Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Amie Walker and Amanda Rafkin

Jump Jive an' Wail.  The circles all spell out synonyms for Jump.

17-Across. Sweet apple cultivar from Minnesota: HONEY CRISP.   HOP.  Everything you wanted to  know about Honey Crisp Apples.

25-Across. Enjoy a clothes-free swim: SKINNY DIP.  SKIP.

36-Across. Common Banksy technique: SPRAY PAINTING.  SPRING.  Banksy is a pseudonymous and controversial English street artist identity remains unconfirmed.  There was a Banksy in New Orleans.

Banksy in New Orleans.

48-Across. Buttery cookie made with citrus zest: LEMON SNAP.  LEAP.

And the Unifier:

59-Across. House of Pain hit that begins "Pack it up, pack it in," and a description of each set of circled letters: JUMP AROUND.

Here's the Grid so you can see the Circles:

Across:

1. Feel sore: ACHE.

5. Caution light color: AMBER.

10. Tuts: TSKS.

King Tuts

14. More than dampen: SOAK.

15. Ballet-inspired fitness class: BARRE.  Barre exercise is a low-impact workout that combines elements of ballet, Pilates, and yoga to build strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and core stability. The exercise uses a ballet barre, for support and features high repetitions of small, pulsing movements and isometric holds.

16. Mimics: APES.

19. "As __ on TV": SEEN.

20. TV series pts.: EPS.  Episodes, I presume.

21. Is inquisitive: ASKS.

22. Pedometer unit: STEP.

23. Seattle WNBA team: STORM.

29. Move stealthily: SNEAK.

31. Statler and Waldorf, e.g.: DUO.  Characters from The Muppets.

32. Short way to go?: RTE.  The abbreviation for Route.

33. "Omg, I just got it!": AHA!

34. Boca Raton's st.: FLA.

35. Chrysalis: PUPA.

40. Landlocked Asian country: LAOS.

41. Key in a keyboard combo: ALT.  Control-Alt.-Delete.

42. Laverne of "Orange Is the New Black": COX.  I never watched Orange Is the New Black, so was not familiar with Laverne Cox (b. May 29, 1972).  Apparently, she portrayed Sophia Burnet on the show.

43. Little trickster: IMP.

44. Letters before an alias: AKA.  Also Known As.

45. Really long stories: EPICS.

52. V-sign sentiment: PEACE.

54. Linus's sister: LUCY.  From the Peanuts cartoon.

55. Grain in 26-Down: RICE.  //  And 26-Down. Savory breakfast cake of South India: IDLI.  Definitely not a Tuesday word.  Idli or idly is a type of savory rice cake, originating from Southern India.  It is a popular breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-husked black lentils and rice.

57. Male offspring: SON.

58. Party thrower: HOST.

62. Pop singer Sands: EVIE.  I am not familiar name Evie Sands (b. July 18, 1946).  I recognize some of her music, but I think what I remember was another artist singing the songs.

63. Thin woodwinds: OBOES.

64. Go back and forth, in a way: PACE.

65. Religious offshoot: SECT.

66. Curt: TERSE.

67. Vehicle with runners: SLED.

Down:

1. Campfire residue: ASHES.

2. Takes over: COOPTS.

3. "MMMBop" boy band: HANSON.  Hanson is a pop rock band made up of three brothers Isaac Hanson (b. 1980), Taylor Hanson (b. 1983), and Zac Hanson (b. 1985).   They were big in the 1990 when they were still very young.  Hanson is best known for the 1997 hit song MMMBop was one of their big hits from 1997.  At the time the video was recorded, the brothers were only 16, 14, and 11 years old.

4. Scrape (by): EKE.

5. Pre-K song subject: ABCs.

6. Stains: MARKS.

7. Rapid: BRISK.

8. Hosp. areas: ERs.  As in Emergency Rooms.

9. Sales agt.: REP.

10. Delicious: TASTY.

11. Complete as fast as possible, as a video game: SPEED RUN.

12. "Young ears are listening": KEEP IT PG.

13. Fig. exposed in some data breaches: SSN.  As in Social Security Number.

18. World's largest manufacturer of musical instruments: YAMAHA.  When I think of Yamaha, my first thought is motorcycles.  Yamaha Corporation and Yamaha Motor are related but separate companies.

22. __-Caps candy: SNO.  Yummers!

24. Raises, as kids: REARS.

27. Subtle distinction: NUANCE.

28. Chicken pot pie vegetable: PEA.

30. Inuit boats: KAYAKS.  A brief history of the Kayak.

34. Avocado's abundance: FAT.  Yummers!  My favorite restaurant has stuffed avocados.

35. __ cut: cropped style: PIXIE.

36. Marriage equality anthem by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: SAME LOVE.

37. Taylor Swift genre: POP MUSIC.  I heard she just got engaged.

38. Make an itinerary, say: PLAN.

39. Tall hat: TOPPER.  Meh!  I wasn't keen on this clue.

40. Short, for short: L'IL.

44. "__ ideas?": ANY.

46. Like a situationship: CASUAL.  Also known as Friends with Benefits.

47. Light fixture on a wall: SCONCE.

49. Group of eight: OCTET.

50. "My knight in shining __!": ARMOR.

51. Singing ability, informally: PIPES.

53. Came to a close: ENDED.

56. Guitar protector: CASE.

58. "__ making a list ... ": HE'S.  I saw some Christmas decorations in a store over the weekend!  Way too early!!  Is it too soon for a Santa cartoon?

59. Scribble (down): JOT.

60. Purple yam: UBE.  This tuber appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

61. Photo __: OPs.

I'll Jump away for now.

חתולה

Monday September 8, 2025 Zachary David Levy

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here.  

Theme:                  Based on Ball Teams

Constructor Zachary David Levy pitched four fun themers our way:

17 Across. Cheap wines at some restaurants: HOUSE REDS.  A HOUSE wine is generally less expensive than other wines on the menu but they often fit with the cuisine. 

Tip:  If the restaurant has red checkered tablecloths, try the HOUSE RED. 

25 Across. Large planets made mostly of hydrogen and helium: GAS GIANTS.  

We have four GAS GIANTS in our solar system.

52 Across. Some sinister siblings: EVIL TWINS.  I thought of The Shining (1980). 

62 Across. Emissions that turned Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk: GAMMA RAYS.  

The Incredible Hulk   ~   opening sequence to the 1977 TV series (1 min.)

Today's reveal spans the equator:

39 Across. Rough estimates, and what can be found at the ends of 17-, 25-, 52-, and 62-Across: BALL PARK FIGURES.  This U.S. English idiom refers to guesses that are close enough to be useful but not expected to be exact.

Sometimes we see this answer as a clue for "umps" or "refs". Today it points to players on MLB teams. 

 Next up, the remaining clues:

Across:

1. "While we're on the subject ... ": ALSO.

5. Georgetown athlete: HOYA.  Does this answer wander into foul territory?

9. Flower part: PETAL.

14. Business VIPs: CEOS.

15. Resigned expression: ALAS.  

16. Egg-producing organ: OVARY.

19. Big cat hybrid: LIGER.  Napoleon Dynamite 'pretty much' owns this one.

20. Loose organization unit: PILE.  This one makes me think of sorting laundry.  

21. Increasingly quaint phone sound: DIAL TONE.  Quaint is used here to mean "pleasingly or strikingly old fashioned".

23. Massachusetts city that becomes a tourist hot spot in October: SALEM.  

Hot Spot indeed

26. In the style of: À LA.

27. Set eyes on: SEE.

29. Pull behind: TOW.  

My dog does not like being left at home
so I TOW her behind my hybrid bike.

30. Discount grocery chain: ALDI.  

Click to enlarge.

32. Writer/actress Issa: RAE.  Rae's 2015 memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller.

34. "Well, shucks!": OH, GEE.

43. Turtle cover: SHELL.  CSO to Misty and Gophie!

44. Impossibly long stretch: EON.     and     28-Down. Notable period: ERA.

45. Wrongful act: TORT.  Def.:  (noun) a wrongful act other than a breach of contract for which relief may be obtained in the form of damages or an injunction.

46. Tiebreakers, briefly: OTS.  sports overtimes

49. UFO occupants: ETS.  An abbreviation in the clue hints to an abbreviated answer.

51. Illegal turn, maybe: UIE.  

This one came from across the pond.

57. According to: AS PER.

59. Hibachi-style restaurant chain: BENIHANA.  Nice fill!  

Benihana owns 69 teppanyaki-style restaurants, one Samarai restaurant, and 13 RA Sushi restaurants. This link goes to their FAQs page. Below is a 1 min. video of a Benihana chef's performance.

60. Go downhill fast?: SLED.  SLED is a verb here, meaning to ride a SLED.

61. Pop singer Mars: BRUNO.  

66. Ford flop: EDSEL.

67. Neutral shade: ECRU.

68. Great Salt Lake state: UTAH.  The Great Salt Lake is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River. It is salty because it does not have an outlet. Tributary rivers are constantly bringing in small amounts of salt dissolved in their fresh water flow. Once in the Great Salt Lake, much of the water evaporates, leaving the salt behind. Read more here, including which aquatic species it can support.

69. Big name in field equipment: DEERE.  

John Deere equipment in a corn field

70. Rotisserie rod: SPIT.  

71. Viral post: MEME.  Popular MEMEs often feature a recognizable image paired with a witty caption.  

Apparently MEME creators are above Copyright Infringement Law.

Down:

1. German "Bah!": ACH.  Bah is an interjection used to express disbelief or disgust.

2. Sign between Cancer and Virgo: LEO.  Read as "Three-letter astrological sign:  LEO."

3. Scoop in a tureen: SOUP LADLE.  A tureen is something the hostess asks you to carry to the table and you are petrified you will drop it. More specifically, it is a deep and usually covered bowl from which foods (such as soup) are served. They are generally not for preparing foods.  

Sometimes they have a slot for the SOUP LADLE's handle.

4. "Do the Right Thing" actor Davis: OSSIE.  (1917 - 2005)

5. Big hopper: HARE.  I watched about a dozen videos about HAREs, bunnies, and rabbits to bring you the best one. Stay tuned for the final fun fact.  (3:22 min.)

6. The Grand __ Opry: OLE.

7. When repeated, "et cetera": YADDA.  Here's the famous Seinfeld clip (54 sec.):  

8. Lend a hand: ASSIST.

9. Tadpole: POLLIWOG.  I liked this 8-letter fill, too!  The terms tadpole and POLLIWOG can be used interchangeably.

10. Andrew Lloyd Webber musical set in Argentina: EVITA.  

Don't Cry for Me Argentina  ~  Madonna

1996 film adaptation

11. Include as an extra: TAG ON.  The travel industry has been known to TAG ON extra fees.

12. "__ you sweet!": AREN'T.

13. Ancient harps: LYRES.  I always feel better after listening to composer and harpist Mary Lattimore. This song is called We Wave From Our Boats (2021).  

18. Stately trees: ELMS.  ...especially the state of Massachusetts.  

22. Previously: AGO.

23. Bygone Swedish autos: SAABS.

24. God of Islam: ALLAH.

25. Equipment: GEAR.  

31. Down and out: ILL.

33. __ out a living: EKE.

35. Modest home: HUT.

36. Social outing for couples: GROUP DATE.

37. Otherworldly: EERIE.  This woman is playing the opening theme to Dark Shadows on a theremin.  (52 secs.)

38. Poly- ending: ESTER.  

40. Logical oversight in a story: PLOT HOLE.  20 Movies with the Biggest Plot Holes

The first film on the list (#20) highlights a literal HOLE in Shawshank Redemption. Film #2 points out something I never noticed about Cinderella's glass slipper.

41. Enemies: FOES.

42. Picked-off pass, for short: INT.  INTerception  

Goal line interceptions are especially exciting.

47. Carrier whose JFK terminal is now a landmark hotel: TWA.  The TWA Hotel opened in 2019, using space originally designed to contain TWA's flight center. The original architect may be familiar to solvers -- Eero Saarinen. Reading this Forbes article makes me want to stay there!

48. Scorches: SINGES.

50. Casa chamber: SALA.  This Spanish answer matches its Spanish clue. A SALA is a large room or hall.

52. Receded: EBBED.

53. Colorado's Mesa __ National Park: VERDE.  park website

54. Not available: IN USE.  Perhaps if you wanted to rent a specific vehicle but someone else had already rented it, it would be not available/IN USE.

55. Cruise ship: LINER.

56. Civil rights org.: NAACP.  An abbreviation in the clue hints to an abbreviated answer.

58. Blood component: SERUM.  Blood SERUM is the liquid that remains after the blood has clotted. Plasma is the liquid that remains when clotting is prevented with the addition of an anticoagulant. Both are light-yellow to clear in color.

60. Filthy material: SMUT.

63. CT scan kin: MRI.  An abbreviation in the clue hints to an abbreviated answer.

64. Orange tuber: YAM.  

65. That girl: SHE.  ALAS, "Marlo Thomas" is too long. Nevertheless, here is video is the opening scene for Season 5 of the TV show That Girl (1966-1971): 

How cute is SHE? Right?

Today's grid:

All four of the themers are nine letters long.

I am wondering if you will give Zachary's puzzle straight A's.  😄

I will be traveling when this blog is published. Fingers crossed everything goes OK. Please address any questions you might have to the regulars. They are a smart and helpful group!