Saturday, May 17, 2025, Rich Feely

 Saturday Themeless by Rich Feely 

Rich's puzzle provided a real challenge which yielded to my "hunt and peck" strategy.

The fill in the NW had some fun learning (TOUCH GRASS) and cleverISH cluing that took some time.

The SW where I finished also took some effort with obscure-to-me names ATOP each other but it was very satisfying 😳 when I got the Congratulations message.

Across:

1. Toss: SCRAP - Modern slang of YEET was only four letters and PITCH didn't work.

6. "The Sound of Music" backdrop, briefly: WWII - ALPS joined PITCH from 1 Across as "close but no cigar".

Baron von Trapp shows
his feeling towards Nazis

10. Start and end of New Mexico's Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway: TAOS.

14. "Put your phone down": TOUCH GRASS - 😀 I had no idea but it made perfect sense when I filled in the last letters. It means "get off your devices and go out in the real world".

 

16. Side with?: ABUT.

17. Quarterfinalists: ELITE EIGHT - The winners of these games went to the Final Four. Rumor has it that EIGHT TEAMS would have worked too.

18. French head: TETE.

19. Chaps: MEN.

20. Folder's forfeit: ANTE - You paid to see the cards and if you fold your hand you forfeit that money.  This is statistically the worst starting cards in Texas Hold 'Em.

and 11. Payment guarantee?: A BET IS A BET.

21. Polite gesture: HAT TIP.

23. "Say no more": I SEE.

24. Lollygags: DALLIES

25. Some memory triggers: AROMAS - The pungent AROMA of alfalfa being dehydrated filled the summer air in my misspent youth. It still triggers great memories.

28. Feels for: PITIES.

29. Lightweight material: LINEN - Leonardo di Caprio looking cool in LINEN as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby.

30. Unconscious __: BIAS.

31. "And there you have it": TADA.

34. Happy accident: A FEATURE NOT A BUG.

37. Connected by a common thread: SEWN 😀

38. Take into account: NOTE - Duly NOTED.

39. Two-time WNBA MVP __ Delle Donne: ELENA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

40. Time for curls: ARM DAY - It is recommended that you alternate

42. UNESCO City of Literature in Devon: EXETER - Exeter is a city in the county of Devon.

43. Multifaceted: LAYERED.

45. Sheep sounds: BAAS.

46. One vertex of the Summer Triangle: ALTAIR - A gimme for us astronomy peeps. Like the Big Dipper, it is an asterism not a constellation. 

47. Cobra or bridge surfaces: MATS.

48. Sign of success: SRO - Husker VB is the only women's NCAA sport to make a profit thanks to its string of 376 consecutive sellouts that feature Standing Room Only crowds.

51. Designer Lagerfeld: KARL - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

52. Uninterested in the party scene, perhaps: APOLITICAL.

55. Comedian Wakim who is the first Lebanese American cast member of "SNL": EMIL. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

56. Texter's "Hey, boo": GHOST EMOJI - 👻

57. Viscous: ROPY - In Earth Science we call this ROPY lava pahoehoe (pun hoy hoy) lava.

58. Chef Lewis who specialized in Southern cooking: EDNA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

59. City on the Nile north of Lake Nasser: ASWAN.

Down:

1. Cherry picker's target: STEM.

2. 2023 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit: COLE.

3. Demolish: RUIN.

4. Pretend: ACT.

5. Gallinaceous bird native to Eurasia: PHEASANT - Some Nebraska landowners open their ground to PHEASANT hunting when they are in season.

Tekamah, Nebraska

6. Dash off: WRITE - I try to dash off a reply as quick as I can when I get an email

7. Pay: WAGE.

8. "Plus or minus": ISH - My solve time for this puzzle was 30ISH minutes

9. Skeptical response: IS THAT SO.

10. Folks who tend to give things away: TATTLE TALES 

12. Navel type: OUTIE.

13. Tally on some trackers: STEPS.

On an Apple Watch

15. Small inheritance?: GENES.

22. Boxing legend: ALI.

23. "They cannot be serious": I MEAN REALLY.

24. Guerrero of "Doom Patrol": DIANE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

25. Sigh of woe: ALAS.

26. Teeming (with): RIFE.

27. Journey in a relocation: ONE WAY TRIP 😀

28. Devotion: PIETY.

30. Overarching: BROAD - The overarching goals of athletic teams is to win a championship.

32. Timothée Chalamet epic set on a desert planet: DUNE - The star at top center ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

33. Petri dish gelatin: AGAR.

35. In the minority?: UNDER AGE 😀

36. Crude, slangily: TEXAS TEA - I sent these TV theme lyrics below to my 28-yr-old granddaughter and asked if she had ever heard them before. She quickly replied, "No". Sigh... The show is at the bottom of this write-up.*

Come and listen to my story
'Bout a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer,
Barely kept his family fed.
And then one day
He was shootin' at some food,
And up through the ground came a-bubblin' crude.
Oil that is, black gold, TEXAS TEA.

41. CT scan kin: MRI.

42. Fail big-time: EAT IT.

43. Former Minneapolis NBA player: LAKER - I am old enough to remember when the LAKERS played in Minneapolis in the 50's and their star was George Mikan who is seen below at the right with Kareem and Shaq. In 1960, the LAKERS took the team and the nickname westward although LA is not known for any significant lakes.

44. Site of Crockett's last stand: ALAMO - A silent movie version. I remember Fess Parker and John Wayne playing that role later.

45. Material for crafts and rafts: BALSA.

47. New __: MOON - Ten days from now, the Moon will "rise" with the Sun and will not be able to be seen all day. As I have told thousands of students, the MOON is not in the evening sky every night.

48. Garbage barge: SCOW.

49. Indian royal: RAJA can be RANA also

50. Actor/director Ken: OLIN - I remember him as Det. Harry Garibaldi (far right) in the fabulous Hill Street Blues.

53. High deg.: PHD.

54. Uses Kik, say: IMS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

* Jed Clampett and family after they discovered and cashed in on their TEXAS TEA.

Friday, May 16, 2025, Lewis Rothlein

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a Friday puzzle constructed by Lewis Rothlein.  Per the NYT a couple of years ago, Lewis Rothlein is a yoga instructor and jazz piano enthusiast in Asheville, N.C.  He has had puzzles previously published in both the NYT and the LAT.

This solver found today's offering to be challenging and enjoyable.  A number of the clue / answer combinations required some cogitation - not because they were obscure but because one had to dig a bit deeper than usual into the cranial data base.

There is no reveal/unifier in today's puzzle.  At four places within the grid Lewis breaks common words into two pieces and this "division" is incorporated into the manner in which the clue must be interpreted in order to conjure up the correct response.  Here are the four themed clues and answers:

17 Across:  Pa ss: SPLIT TICKET.  Neither pass as in a gap in the mountains nor pass as in to do well on a school exam.  As used in the clue, Pass means a way to get into a concert or a sporting event.  SPLIT TICKET voting is when a voter votes for candidates from different parties in the same election, as opposed to straight-ticket voting.  Here, though, the Ticket has been literally been split.

25 Across:  Fi rm: PARTED COMPANY.  Not firm as in solidified.  In the clue it is used in the sense of a business entity. . . and in this instance the entity has been PARTED like the Red Sea.  PARTING COMPANY, of course, most often is used in a different context.

43 Across:  Shis hito: CRACKED PEPPER.  Shishito is a type of pepper although it is not the type of pepper that is commonly CRACKED.  In the clue, the pepper has been cracked in half.

56 Across:  Bo nds: SEVERED TIES.  Not bonds as in financial instruments.  Bonds as in the ties that bind.  SEVERED TIES is quite similar to PARTED COMPANY, above, but is most often used in reference to a business relationship.

This is how it all looks in the grid:

. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Creature of Jewish folklore: GOLEM.  In Jewish folklore, a GOLEM is an artificial humanoid made of clay, soil, or dust brought to life by a series of rituals and magical formulas. According to legend, GOLEMs could only be created by a powerful rabbi.

6. Verb with thou: SAYST.  A variation of SAYEST.  A hand up here for first trying SHALT.

11. __ bar: FIG.  SAND was too long, as was OYSTER.

14. Slightly in front: UP ONE.  Not physically ahead of the pack.  UP ONE as in a sports score.  Not to be confused with One Up as in to overshadow.

15. Intercontinental range: URALS.  Demarcation line for Europe and Asia.

16. Soundless messaging syst.: ASL.

19. Dark site of the moon?: SEA.   SEAS, or mares, on the moon are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by lava flowing into ancient impact basins. They were dubbed maria (Latin for 'seas') by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas.

20. Members of a sub group: HOAGIES.  Not a reference to religious sects or to underwater vessels.  A sandwich reference.

21. Like overripe bananas: SPOTTED.  Not in the optical sense.  More like a leopard.

23. "Embrace the glorious __ that you are": Elizabeth Gilbert: MESS.  Elizabeth Gilbert is 

an American journalist and author. She is best known for her 2006 memoir Eat, Pray, Love

24. Dressage pace: TROT.   From Wikipedia, Dressage is a form of horse riding and an equestrian sport that aims to develop the horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform.

30. Formal, in a way: DRESSY.  Interesting with DRESSY following Dressage.

32. Sought office: RAN.

33. Fruit in some gin: SLOE.  

34. Overlord of the rings, for short?: IOC.  Not a LOTR reference.  The Olympic Rings.

35. "That's gonna leave a mark!": OOF.  Punt!

36. Family: KIN.  When asked if he had family in Salt Lake City, Robert de Niro replied,"Utah kin to me?"

37. Egg pouches: SACS.

39. Co-worker of Jamie, Alan, and Mara, in Progressive ads: FLO.  This solver thought that is was kind of the constructor/editor to choose the most-well-know of the group for the answer.  Had it been clued as, for example Co-worker of Jamie, Alan, and Flo this solver would have been at sea, as they say in some of our puzzles.  What did you think?

40. Planters: SOWERS.  As ye SOW so shall ye reap.

46. Blasted: DARN.  Not a reference to an explosion.  As slangy clue with a slangy answer.

47. __ bene: NOTA.  NOTA bene is a Latin phrase meaning "mark well" or "note well".  It is used to call attention to something important in a text or speech.

48. Skating hazard: THIN ICE.  Literally.  The expression is more often seen as an idiom.

51. Comic-con attendee with pointy ears, maybe: TREKKIE.  A Star Trek reference

55. Feel sick: AIL.  What does one say upon seeing a sick redhead?  Ginger ail.

58. Org. with Kings and Knights: NHL.

59. Switch: TRADE.  As in:

60. Aquarium fish: TETRA.  A frequent visitor to our tank.

61. Slime: GOO.  Punt-ish.

62. Campaign topic: ISSUE.  I told my boss, “Sorry I’m late. I was having computer ISSUEs. Boss: Hard drive?  Me: No, the commute was fine. It’s my laptop.

63. Caravan rest stops: OASES.

Down:

1. Rhapsodize: GUSH.

2. Intel collected during a race: OPPO.  Truncated clue, truncated answer.  A political race.  OPPO is damaging information about a political candidate that is gathered and used or made public usually by an opponent's camp.

3. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA.  Okay.  If we're headed down this road we might as well go with the over-the-top version.

4. Hard-to-read people: ENIGMAS.

5. Fortes: METIERS.

6. Word on some European notes: SUISSE.  Seen on Euro notes that feature Switzerland.

7. Shape made with a pencil and string: ARC.  A rudimentary compass.

8. Jaws: YAKS.  Not a reference to mandibles.  Idioms for talking too much.  Not a reference to these:

9. Didn't answer immediately: SLEPT ON.  As in the colloquialism to "sleep on it".

10. Brief weather event?: T-STORM.  "Brief" in the clue tips us off that the answer will be a-brief-iated.

11. Slick one: FAST TALKER.  The meaning of FAST-TALK is to influence or persuade by fluent, facile, and usually deceptive or tricky talk. 

12. Words of understanding: I SEE.

13. Willing (to): GLAD.  As in "I'd be GLAD to help you with that."

18. Petulant: TESTY.

22. Best or bests: TOPS.  The first word of the clue is an adjective.  The second is a verb.

25. Minor offense: PECCADILLO.  Anyone recall previously seeing PECCADILLO in a puzzle?

26. Wilt: DROOP.

27. Half-__: latte spec: CAF.

28. Cain genre: NOIR.  A reference to James M. Cain.  Perhaps best known for the novels Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

29. Urges: YENS.  Not used as a verb as in to pressure someone to do something.  The urges, themselves.

 

30. __ jockey: DISC.

31. Laugh good and hard: ROAR.

35. Word with hand or saw: OLD.  Precedes either/both.

38. Get the drift, perhaps: SCAN.  A bit of a stretch.  Apparently used as in to quickly peruse.

39. Folks who might say, "Curses! Foiled again!"?: FENCERS.  Not FENCERS as in those enclosing a yard.  A sword fighting reference.  A foil is a type of sword.

40. Botanical reproductive unit: SPORE.  How mushroom does a SPORE need?

41. Decided in favor of: OPTED TO.

42. Underwhelming argument: WEAK TEA.  Idiomatic.

44. Skating great Yamaguchi: KRISTI.  The name was known.  The spelling was aided by the perps.

45. Menu selection: ENTREE.  I recently made a delicious European breakfast entree, but when I finished eating it I had a stomach ache.  It was a Belchin Waffle.

48. Kick: TANG.   Spicy.  As in "this salsa has quite a kick to it."

49. Chipper greeting: HI HO.

50. Some NASA missions: EVAS. ExtraVehicular ActivitieS  What we used to call spacewalks.

52. Many Ikea purchases, essentially: KITS.  Put it together yourself.

53. French noun suffix: IERE.   French terms suffixed with -iere

54. Those, in Spanish: ESAS.

57. Gettysburg address feature?: EDU.  At first this solver thought that this was just plain wrong.  Got the web address part of it but every Gettysburg-related site I dug out ended with EDU or GOV.  Then Gettysburg College in, of course, Gettysburg, PA was "discovered".

and on that humbling note,

__________________________________

Thursday, May 15, 2025 ~ Desiree Penner & Jeff Sinnock

Love is in the air...

Good morning folks. Today's expo is going to be a little skinny as my allergies turned into a chest cold. On the plus side, Youngest Graduated UT and is now taking a break in Spain before digging into Law at GW.  I've got Eldest home for only one more day :-)

16. *Dolores Huerta, for one: LABOR LEADER. - The leader of labor is the letter L

25. *In the lead: OUT FRONT. - O is the front letter of out.

35. *Convention site: CIVIC CENTER.  - The center of civic is the letter V.

52. *Portion of the Irish flag that's green: ONE THIRD.  - The third letter of one is the letter E.

Yep, 1/3 Green

60. Messages containing X's and O's, and what the answers to the starred clues literally describe?: LOVE LETTERS.

Across:
1. Stirs in: ADDS.

5. Canines, e.g.: TEETH. Ripping teeth, not puppies.

10. "In a way": ISH.

13. Mammal that may steal fish from a fisher's line: SEAL. Humm, minus a T in Steal is the SEAL.

14. Transparent layer in the eye: CORNEA.

15. Surname separator: NEE.

16. [See: Theme] 18. TNT part: TRI. TRInitrotoluene

19. Hotel fillers: GUESTS. DW has eschewed Hotels for Air B&Bs. Most of 'em are great but no breakfast.

20. Tempts fate: DARES.

22. Rum-soaked cakes: BABAS.

25. [See: Theme]

27. "Call anytime": PHONE ME.

Call me any time... Dirty Deeds - AC / DC.

30. Raves about: PRAISES.

31. TV remote batteries: AAS.

32. Bodega convenience: ATM.

34. Cooling systs.: ACS. Air Conditioners. I have a degree in EE but BTUs still escape me. Convert to Joules and I've got it.

35. [See: Theme]

40. "Unforgettable" singer __ King Cole: NAT.

41. Cap. founded by Brigham Young: SLC.

42. Shrill bark: YAP.

45. Cause of a flubbed field goal, maybe: LOW SNAP.

49. Beer bashes: KEGGERS.

52. [See: Theme].

54. Robust: LUSTY.

55. Yemen metropolis with an elevation over 7,200 feet: SANAA.

56. "But of course, Madame!": OUI OUI.

59. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.

60. [See: Theme]

65. Actress Vardalos: NIA.
 
66. English cathedral city: EXETER.

67. In a frenzy: AMOK.

68. Family docs: GPS.

69. Frowned-upon activities: NO-NOS.

70. Shade of red: RUBY.

Down:
1. Handy way to communicate, for short?: ASL. American Sign Language. Cute that "Handy" was in the clue.
 
2. Justice Dept. arm: DEA.

3. Apply with a light touch: DAB.

4. "Just say no" or "Just do it": SLOGAN.

5. Small digits: TOES.

6. Poet's Muse: ERATO.

7. Ultimately becomes: ENDS UP.

8. Merch table purchase: TEE.

9. Truism backed up with irrefutable evidence: HARD FACT.

10. Prefaces: INTROS.

11. Placid: SERENE.

12. Bank capers: HEISTS.

14. The Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.

17. Clever scheme: RUSE.

21. Get out of bed: ARISE.

22. Chem. in some plastic: BPA.

23. Cry after an epiphany: AHA.

24. Pear variety: BOSC.

26. Hypnotic state: TRANCE.

28. Cocktail with a tiny umbrella: MAI TAI.

Yummers!

29. "I could go on" abbr.: ETC.

33. Roast VIPs: MCS.

36. Social media app launched on Oct. 6, 2010: INSTA.

37. "1984" rock band: VAN HALEN.
 

MCMLXXXIV - Catholics know their Roman Numerals :-)

38. Caribou kin: ELK.

39. Marbled loaves: RYES.

43. Works on easels: ART.

44. Social science maj.: PSY.

45. Behind, in a way: LOSING.

46. How detectives might act: ON A TIP.

47. Dressed like for a comic-con, e.g.: WENT AS.

48. Tried-and-true: PROVEN.

50. Oversupply: GLUT.

51. Instrument for 37-Down: GUITAR.

53. Caused by: DUE TO.

57. Seine sights: ILES.

58. Opposite of 'neath: OER.

61. Good Grips brand: OXO.

62. Grounded bird: EMU.

63. Actor Lowe: ROB.

64. Drone zone: SKY.
 

The Grid

Cheers, -T

Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 ~ Brian Callahan & Tim Giannetti

 MORNIN', SUNSHINE~!

I loved this theme~!  We have two authors today; Mr. Callahan has been a frequent co-collaborator for the LA Times, and this appears to be Mr. Giannetti's debut - well done, sirs~!  The theme, again in the Downs for me ( I had a similar puzzle Apr 16 - plus circles ), is a graphical depiction of the word STAR as it "rises" from the bottom of the answer phrase through the middle phrases, and finishing up at the top of the final phrase.  I felt it was a tidy construction, lots of names and circumreferential clues, yet at the same time sort of weird - as if it were an exercise in obsucrity AND a texbook array of crossword entries with chunky corners; the result being a puzzle that didn't feel like a Wednesday level, but that's exactly where it needed to be.  The best I can do to "express" the theme;

9. Secret passed down by Nonna, perhaps: PASTA RECIPE - Nonna = Granny in my family

                        11. "Don't try to do everything at once": START SMALL

                                                      20. Some turnpike turnoffs: REST AREAS

                                                                   23. Certain business quota: SALES TARGET

29. Up-and-comer, or a progression found in 29-, 23-, 20-, 9-, and 11-Down: RISING STAR

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. HS class with many average lessons?: AP STATS - I did not know this class was available

8. Twitches: SPASMS - As I get older, I can no longer have caffeine late in the day - otherwise, my legs twitch when I go to bed

14. Greeted from afar: WAVED HI - um, yeah - such an odd fill, but OK

15. MSU athlete: SPARTAN - MSU = Michigan State University; their website

16. Top rank in a tournament: ONE SEED

17. Can compete with the best: HAS GAME - the only "game" I have is Monopoly

18. Fisheye __: LENS

M.C. Escher, Three Spheres

19. Blood bank fluids: SERA

21. Crooner Mel: TORMÉ - name #1

22. "__ live and breathe!": "AS I . . ."

24. Thompson of "Men in Black: International": EMMA - name #2 - AND - 4D. Thompson of "Men in Black: International": TESSA - not the same "Thompson" - name #3

26. Paving goo: TAR

27. World Autism Mo.: APRil

30. Roadie's charges: AMPS

32. Planets, poetically: ORBS

34. __ tai: MAI

35. Future JD's exam: LSAT - crossword staple, Law School Admissions Test

36. Fishy fellow: MERMAN

Family Guy

39. "I'm home!": "IT'S ME~!"

41. Chem class site: LAB

43. __ Case: White Castle purchase: CRAVE

Man, I have not had White Castle in long, long time - now I AM craving

44. Branch of Islam: SHI'ISM

46. "The Amateur" actor Malek: RAMI - and the "bad guy" Lyutsifer Safin in the last James Bond movie; his IMDb - name #4

48. Fabrication: LIE

49. Quick scribble: NOTE

50. O.K. Corral surname: EARP - name #5

51. Acid letters: LSD - LySergic Acid Diethylamide -the Wiki

52. URL option: ORG

54. Actress Jessica: ALBA - frequent grid visitor; name #6

56. 36-Across's realm: SEA

58. Civil rights activist Chavez: CESAR - name #7

60. Brief "Get it done!": A.S.A.P.

62. "Frozen" princess: ELSA - name #8 - AND - 3D. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN - name #9

"The Blonde & The Beast"

66. Immune response trigger: ANTIGEN - the Wiki, if you're curious

68. Stressful situation: HOT SEAT

70. Heads: LEADERS

71. NASA or NASCAR: ACRONYM

72. "Gosh darn it!": AW RATS

73. Ticket for a black diamond enthusiast: SKI PASS

DOWN:

1. Mil. no-show: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave

2. Window installer's unit: PANE - I had one break on me last year; no sense in fixing or replacing it - I plan to replace both windows with a set of French ( Frawnche ) doors

It broke when I opened the window in a near-perfect arch

5. Sports drink suffix: ADE - GatorADE, e.g.

6. PC game with Livin' Large and Hot Date expansion packs: THE SIMS - I have not played much of this game - I preferred being the Mayor of my own Sim City

7. Hash browns, e.g.: SIDE

8. Club with cucumber slices?: SPA - Nice.  I was contemplating "BLT" - but I like this fresh clue

10. Golden Fleece vessel: ARGO - name(ish)

12. ABBA's "__ Mia!": MAMMA - AND -  25D. Lisa Bonet, to Zoë Kravitz: MOM - a couple of days too late for this past Sunday

13. Vile smile: SNEER

15. Part of a bedding set: SHAM - the part I never bother with when I buy a set; I hardly use the top sheet, in fact - it's the fitted bottom sheet, with side pockets that I like best - I can hang my electric blanket controller there

27. Brest friends: AMIs - I missed the "r" on the first pass in Brest ( France )

Frawnche Friends

28. Way: PATH

31. Buddy: PAL

33. "I c-c-can't feel my t-t-toes": "BRR~!"

37. "We try harder" car rental chain: AVIS

38. "... should the __ arise": NEED

40. "'O Sole __": MIO - how 'bout Elvis' take on the melody~?

I dig the sideburns, man~! - the song Wiki

42. Farmyard bleat: BAA

45. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL - name #10

47. Vulcan salute giver: MR. SPOCK - name #11

52. Sunshine State city: OCALA - I made it as far as Jacksonville, FL - name #12

53. Subscribe again: RENEW

55. Prohibits: BANS

57. "The Tortoise and the Hare" teller: AESOP - the Fabulist

59. Verdi opera: AIDA

61. "I see now!" cries: "A-HAs~!" - the plural is a bit Meh.

63. Emmy winner Waithe: LENA - name #13; her IMDb

64. Declares: SAYS

65. Twentysomethings?: ATMs - A HA~!  Trying to find an alternative to this crossword constant, not as clever as the one for SPAs

67. MD workplaces: ERs

69. Tetra- minus one: TRI - Four, less one, in prefixes equals Three

Splynter