stream: CASH COW - Providing daycare services has become a CASH COW for many churches 

40. Show off: PARADE.

43. "Fork it over": PAY UP.

44. Dustin Hoffman role: RATSO - Dustin ad libbed this line from Midnight Cowboy on the spot.

45. Full steam ahead: APACE.

46. Glad rival: SARAN - Cling Wrap has completely replaced Saran Wrap at our house

47. Michelin award: STAR.

48. Stages of an audition process: CUTS - The same is true in athletics. Making CUTS is a hard thing to do.

49. Pioneering football coach __ Alonzo Stagg: AMOS.

52. "The 1619 Project" publisher, for short: NYT.

53. Sexy: HOT.