Sunday August 31 , 2025 Amie Walker & Wendy L. Brandes

Theme:  "GET THE BALL ROLLING" - From left to the right, the letters spell out BINGO.

4. *Request for greater detail: BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC.

9. *"Really, Captain Obvious?": GEE YA THINK.

12. *"C'mon, quit pretending to be confused!": OH YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING.

50. *"Free Your Mind" group: EN VOGUE.

74. *Visionary physicians?: EYE DOCTORS.

Reveal: 

3. With 70-Down, "Never would've predicted this scenario," and what can be said about the first word of the answer to each starred clue?: THAT WASN'T ON.

70. See 3-Down: MY BINGO CARD.

Did I miss anything extra? I had to google "How to play Bingo". So a Bingo card has the letters BINGO on top. This 14, 27, Free, 56, 66 doesn't make any winning sense to me. 

 

Amie and Wendy have collaborated on a few puzzles for the LAT. This is their first Sunday together. 

Across:

1. Rollaway bed: COT. 

4. Sweetie: BABE.

8. "Totally ready for the weekend!": TGIF.

12. Muppet who lives in a recycling zone: OSCAR.

17. Letters for a monarch: HRH. His/Her Royal Highness.

18. Nook's format, e.g.: E TEXT.

20. Incessantly: NO END.

21. "Hungry hungry" animal in a kids game: HIPPO.

22. Porto greeting: OLA. Porto is the Portuguese wine capital. 

23. Religious platform: ALTAR.

24. Where Penguins play on ice?: ARENA. Pittsburgh Penguins.

25. Raising agent: YEAST.

26. Lotus part: PETAL.

28. Hotel gym, e.g.: AMENITY.

30. Groups of friends: POSSES.

31. Deemed suitable: SAW FIT.

33. Rice dish cooked in a wide pan: PAELLA. Looks delicious.

34. [I didn't get my way!]: POUT.

35. 1990s treaty acronym: NAFTA.

36. Inc., in Britain: LTD.

37. Spots that might smear: ATTACK ADS. Amazing clue.

41. Some send-ups: SATIRES.

43. Question after a photo finish: WHO WON?

44. "The penny drops!": AHA.

46. Dull, figuratively: VANILLA.

48. __ kwon do: TAE.

51. Wash. neighbor: IDA.

52. Exudes: OOZES.

54. __ nous: ENTRE.

55. Disdain: SCORN.

57. Small complaint: NIT.

58. Bring about, as mayhem: WREAK. Only Havoc.

59. Classic muscle car: GTO.

60. Partner: MATE.

62. Conjure up: EVOKE.

64. Fin. neighbor: SWE.

65. Taken together: IN TOTAL.

67. KenKen figs.: NOS.

68. Return from vacation: FLY HOME. Someday I will. 

72. Before, in poems: ERE.

73. "Stop hogging it!": LET GO.

75. Mount also known as Kissavos: OSSA.

76. Peruvian singer Sumac: YMA. Have not seen her in our grid for a long while.

78. Accept terms: AGREE.

81. "I don't __ it": BUY.

82. Très très: ULTRA.

84. Soccer star __ Heath: TOBIN.

86. Pure joy: BLISS.

87. Pub brew: ALE.

88. Fair-hiring inits.: EEO.

89. College in Dublin: TRINITY. Ireland's oldest university.

91. "Stop filming!": CUT.

92. Pride event: PARADE.

95. Epiphany figures: WISE MEN.

97. Listen clandestinely: EAVESDROP.

99. Autograph seeker's tool: PEN.

100. Utility bill data: USAGE. Did you know that they charge you a higher rate for your power usage between 5:00pm to 7:00pm?

102. Coats with ganache, e.g.: ICES.

103. Baseless rumor: CANARD.

105. Conditional release: PAROLE.

107. "Good 4 U" singer Rodrigo: OLIVIA.

110. Culinary school dough?: TUITION. Another fun clue.

112. Orgs. that may serve as alternatives to hostels: YMCAS.

113. Recurring theme: MOTIF.

114. Ring around a lagoon: ATOLL.
 
116. Rapace of "Prometheus": NOOMI. She was also in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

118. First words of many an alphabet book: A IS.

119. Central Asian mountain range: ALTAI. Extends to China where Xinjiang is.

120. "No __!": SIREE.

121. React to a bad joke: GROAN.

122. Vaccine molecule: RNA.

123. "It's Gonna Be Me" band: NSYNC.

124. Ramona, per Beezus: PEST.

125. Unexpected problem: SNAG.

126. Susan of "The Partridge Family": DEY.

Down:

1. Slices and dices: CHOPS.

2. "The Library Book" writer Susan: ORLEAN.

5. Georgia airport code: ATL.

6. Early app edition: BETA.

7. Lead by __: EXAMPLE.

8. Field where accidents are common?: TORT LAW.

10. Cozy lodging: INN.

11. Rx regulator: FDA.

13. Afternoon snooze: SIESTA.

14. Pros who try to stay balanced?: CPAS. Nothing athletic. Pros indicates an abbreviated answer.
 
15. Abbey space: APSE.

16. Goes bad: ROTS.

19. Buys for, as a birthday dinner: TREATS TO. The nice church couple treated me for a papaya salad. Mild. Still hot for me. 

20. Ace: NAIL.

27. Romance: AFFAIR.

29. Nancy Drew's boyfriend: NED.

30. "Un __ Loco": "Coco" song: POCO.

32. Shadow: TAIL.

34. Try to hit, as a cat might a laser beam: PAW AT.

38. Exquisite: TO DIE FOR. Cantonese soup. That red thing is goji berry. Not anything hot. 

39. Groggy state: DAZE.

40. Citi Field predecessor: SHEA.

42. Follower of Jah: RASTA.

45. "Fire away": ASK.

46. Relax on the sofa: VEG.

47. Not backing: ANTI.

49. "__ we all?": AREN'T.

53. Brand with a Selena Gomez limited edition version: OREO.

56. __ phone: CELLULAR.

61. Swallowed: ATE.

63. "__ mio": O SOLE.

64. Lead-in to "op": SYS.

66. Some concert merch: TEES.

69. Aspiring J.D.s' exams: LSATS.

71. Give off: EMIT.

77. In __ event: ANY.

78. "Shark Tank" network: ABC.

79. Cause of a sticky situation: GLUE. I've learned to wear a glove every time I use Super Glue.

80. "Poison" singer Ora: RITA.

81. Poetic performers: BARDS.

83. Reaching great heights: TOWERING.

85. Like show-offy pushups: ONE-ARM.

90. Enlist again: RE-UP.

93. Cruising the Caribbean, maybe: ASEA.

94. Uniform adornment: EPAULET.

96. Not alfresco: INDOORS.

98. Vance of "I Love Lucy": VIVIAN.

99. Butter portion: PAT.

101. Stritch of Broadway: ELAINE.

104. Egyptian river: NILE.

106. Input for some plagiarism detectors: ESSAY.

107. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN.

108. Haha alternatives: LOLS.

109. Wee: ITTY.

111. End of a.m.: NOON.

114. Egyptian viper: ASP.

115. Connection: TIE.

117. Goat's bleat: MAA.

C.C.

Saturday August 30, 2025, Brian Callahan & Matthew Luter

 Saturday Themeless by Brian Callahan & Matthew Luter

I had a very quick liftoff on Brian and Matthew's puzzle but there were a few, "Gary, we have a
problem" events that took some in-flight adjustments. Eventually, "Crossword base here, the puzzle has landed!" Too much space? 😀

Brian and Matthew are shown below l -> r.

 

Across:

1. Jimmy who plays Senator Bail Organa: SMITS - Five letter Jimmy actors are few and far between. Jimmy joined the Star Wars troupe

6. Luge, e.g.: SLED - 80mph on a lunch tray? Yikes!

10. Focus of a theme park that began in Billund, Denmark: LEGO.

14. Like the Igbo language: TONAL A dialect heard in Nigeria. One word can mean many things

15. Upbeat greeting: HI YA and 24. Upbeat greeting: HEY. Sup?

16. Brute: OGRE.

17. Unstable: ROCKY.

18. One reading supertitles, maybe: OPERA GOER - Translations projected above the stage.

Oh, that's what they're singing.

20. "Voyage to India" singer: ARIE and 7. "New Rules" singer Dua: LIPA - Both are often in concert in our puzzles.

  
 

21. Aggressive headspace: BEAST MODE.

22. Places for boxers to be washed: PET SPAS 😀

25. One who is a pro at getting into people's heads?: ENT - This one got me started on CPAP

27. Loved ones: DEARS.

28. Currency of Ont.: CAD - A Big Mac costs #7.81 CAD ($5.66 USD)

29. Emotion that leads to suffering, per Yoda: HATE.

30. Felt for: PITIED.

32. "Def!": TOTES - Using TOTES for totally and Def for definitely is cringy slang for me

33. "What bizarre behavior!": WHO EVEN DOES THAT.

37. Adjust, as a lock: REKEY.

38. Flap on a zebu: DEWLAP - Under his neck

39. "The Demon of Unrest" author Larson: ERIK ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

40. Apple platform: IOS - My iPhone uses IOS and my MacBook uses OSX

41. Plagiarizes: CRIBS - Cheating by any other name is still the same

44. Winter libation: NOG.

45. "Yo te __": AMO.

I love you more!
No, I love you more!

46. Dupe: MISLEAD.

48. Letters in the sand?: BEACH READ 😀

51. New York stadium namesake: ASHE - I had to anagram SHEA to get to the correct fill
 
52. Doesn't travel far for fare: EATS LOCAL.

53. Plagiarize: STEAL - Plagiarize redux

54. Small deviation: BLIP.

55. "Crying in H __": Michelle Zauner memoir: MART ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

56. Numerical prefix: TETRA - Carbon TETRAchloride has four chlorine atoms bonded to one Carbon atom.

57. Short diner orders: BLT'S.

58. Amazon Handmade alternative: ETSY.

59. Literature exam component: ESSAY.

Down:

1. Guitar attachment: STRAP - Some are personalized.

2. Tied fast: MOORED - Fast is an adjective here

3. Provoke: INCITE.

4. Looks between one's fingers, perhaps: TAKES A PEEK.

5. Artful: SLY.

6. They're usually around two feet: SHOES 😀

8. Palette array: EYE SHADOW.

9. Flitted: DARTED.

10. Trademarked image: LOGO.

11. Phase of self-surrender in Joseph Campbell's hero's journey: EGO DEATH ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

12. Mochi option: GREEN TEA.

13. Whitman's "Gliding __ All": OER.

19. Acker of "The Gifted": AMY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  She's on the right

21. Keep moist, in a way: BASTE.

23. Head outside?: PRIVY 😀 A bathroom on a ship is called a head but I doubt if they are outside like this one. 

26. __ cricket: TEST - This is the most prestigious form of cricket. I don't understand that or the game at all.

28. Gives up: CEDES.

29. Baking exercise?: HOT PILATES - The same exercises done in a hotter room. 

31. Family member with a window to the world: INDOOR CAT - The tags on our Lily are superfluous now because she is a strict INDOOR CAT.

32. Pre-1917 rulers: TSARS.

33. Architect Christopher: WREN - A lovely two-minute bio

34. Flashy moves from a selfish hoopster: HERO BALL - A basketball player is said to be playing HERO BALL when he selfishly tries to take over the game especially at the end. I always think of James Hardin.

35. "Fine, you made your point!": OK I GET IT.

36. Castilian hero: EL CID.

40. Text after a long journey: I'M HOME.

42. Plagues: BESETS.

43. Bogart film set in the desert: SAHARA - 1943 vintage

45. Knee pt.: ACL - Tearing it has ended many athletic careers

46. Like brown ale: MALTY - Sounded right

47. Push back: DELAY.

49. Hieroglyphic animals: ASPS.

50. Hearing things: EARS 😀

52. Subside: EBB.

53. Fr. title: STE - An abbreviation. for a female saint 

Friday, August 29, 2025 - Jeffrey Martinovic

 Theme: "Will it go round in Circles"

Puzzling thoughts:  

First off, a big thank you to RustyBrain for taking my turns (pun intended, given today's puzzle) while Ms Margaret and I took a spin around the state of California and part of southern Oregon.  3,600 miles in 28 days. We got to check off four more National Parks (Channel Islands, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, and Redwoods) and also see some of the California State Parks (Humboldt, Burney Falls, et al) during our trip.  Throw in some wine tastings and a lunch visit with a smelly sea cow (aka Malodorous Manatee), and we had a glorious vacation.  Every day was at least 15 degrees cooler than where we live, and when we were admiring the view from Mendocino, it was 55 degrees cooler!

But enough about my absence ... back to blogging.  And, as one of the many Anonymous posters likes to say, "Oh, joy; circles!!"  Yup, first puzzle back and I have to make sense out of every circled word in today's entries; of which, there were 7

Normally the circled letters in a crossword puzzle will be anagrams or maybe hints to a revealed phrase.  Not today.  Today they were, literally, circles and/or synonyms for a circle that helped the clue make sense.  How?  Let's explore:

16-across. Programming sequences that don't end, literally: INFINITE.  As in infinite "LOOPS".  And if you can imagine a circle as a loop, you'll "get" today's theme (the word infinite is contained within "loops"/circles on the grid)

In computer programming, an infinite loop (or endless loop) is a sequence of instructions that, as written, will continue endlessly, unless an external intervention occurs, such as turning off power via a switch or pulling a plug. It may be intentional [per Wikipedia]

22-across. Puzzling field formations, literally: CROP.  As in, crop "CIRCLES" [According to Wikipedia] "The term (crop circles) was first coined in the early 1980s".  Further into the article it also said that while many people (fringe theorists) believe crop circles to be linked to aliens, "there is no scientific evidence for such explanations, and all crop circles are consistent with human causation"

30-across. Containers for a comic character's internal monologue, literally: THOUGHT.  As in thought "BUBBLES" - look at the cel where Charlie Brown is thinking "I'll kick it out of sight" to see the thought bubbles connecting from his brain to the statement ...

35-across. Bling for successful MLB teams, literally: WORLD SERIES.  As in World Series "RINGS".  Yogi Berra was the MLB player who sported the largest number of world series rings, 10

42-across. Exercise devices for pet rodents, literally: HAMSTER. As in hamster "WHEELS"

51-across. Toys that are quite hip, literally: HULA.  As in hula "HOOPS".  This is not an "exercise" that the Chairman can do

59-across. Weights used for strength training, literally: MEDICINE. As in medicine "BALLS". 

Moe-ku #1:

        You literally 

        Need courage to work these. Takes

        A big set of balls ... 

LOOPS, CIRCLES, BUBBLES, RINGS, WHEELS, HOOPS, and BALLS became the round objects that completed the clues connected to the entry words.  I'm thinking, though, if Jeffrey and Patti really wanted to avoid using a phrase that contained the word "circle", could they not have used this, instead for 22-across: 

22-across. "Decorative objects that depict winter scenes, literally?" SNOW

Maybe Jeffrey thought of this, or couldn't make it fit, but I digress ... 

Here is the grid and then we are off to the other clues/entries:

The Grid

Across:

1. Celebrate emphatically: DO A JIG.  It's been a while since C-Moe has worked an LA Times crossword puzzle.  For the record, today's puzzle took me 15:15 to solve.  And it took me about 4:15:00 to write the blog.  1-across slowed me down at the start.  I ultimately finished but I don't recall celebrating the way the dog in the image below did:

7. Root with red skin: RADISH.  They also come in other colors

13. Gum choice: CINNAMON.  Hmm - odd clue but it ended up being "Friday tough"

15. Invitation on a sealed envelope: OPEN ME.

[theme entry]

17. Moral of the story: LESSON.

18. "The Matrix" protagonist: NEO.  And the first of 19 three-letter words 

19. Crown material: ENAMEL.  As in a tooth crown.  I have both gold and enamel crowns in my mush

21. Skater Midori: ITO.  

[theme entry]

24. __ sequitur: NON.  Non sequitur is from the Latin: "it does not follow".  One might refer to my "Moe-kus" as non sequiturs

25. Chelsea apartments: FLATS.

27. Exercise in a heated studio: HOT YOGA.  The history of hot yoga

[theme entry]

32. Sigma preceder: RHO.  From the Greek alphabet - more on this, later

33. Eurasian border river: URAL.  Why do I always have to wait to enter the A or the U?  You'd think by now that I would know the difference between ARAL and URAL ... ARAL is the dry sea; URAL is the name of the mountain range and/or river

34. Ability to see what others can't: ESP.  Could those of us who solved the theme today claim to have ESP?

[theme entry]

38. Ante-: PRE.  I misread the clue (thought it said "anti") and entered PRO - which really doesn't make sense

40. Together, in music: A DUE.

41. Little one: TOT.

[theme entry]

44. Instant coffee brand: NESCAFE.  I entered FOLGERS first before correcting

48. Cameo shapes: OVALS.  This entry would not have made sense in today's puzzle to be circled 😁

49. Many moons __: AGO.  As a septuagenarian I am legally allowed to use this phrase  

[theme entry]

52. NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells: IDA.

53. Tequila plants: AGAVES.  One of the restaurants we dined at during our trip (in Santa Barbara) was called "Los Agaves".  It was "muy bueno"

56. 'Twas, now: TIS.  Somehow the line "My country, 'twas of thee ... " just doesn't sound right

57. Word with license or justice: POETIC.  Moe-ku #2:

        My non sequiturs

        Exist because I have a

        MOE-tic license

[theme entry]

61. Paying customer: CLIENT.

62. Holier-than-thou sorts: ELITISTS.  SNOBS fits the clue but not the number of grid squares ...

63. Winter Paralympian apparatus: SIT SKI.  Some information on this device

64. Cooks dim sum, say: STEAMS.  Friday-ish clue

Down:
1. Moola: DINERO.  Moe-ku #3:

        There's no difference

        Between Robert and moola:

        They're both "money" 

[used Moe-tic license here ...  Robert De Niro vs dinero ... get it?!]     

2. Walking or running: ON FOOT.

3. Darth Vader's childhood nickname: ANI.

4. __ Doe: JANE.  Why are unidentified people called John or Jane Doe?

5. "Let's do it!": I'M IN.  I entered C'MON instead 

6. Passed with flying colors: GOT AN A.  My personal grade for solving today's puzzle was an A minus.  Made a couple of errors.  My grade for solving today's puzzle theme was a solid A

7. Take a turn in Yahtzee: ROLL.  This has nothing to do with Yahtzee, but I thought it a worthy video when it comes to a roll of the dice ... 

8. Copycat: APE.  

9. Original "Star Trek" studio: DESILU.  Learning moe-ment today.  I did not know this before solving the puzzle.  There was even a video I found about this (FTR, Ms. Margaret knew this, but she's a Trekkie)

10. Step-by-step: IN STAGES.

11. Evens (out): SMOOTHS.

12. Barnyard mother: HEN.  I tried COW.  EWE, too? 

13. Guaranteed victory: CINCH.  

14. Verne captain: NEMO.  Moe-ku #4:

        Three Stooges were cast

        In a Jules Verne film. Curly's

        Role was to NEMO

20. Between, in Spanish: ENTRE.  Two doses of Spanish today:  DINERO and ENTRE

23. Fireworks prefix: PYRO.  Moe-ku #5:

        Fireworks in Greece

        Are set off by folks known as:

        Pi-RHO maniacs

25. Large books: FOLIOS.  TOMES did not fit

26. Pit stop brand: STP.  I want to believe that my last blog also had the word "STP" in the grid.  I asked it then, and will ask it now: does anyone other than a racecar driver use this stuff??

28. "Nuts!": OH RATS.  Seems to be a "Peanuts" theme in here - one of Charlie Brown and Snoopy's favorite phrases.  And this cartoon also features a reference to 23 down:

29. "Fiddler on the Roof" wife: GOLDE.  Chaim Topol as Tevye and Norma Crane as GOLDE [copyright United Artists]

31. Gold rush storyteller Bret: HARTE.

33. Take advantage of: USE.

35. "Success!": WE MADE IT.

36. Tight-fitting lid: DURAG.  Is this the correct spelling of the tight-fitting lid? Turns out, it is

37. Scratch the surface?: ETCH.  Not to be confused with "scratch the serf" which would be ITCH

38. Soup with rice noodles: PHO.  Moe-ku #6:

        Vietnamese moms

        Say this to their whining kids:

        "PHO crying out loud!!"

39. Filled pasta: RAVIOLI.

43. Roof tiles: SLATES.  Our roof has these.  Very common here in the Valley of the Sun

44. Storied works: NOVELS.  NOVELS tell a story

45. Condition measured on a spectrum: AUTISM.  Information on this from the Mayo Clinic

46. Spark producers: FLINTS.  Making fire is a critical skill for those who participate in the reality show, Survivor.  Heidi was un fuego

47. Alleviates: EASES.  Moe's hope is to ease/alleviate your concerns about the puzzle

50. Clue, e.g.: GAME.  The name of a board game from Hasbro.  "Colonel Mustard - in the Library - with a Rope"

53. Dramatic beginning: ACT I.  The first lines in a dramatic play begin in Act I, Scene I

54. Revise: EDIT.  As I look back to my preamble, I really wish that Patti had edited Jeffrey's 22-across entry to use a reference to GLOBES and not actually used a reference to CIRCLES.  But that's why she has a paying job in the crossword business, and I am just a blogger who does this for free ...

55. Location: SITE. 

57. Mac alternatives: PCS.  I have always used PCS for my desktop and/or laptop computers, but I use an iPhone for my mobile device.  Go figure

58. HP supply: INK.  HP = Hewlett Packard.  Why would it be abbreviated in the clue when the word INK is not an abbreviation? 

60. Langley org.: CIA.  NSA and OSS fit; fitting that this puzzle ends on a 3-letter word

So, how did you all manage to circumnavigate the entries?  Comment below if you like ... 

***A post-script from earlier in the week ... Lucina mentioned on Tuesday's blog about the haboob that engulfed much of the Phoenix valley area.  I captured just a brief video of it as it approached my place (from the ESE) - in this century, Phoenix is now on a 7-year cycle of having severe haboobs (2011, 2018, and now 2025).  I hope it loads properly ...