Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Janice Luttrell

Redecorating.  The first word of each theme answer is a type of window dressing.

 17-Across. Driver's concern when merging: BLIND SPOT.

24-Across. Hairstyle that frames the face: CURTAIN BANGS.  I wasn't familiar with the term Curtain Bangs, but apparently it's a thing.  Curtain bangs are a type of bang that's parted in the center and styled to sweep outwards, framing the face like a curtain.

51-Across. Exposure-determining setting, in photography: SHUTTER SPEED.

63-Across. Mature growth in a backyard: SHADE TREE.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Storefront merchandise displays, or what the starts of 17-, 24-, 51-, and 63-Across are: WINDOW DRESSINGS.

Across:

1. Bandmate of Crosby and Stills: NASH.  The band was known as Crosby, Stills and Nash until Neil Young, joined, then they became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

5. On a cruise: ASEA.

9. Lunch and dinner: MEALS.

14. Eight, in combinations: OCTO-.

15. Brief moments: SECs.  As in Seconds.

16. God of Islam: ALLAH.

19. Nary a soul: NO ONE.

20. "So are we!": US, TOO!

21. Fibber's confession: I LIED.

23. Actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Beatty (né Ned Thomas Beatty; July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) was primarily a character actor and appeared in more than 160 films.  He is probably best remembered for his role in Deliverance.

27. Full of school spirit: RAH!  RAH!

29. Rain-__ gum: BLO.

30. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Ali Mahershala (né Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films.  He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as a drug dealer in Moonlight and as Don Shirley in Green Book (2018).

Ali Mahershala on the left; Don Shirley on the right.

31. Prayer ending: AMEN.

35. Diva's piece: ARIA.  You knew I was going to include this piece from Carmen.

43. Brief "Almost done with this week!": TGIF.  As in Thank Goodness It's Friday.

44. Pants, briefly: TROU.  Do college boys still Drop Trou?

45. Pop singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

46. Pilot's approx.: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

48. Country singer Tim whose father pitched in the MLB for 19 seasons: McGRAW.  Tim McGraw (né Samuel Timothy McGraw; b. May 1, 1967), just celebrated his 58th birthday.  He is married to singer Faith Hill (née Audrey Faith Perry; b. Sept. 21, 1957).  Tim didn't know his father was baseball star, Tug McGraw (1944 ~ 2004) until he was about 11 years old.

56. IRS form expert: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.

57. Spur to action: IMPEL.

58. Filmmakers Ethan and Joel: COENS.  The Coen brothers, Joel (b. Nov. 29, 1954) and Ethan (b. Sept. 21, 1957) have made numerous off-beat indie films, including cult classic, The Big Lebowski.

61. Vinyl collectible: ALBUM.

65. Salary increase: RAISE.

66. __ of office: OATH.

67. Gillette razor: ATRA.

68. Memory units: BYTES.

69. U.K. awards: MBEs.  //  And 4-Down. Pay homage to, to a Brit: HONOUR.  Becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire is an Honour.

70. "Tell me more!": GO ON.  Parsed differently, the answer becomes a Goon.

Down:

1. Fusion restaurant chain co-owned by Robert De Niro: NOBU.  This restaurant has appeared often on Tuesdays in the past year.  Technically, De Niro is a co-owner of Nobu Hospitality, LLC, the company behind the restaurant chain.  The restaurant is named after Nobu Matshuisha (né Nobuyuki Matsuhisa; b. Mar. 10, 1949).  A Nobu restaurant just opened in New Orleans.

2. Knee parts, for short: ACLs.  As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  It is commonly injured by a tear.

3. Red lines on a baseball, e.g.: STITCHING.

5. Donkey: ASS.

6. Retro photo effect: SEPIA.  Everything you wanted to know about Sepia but didn't know to ask.

7. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.  E. coli is short for Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacterium.  It is commonly found in the lower intestine.  Most E. coli are harmless and aid in the digestion of food and protect us from harmful germs, but some can make you sick.  This bacterium appears often in the puzzles.

9. Geometric designs used as meditative aids: MANDALAs.  The meaning behind the mandala.

10. "Evil Woman" gp.: ELO.  The formal name of the band is Electric Light Orchestra.

11. "Moving right __ ... ": ALONG.

12. Bowling alley divisions: LANES.  Shout out to Boomer!

Chumbawamba anyone?

13. Backyard building: SHED.

18. Young explorer in "The Lost City of Gold": DORA.  Dora the Explorer.

22. __ and flow: EBB.

25. Spring melt: THAW.

26. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  Another crossword staple.  Yummers!

27. Uncooked: RAW.

28. Disembarked: ALIT.

32. Utah summer hrs.: MDT.  As in Mountain Daylight Time.

33. __ on the side of caution: ERR.

34. Paleo- opposite: NEO-.

36. So that one may: IN ORDER TO.

37. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.  The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 ~ 1666) in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal (1593 ~ 1631). She died at age 38 giving birth to her 14th child.  The Taj Mahal is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Construction began in 1632 and took 22 years to complete, employing around 20,000 laborers and artisans.  The Taj Mahal is known for its intricate designs and, because it is embedded with precious gems and stones, its color changes throughout the day as the sun moves across the building. 

39. God, in Paris: DIEU.  Today's French lesson.

40. Frequently: OFT TIMES.

41. __ pump: drainage aid in a basement: SUMP.

42. Witnessed: SAW.

47. Cash dispenser: ATM.

49. Gospel singer Winans: CECE.  CeCe Winans (née Priscilla Marie Winans; b. Oct. 8, 1964) has won 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer.

50. Digital photo's location stamp: GEOTAG.

51. Spread out, as fingers: SPLAY.

52. Nun's attire: HABIT.

53. __ salts: foot-soaking stuff: EPSOM.

54. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.

55. Roofing stone: SLATE.

56. Keto no-no: CARB.  If you are on a Keto diet, you shouldn't drink carbonated water because it's full of of Carbs.

59. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Nero Wolfe was the creation of Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975), who wrote a series of detective fiction staring Wolfe.  Nero Wolfe was also a television series adopted from Stout's books.  The television series starred William Conrad (né John Willian Cann, Jr.; Sept. 27, 1920 ~ Feb. 11, 1994).

60. With 8-Down, Samwise Gamgee player in "The Lord of the Rings": SEAN.  //  8-Down. See 60-Down: ASTIN.  Sean Patrick Astin (b. Feb. 25, 1971) is the son of Patty Duke (Dec. 14, 1946 ~ Mar. 29, 2016).

62. Put to work: USE.

64. Players who only bat, briefly: DHs.  Think baseball and the Designated Hitters.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I will be taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks.  I know you will be in good/better hands during my absence.

Monday May 5, 2025 Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

  

¡Hola todos! sumdaze here with a calendar-appropriate puzzle -- just not the holiday I was expecting. No worries. We can pivot. Put down your sombrero and margarita. Instead, don your fascinator and mix up a mint julep.

Theme:         

Kevin and Andrea have teamed up to bring us three themers plus a reveal. You can read about Andrea on her Wikipedia page. 

I hear the bugler's call to post. It's time to check out the main contenders:

20 Across. Offerings at some cocktail parties: WINE AND CHEESE.  

Awkward!

27 Across. Improvement that may be based on psychology instead of medicine: PLACEBO EFFECT.  NIH.gov article

44 Across. Accessory that may coordinate with bath mats: SHOWER CURTAIN.  

I call clear ones show-er curtains.

Here is the unifier:

50 Across. First leg of the Triple Crown, whose levels of success can be found in this puzzle's circled letters: KENTUCKY DERBY.

The 151st KENTUCKY DERBY took place this past Saturday. (I hope to have this blog in the can before the race begins so I have no news of the results.) It is a 1¼ mi. (2 km.) race in Louisville, KY. The other two races in the Triple Crown are:

• Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, MD  ~  May 17, 2025  ~  1+3/16 mi. (1.88 km.)
• Bellmont Stakes in Elmont, NY  ~  June 7, 2025  ~  1½ mi. (2.4 km.)

Gamblers can bet to WIN (collect if their horse comes in first), to PLACE (collect if their horse comes in first or second), or to SHOW (collect if their horse comes in first, second, or third). These are the "levels of success" found in this puzzle's winner's circles. (See what I did there?)

And we're off!

Across:

1. Flat floaters in a pool: RAFTS.  

6. "Fuhgeddaboudit!": NOPE.  I hear this in TV shows about New Yorkers. It is a slur of "Forget about it" as in "Let go of that idea. It's not going to happen."

10. Small amounts of face cream: DABS.

14. Assign portions: ALLOT.

15. Visa competitor, informally: AMEX.  credit card companies

16. Mallorca, por ejemplo: ISLA.  The Spanish in the clue hints to a Spanish answer.

I recently finished listening to Coffee Break Spanish Season 4. It is comprised of 40 podcasts telling a story set on the island of Mallorca, Spain. Now I want to go there!  Here is Episode 1  

17. Savanna hunter known for its laugh: HYENA.  Not to be confused with hunters from Savannah, GA:  

18. Spinner on a roof: VANE.  

Look at the direction letters.

19. Canned Hormel product: SPAM.

23. "How ya doin'?": S'UP.  "What'S UP?" Both the clue and answer use non-standard English.

25. Prez after JFK: LBJ.  Both the clue and answer use abbreviations.

26. Just that single time: ONCE.

32. Follow as a result: ENSUE.  

33. Need to and from the dog park: LEASH.  Dog owners need a LEASH to walk their dog to and from the dog park but the dog can be unLEASHed while in the dog park.  

Meadow at her favorite Colorado dog park.

34. Lightbulb unit: WATT.  Watch this 2 min. video before you buy your next lightbulb.  

35. Apple beverage: CIDER.  Did you think this was a hard clue?

37. All excited: AGOG.  I rarely go to Starbucks but I was there in January with a friend. I pulled out an old Starbucks card from my wallet to pay. Apparently the cards are now made from paper but mine was plastic and still had a few dollars on it. The barista was AGOG that I still had an unused plastic card. She advised me to hang on to it.

41. Copy using very thin paper: TRACE.  

Teenager me used to do this a lot.

43. Jumper cable connection: ANODE.  

47. Mountaintop: PEAK.  16-A has me thinking about Mallorca.  

Puig Major is the highest peak on the Spanish island of Majorca
elev. 4,711 ft. / 1,436 m.
There is a radar station at the top.

48. BofA convenience: ATM.  BofA = Bank of America

49. Explosive material: TNT.  

Muddy Waters   ~   I'm Ready   ~   1954

🎵 I'm drinkin' TNT, I'm smokin' dynomite

I hope some screwball starts a fight  🎵

55. Post-WWII transnational gp.: NATO.

56. Bygone Apple player: iPOD.  I wish Apple still made these.

57. Wed in secret: ELOPE.  

It's a melon-choly story.

60. Beige kin: ECRU.  Both are tan-ish colors.

61. Spelling of "BH90210": TORI.  BH90210 refers to Beverly Hills, 90210, a teen drama series that ran from 1990 to 2000. The friends hung out at the 47-D Pit. Tori's father, Aaron Spelling was the producer. In XWD puzzles, I often mix up Tori Spelling with singer Tori Amos...and sometimes with 4-D.

62. Coffee shop freebie: SUGAR.  Is the SUGAR free or are unsweetened beverages overpriced?

63. One of the five W's of journalism: WHAT.  

64. Pentathlon blade: ÉPÉE.  The modern Olympic pentathlon sports are fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running.

65. Fantasy league deal: TRADE.  Fantasy sport leagues allow participants to assemble imaginary teams composed of real players of a professional sport. These teams compete based on the statistical performance of those players in real games. Owners can make a deal to TRADE players.

Down:

1. "Go team!": RAH.  

2. Gymnastics gold medalist Raisman: ALY.  [b. May 24, 1994]

2016 Summer Olympics

3. Was over in no time: FLEW PAST.  

Pongo says it's time for his walk.

4. "Breathe Again" singer Braxton: TONI.

5. Comics legend who co-created Spider-Man and the X-Men: STAN LEE.  [Stanley Martin Lieber 1922-2018]  Like Issa Rae, we usually see either STAN or LEE so it was fun to get both of his names today.

6. Language of WWII code talkers: NAVAJO.  

This was an excellent book.

7. Persian Gulf sultanate: OMAN.  

8. Hang in the balance: PEND.  Think:  "The matter was still PENDing when he left."

9. CFO or VP: EXEC.  Chief Financial Officer / Vice President / Executive

10. Turn off, in a way: DISENCHANT.  Def.:  (verb) to free from illusion.

11. Characteristic: ASPECT.

12. Supremely unconcerned: BLASÉ.

13. "I think so too!": SAME.

21. Go out, as the tide: EBB.

22. Weeding tools: HOES.

23. Gush forth: SPEW.  This interesting table organizes information on the world's geysers. It says that 51.9% are located in Yellowstone.

24. Funny bone neighbor: ULNA.  This 1:27 min. video explains what happens when we hit our funny bones.  

28. "Stop it!": CUT THAT OUT.  Pro tip:  Stop the tomfoolery when you hear your mom's feet coming down the hallway. Don't wait for her to enter the room.

29. Respected tribal member: ELDER.

30. Overdue fine, e.g.: FEE.

31. A long way away: FAR.

35. Crow's cry: CAW.

36. Cooler cubes: ICE.  

38. Exercise with barnyard animals: GOAT YOGA.  Has anyone tried this? I have not.  

39. Creator of Norse mythology?: ODIN.

40. Polite fellow: GENT.

42. Streaming option: ROKU.  We had this one last week.

43. Spot frequently shared by flyers: ARM REST.  "Shared" might be an exaggeration as in this 40 sec. comedic video:  

44. Nissan sedan: SENTRA.

45. Golfer's helper: CADDIE.  This 1:45 scene from the 1980 movie Caddyshack gives another meaning to the 1-A clue.  Yes, it is beyond sophomoric but I love Bill Murray at the end.

46. Sport-__: off-road auto: UTE.  utility

47. Bellini fruit: PEACH.  

recipe

50. Was in the loop: KNEW.  

51. Quote from, as a legal case: CITE.

52. BTS music genre: K-POP.  Did anyone else listen to WWDTM recently when they asked actor Brian Tyree Henry about the Korean Pop group, BTS? BTH guessed well and won the quiz but it was apparent he does not do XWD puzzles. If he did, he would be familiar with BTS -- like we are.  😏

53. Days of knights: YORE.  This was my favorite clue today.

54. Hazy memory: BLUR.  Here's a song about hazy thoughts:  

Jimi Hendrix   ~   Purple Haze   ~   1967

58. Word after mattress or mouse: PAD.  

mattress PAD, mouse PAD, and helicopter landing PAD

59. Before, to Byron: ERE.  Good clue! Lord Byron [1788-1824] was an English poet and ERE is an old-fashioned, poetic word meaning before.

The grid:  

Time to collect your winnings. Have a good week everyone!