Saturday, September 27, 2025, Doug Peterson and Samuel A. Donaldson

Saturday Themeless by Doug Peterson and Samuel A. Donaldson

I had a collaborative puzzle by these two veterans a year ago. This one was just as much fun as that one. This beautiful grid only had 29 blocks amid the 98 open squares comprising a lot of white space. Symmetric grid spanners adds to the puzzles skill level. I got a hard-earned a "got 'er done" 

Sam Donaldson

Doug Peterson

Across

1. Technique employed by funk artists: SLAP BASS.

9. Many group chat texts: MEMES

14. Garbage genre: ALTERNATIVE ROCK - Garbage is an alternative rock band. Their  incorporates elements of electronic rock, electropop, trip hop, post-grunge and industrial rock.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

17. "What are you even saying?": MAKE IT MAKE SENSE - What I would say about the description of the music played by the group above.

18. On Signal, say: IMING - Internet MessagING on a private messaging service known as Signal

19. Ketanji colleague: ELENA and 28. Ketanji colleague: SONIA - Amy Coney Barrett, SONIA Sotomayor,  Ketanji Brown and ELENA Kagan,

20. Processed food: ATE.

21. Salon offerings: TANS.

22. Google crossword clues, some say: CHEAT - If you Google (verb) a crossword clue, it is not a CHEATING, it is learning. Constructor Malaika Handa said, "Also, when you’re solving, look up entries that you don’t know! It’s a game, not a test."

23. Gazebo board: SLAT.

24. Count ender?: ESS.

Violet Crawley the Dowager
COUNTESS of Grantham

25. 25-Down, in Toledo: TRES 25. 25-Across, in Toledo: THREE The first one applies in Toledo, Spain. The second one is in Toledo, Ohio. 😀

26. Like most Iraqis: SHIITE.

28. Wiring problem: SHORT - An electrical SHORT in the Service Module provided the spark for the explosion on Apollo 13.

29. Norse pantheon: AESIR.

30. Launch-related stress: G-FORCE - Jet pilots launched off an aircraft carrier go from 0 - 140 mph to two seconds and feel 3-4 G's of FORCE.

32. Tool used to go suck a lemon?: CARVAC 😀 I use a CARVAC in my non-lemon car ! My last fill!

34. Queeg's ship: CAINE - Was Queeg mentally ill?

35. County, across the pond: SHIRE - Robin Hood "lived" in NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.

36. Jumps on board?: OLLIES.

38. Hard to grab hold of: EELY.

39. Lotion letters: SPF.

42. Jessica of "Sin City": ALBA.

43. Coward's offerings: PLAYS 😀

45. 2020 Pixar film: SOUL.

46. Act excused with crossed fingers: LIE.

47. Working stiff: PROLE.

48. Atlantic capital: ACCRA.

49. Negotiation assets: BARGAINING CHIPS - One mom's opinion

52. Free pass from a manager: INTENTIONAL WALK - The pitcher no longer has to throw four balls. The manager can just choose to put a batter on base via an INTENTIONAL WALK

53. They may get thumbed: NOSES 😀

54. Royalty figure: NET SALES - Noel Coward accumulated millions in royalties on NET SALES of his work before his death in 1973 and his foundation administers that income now.


Down:

1. Silky fabric that dates to the Middle Ages: SAMITE.

2. Characters in Anna Dewdney books: LLAMAS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

3. Big name in middle management?: ATKINS 😀

4. Hammer heads?: PEENS.

5. Ocean cooler: BRIG - 😀 I finally saw that cooler was another word for jail which on a boat on the ocean it is called a BRIG.

6. Colony toiler: ANT - The city name of Accra comes from Akan word Nkran meaning ant because of all the ant hills in Ghana.

7. "Ditto": SAME HERE.

8. Most like a chestnut: STALEST.

9. Home of Arizona's idea Museum: MESA.

10. Afore: ERE.

11. Work in the Louvre's Salle des États: MONA LISA 😀 - I loved this clue/fill once it became obvious. The MONA LISA is in the Louvre's "States Room"

12. Stoked: ECSTATIC.

13. Pesky little sucker: SKEETER - I had some on the course recently and I put on my Absorbing Jr and they were gone.

15. Shopper's "maze with meatballs": IKEA.

16. Lets off steam: VENTS.

22. Gator kin: CROC.

23. Mesh in the kitchen: SIEVE.

27. Styles with many cuts: HARRY - The old common/proper noun switch for the many coifs of singer HARRY Styles

30. Vanilla liqueur: GALLIANO.

31. Hazelnuts: FILBERTS.

32. Dull Knife's people: CHEYENNE.

33. Feels off: AILS.

34. Container for seamy material?: COAL BIN 😀 Coal is found in seams in the Earth 

35. Beach barker: SEA LION.

37. Mast attachment: SPRIT.

39. Phishing target, informally: SOCIAL.

40. Crayola's wild orchid, e.g.: PURPLE.

41. Glassware in labs: FLASKS.

44. "The Real" co-host Love: LONI - Second from the left

45. Either side of Alaska?: SCHWA 😀 Ə las kə

47. Parts of a balance scale: PANS - The most famous ones are held by a lady with a blindfold.

48. Bands that may be strained on courts, briefly: ACLS.

50. [low whistle]: GEE.

51. Noir piece: GAT - The man below in this film noir scene is wielding a GAT or rod

 

Friday, September 26, 2025 - Ariana Borut

 Theme: ???? 

Puzzling thoughts:

Ok, despite solving this puzzle quickly and easily, I have no idea what the reveal has to do with the entries (themers).  And maybe there is nothing beyond the obvious.  Look, I may be one of the designated bloggers here, but that doesn't mean that I always "get" what the constructor is after

Today's constructor, Ariana Borut (if indeed this is she) indicates on her LinkedIn profile that she "worked with Patti Varol and Katie Hale; I reviewed crossword submissions to the LA Times, test solved accepted puzzles and constructed a crossword to be published in the Times."  The dates for this activity were May 2025 to July 2025, so the appearance of her puzzle today seems to validate her identity.  Her other crossword-related position is constructing puzzles for the Friday printed edition of the Yale Daily News.  This may be Ariana's major publication debut; if so, congratulations

The reveal today - at least to me - seems ambiguous to the entries:

59-across. Go over the top, or a hint to 17-, 23-, 37-, and 48-Across: PUT ON A SHOW.  I inserted the YouTube video above to try to see if there is some explanation I am missing.  Maybe someone who follows this blog can enlighten me in the comments section

The themers (entries):

17-across. Extremely popular puddle jumper?: HOT AIR TAXI.  Ok, I am familiar with a hot air balloon but I don't think that's in play here.  I found a link to a site that describes the present and future of air taxis.  But how does this connect?  Where is the hint that the reveal describes?  Is it the fact that the promise of using an air taxi for commuting is "full of hot air?"  The phrase "puddle jumper" in the clue (to me) refers to a commuter air service that makes frequent stops 

23-across. Soon-to-be buds?: NEXT BEST FRIENDS. Again, there can be two pairs of phrases:  next best which refers to something that can be an alternative if the best option is not available; best friends which refers to a group of acquaintances that are all well-connected and well-liked by each other.  Where (again) is the hint, and what does this have to do with "putting on a show"?

37-across. Beach race outcome?: QUICKSAND CASTLE. Can I not see the forest for the trees? How is a quick sand castle (however you want to connect the words) related to a beach race outcome?  Is it that there is a race to build a sand castle the fastest?

48-across. Four-bed, three-bath digs in the backyard?: FAMILY TREEHOUSE.  A family tree is simply the charting of ones ancestors and showing it as a "tree" to indicate the branches from one generation to the next.  A treehouse is simply a structure built into the network of branches and limbs of a tree and used as a getaway (secret hiding place, maybe?) for kids

Maybe it's time for me to retire - both from doing crossword blogs and creating crossword puzzles.  I hope the future generations of solvers and constructors are at least getting some entertainment from this.  Maybe after somebody reveals the "aha" I will see what's so clever ... 

The Grid

Across:

1. Settles: CALMS.

6. Assess: RATE.

10. Lens option: TINT.  Here is a link to reasons why to tint eyeglass lenses

14. 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner: OBAMA.  Ariana Borut is an undergrad @ Yale University.  Barack Obama graduated (law school) from Yale's biggest rival, Harvard

15. Like a lemon: OVAL.  Nice misdirection clue - I thought tart was the answer; oval never registered but indeed, a lemon is oval in its shape

16. Seth's first son: ENOS.

[themer]

19. Soul singer James: ETTA.

20-across. 12/31, for one: EVE.  This clue is written as a date (in this case, New Year's Eve falls on December 31st.  (50-down. 12:31, for one): RATIO.  This clue is written as a ratio which made me wonder why the use of a colon?  Here is one explanation

21. "Despacito" singer Fonsi: LUIS.  I think this is the correct video

22. Pep rally chant: CHEER.  

[themer]

27. Shakespearean exclamations: AYS.  An actual William Shakespeare quote: "What, gone without a word? Ay, so true love should do; it cannot speak, For truth hath better deeds than words to grace it." 

Why AY?

28. Batman and Robin, e.g.: ROLES.  Another interesting, misdirected clue 

29. Coyote call: HOWL.

32. Hispaniola nation: HAITI.  Two choices, and Dominican Republic was too large to fit into the five cells

34. Charged particle: ION.  

[themer]

41. "Un Verano __ Ti": Bad Bunny album whose title translates to "A Summer Without You": SIN.  The word "sin" in Spanish means "without".  Fun fact: the literal translation for an erstwhile high-end strain of marijuana (sinsemilla) means "without seed"

42. Perplexed: AT SEA.

43. Jekyll's alter ego: HYDE.

44. Actor Hawke: ETHAN.

46. Barnyard sound: MOO.

[themer]

55. National alternative: ALAMO.  Rental car 

56. Vegan-friendly gelling agent: AGAR. All you need to know about AGAR

57. Cello's sect.: STR. Abbreviation for strings

58. Durham university: DUKE.  Not an Ivy League school (such as Yale or Harvard) but one that ranks highly in its academics 

[reveal]

62. Pt. of EMS: EMER.  Emergency Medical Service

63. Curriculum segment: UNIT. I was thinking of a college credit, rather than a unit, so I found this link that explains the difference

64. Italian fountain at the junction of three roads: TREVI.

65. Bygone pol. divisions: SSRS.

66. Angry chorus: BOOS.  

67. Warning often accompanied by flashing lights: SIREN.

Down:
1. Andy of "The Real Housewives" franchise: COHEN.  Not a tv franchise that I watch so I had to wait for the perps to fill this in

2. All of the __: ABOVE.

3. Swim cap material: LATEX.  The clue:  "Examination glove material" would also work.  I wonder - since every time I fill out my medical "history" the question is there - if one is allergic to latex and were a swimmer, what kind of swim cap would they use?

4. Combat sport, for short: MMA.  Mixed Martial Arts

5. Pass on the water: SAIL BY.  I thought this would be a debut word, but Crossword Tracker shows three other times used [by the way, if you get a warning about Crossword Tracker not being "safe", I can attest that it is.  They haven't updated their website]

6. Flatbreads cooked on a tawa: ROTIS.  I am guessing that the word "tawa" gave this away.  I was thinking NAANS but again, waited for perps

7. Nautical shout: AVAST.

8. Assess: TAX.  We just got our 2025 tax assessment for our house.  Didn't go up too much

9. "Lux et Veritas" collegian: ELI.  Our constructor's school

10. Light laugh: TEE HEE.

11. Strong quality: INTENSITY.

12. "Understood": NOTED.

13. Pre-1917 rulers: TSARS.

18. Regrets: RUES.

22. Paramecium hairs: CILIA. 

 

24. Makeup powder: TALC.  What the American Cancer Society has to say about TALC

25. With 38-Down, Mexican artist known for self-portraits: FRIDA  (38-down. See 25-Down:) KAHLO.  As a fellow constructor I noted that while the two names are proximate on the grid, they are not in the same symmetric location.  Close

26. Univ. scholarship program: ROTC.

29. Control ctrs.: HQS. 

30. "Certainement!": OUI.  A bit of French 

31. One familiar with the aging process: WINEMAKER.  I obviously enjoyed seeing this word for the given clue.  I met a few winemakers during my California vacation trip

32. "It __ been easy": HASN'T.

33. Hydrocarbon suffix: ANE.

35. Out of style: OLD.

36. Maiden name intro: NEE.

39. Lab request?: STAY.  As in a Labrador Retriever 

40. "Scram!": SHOO.

45. Treadmill features: TIMERS.  Once upon a time I used to frequent treadmills at the gym.  My walking regimen now is to speed walk in the neighborhood or go for hikes in the desert

46. Spiteful: MEAN.

47. "Darn it!": OH RATS.

48. Slowly disappears: FADES.

49. Reunion attendees: ALUMS.  As this blog is being published, I am one day away from attending my HS reunion, so if I don't respond to any of the comments today it's due to my traveling

51. "Grand slam" awards, for short: EGOTS.  In this case, the "Grand slam" is for the quartet of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.  Awards for TV, Music, Motion Pictures, and Theater, respectively 

52. One who walks you down an aisle: USHER.

53. Heated counter point?: STOVE.  If this referred to a debate or argument, the word counterpoint would be one word, not two words.  Strange clue, IMO, as I never think of a stove as being a "point" along the counter, but it made for a decent Friday clue

54. Theoretical physicist Schrödinger: ERWIN.  One of my favorite clips from TBBT:

59. Crawl stop: PUB.  I think that a few of my fellow HS alums are planning on visiting a brew pub or two, as our hometown has become a place where a number of these have popped up.  I don't plan on "crawling" though; will take Uber or Lyft

60. Game based on Crazy Eights: UNO.  New rules

61. Sanskrit title of respect: SRI.  Rearranged, this group of letters can also make the word sir - another title of respect

Comment below if you like ... 

Thursday, September 25, 2025, Rebecca Goldstein

 Theme:  Letters whose names sound like English words.  (G)olly GEE!

Who can help but think of William Steig's 1968 classic CDB!

Today's constructor, Rebecca Goldstein, is a w(o)nder!  OH MY!  I wanted see if I could create further examples of her gimmick today, but it's challenging.  Suffice it to say that the letters in parentheses in the clues appear spelled out in the answers as sound-alike words, and that the answers relate to the concepts of the clue words.  

20-Across. Mer(c)y: SEA OF HUMANITY.

59-Across. (T)yke: KID'S TEE.

25-Down. (B)enefit: BE OF SERVICE.

28-Down. Trajector(y): WHY OF COURSE.

44. Bra(i)n: MIND'S EYE.

Whew!  And it doesn't get much easier ...

Across:

1. Win or lose: VERB.  Right off the bat, we have a "meta" clue.  Win and lose are both verbs.

5. Signs of healing: SCABS.

10. Win or lose alternative: DRAW.  A "draw" is when a contest ends in a tie.

14. Single's bars?: ARIA.  A single person singing a few bars of music might be an opera soloist singing an aria.  Not an obvious answer!

15. "Se __ inglés": HABLA.  "Se habla inglés" is Spanish for "English spoken."  We often see signs in places of business that say "Se habla español" or "Spanish spoken."  "Se habla inglés" might be a welcome sign for English speakers in Spanish speaking countries, but then, it would probably be written in English. 

16. Character: ROLE.

17. Online chortles: LOLZ.  LOL is a texting or online abbreviation for Laughing Out Loud.  LOLZ is a plural, deliberately spelled in a cute way.  You could translate it as "Laughs Out Loud" or just "Laughs."

South Park quote:  "Why do you troll the internet?"
"I do it for the LOLZ."

18. Positive: ASSET.

19. Season celebrated by gifted kids?: YULE.  Kids are "gifted" with gifts at Yuletide.

20. [Theme clue]

23. Supplier of oil pans?: ART CRITIC.  A pan can be an unfavorable review.  An art critic might supply negative reviews of oils, also known as oil paintings.

Everyone's a critic -- even Fido.

24. Incantation syllables: ABRA.  Add the syllables "cadabra" and you've got yourself a magical incantation.

26. Selling points?: ADS.

27. Garter snake prey: NEWT.

30. Great beast: APE.  For a three letter word, this had me stumped for a while.  The great apes or hominids are a taxonomic family of primates whose living members include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and Homo sapiens.

31. Soft toss: LOB.

33. Ins. option: HMO.  One health insurance option is a Health Maintenance Organization.  I've been with Kaiser Permanente for 50 (gasp!) years.  All the medical attention you need under one roof.

35. "Open the pod bay doors, __": HAL.

A chilling exchange between an astronaut and a computer
in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

37. Mop alternative: ROOMBA.  Roomba is a brand of robot vacuum cleaner.  These days, most robot vacuums include a wet mop feature.

39. Argument-ending words, perhaps: I SAY SO.

41. Romeo's opening word?: ALFA.  Did this sports car slow you down as it did me?  I was thinking of Juliet's paramour, of course.

Alfa Romeo

42. Mausoleums: TOMBS.

46. Go to the polls: VOTE.

47. Pear variety: BOSC.

48. Dressing on a caterer's table?: SKIRT.  Put a skirt on a folding table to make it more presentable.

49. Hardly any: A FEW.

50. Actress Jewell: GERI.  Geri Jewell is an actress, comedian, writer, and speaker, noted for roles on the 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life and the western Deadwood.  Her success is in spite of having been born with cerebral palsy and ignored or worse by other children.  DNK - Did Not Know.

52. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA.  Ana Gasteyer is an actress, comedian and singer.  She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002, and has since starred in such sitcoms as Suburgatory, People of Earth, American Auto, and the film Mean Girls.  DNK.

Ana Gasteyer

53. Some mechanical pencils: BICS.  BIC does make mechanical pencils.

54. Ada Lovelace's father: BYRON.  Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, also known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. She is sometimes considered to be the first computer programmer.  Ada was the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron and reformer Anne Isabella Milbanke.  Lord Byron's other children were born out of wedlock to other women.  Lord Byron separated from his wife a month after Ada was born, left England, and died in Greece, fighting in the Greek War of Independence when Ada was eight.  Her education in mathematics was entirely thanks to her mother.  She became a countess through marriage.  DNK.

Daguerreotype of Ada Lovelace circa 1843

55. NFL stats: YDS.  Even I recognize that National Football League statistics include yards.

56. Heavy dancing shoes: CLOGS.

58. Backroads ride, for short: ATV.  All-Terrain Vehicle.

59. [Theme clue]

62. Need for a site visit?: URL.  Uniform Resource Locator.  A web address.

63. Two-time Newbery Medalist Lowry: LOIS.  Lois Lowry is the author of many books for children and young adults, including The Giver Quartet, Number the Stars, the Anastasia series, and Rabble Starkey. She is known for writing about difficult subjects and complex themes in works for young audiences.  DNK.

Lois Lowry

65. Caterpillar rival: DEERE.  Caterpillar and John Deere compete in the manufacture of heavy equipment, although Caterpillar specializes in heavy construction and mining, while John Deere makes mostly agricultural equipment.  There is clearly some overlap, as there are lots of YouTube videos titled "John Deere vs Caterpillar."

66. Grove grower: TREE.  Not the arborist, but the thing growing in the grove.

67. Drink through a straw: SUCK.

68. Travel website with the same name as a boat: KAYAK.  Kayak.com is a travel search engine, comparing prices from other sites for flights, hotels, and cars.  Unlike Expedia or Travelocity, you can't book directly through Kayak, but you may find better price comparisons.  For me, "kayak" conjures up our fearless Monday blogger, sumdaze, paddling on the Pacific.

69. Quickly, quickly: ASAP.  Quickly, stated quickly:  ASAP, or As Soon As Possible.

70. Surroundings: AREA.

71. Someone working around the House: REP.  You will find Representatives working in the House of Representatives.

72. Rocker Joan: JETT.  Joan Jett recorded four albums with the Runaways from 1975 to 1979, and then formed her own record label and performed as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.  Her 1981 album, I Love Rock 'n Roll, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. The lead single was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Jett has released eleven more albums with the Blackhearts, two of them receiving gold and platinum certifications.  Her single I Hate Myself for Loving You earned Jett her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance.  How many of our Corner guitarists have played her songs?

Joan Jett

Down:

1. Actor Kilmer: VAL.  Val Kilmer was an American actor who found fame through films including Top Secret!, Real Genius, and Top Gun. He played Jim Morrison in The Doors and Batman in Batman Forever.  His voice was altered by throat cancer, and had to be digitally modified for the 2022 film, Top Gun: Maverick.  Roger Ebert said of Kilmer in 1992, "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it."  Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025.

Val Kilmer at Cannes in 2005

2. God with a quiver: EROS.  Eros carries a quiver of arrows.

I searched for Cupid with arrows and found a bunch of babies with wings.
I searched for Eros with arrows, and well, that's more like it!

3. Really get to: RILE.

4. Middle Eastern market: BAZAAR.

5. Hot rod rod: SHAFT.  Some of our car enthusiasts can tell us all about hot rod drive shafts in the comments.  

6. Game show whose contestants are really driven?: CASH CAB.  This show appeared in the puzzle I blogged on September 11th!  Cash Cab is a game show that premiered in 2005.  A taxi picks up a customer, the host announces that they are on Cash Cab, and they are given the option to play or get out.  If they choose to play, they have to stay in the cab until they reach their destination or get three strikes when answering questions.  They earn cash for correct answers.  Our solvers would do well.

7. Wackadoo: ABSURD.

8. Mark: BLEMISH.

9. Occupied, as a hot desk: SAT AT.  In some offices, workers do not have their own, private work spaces.  There are desks available, and you grab one.  "Hot desking" accommodates various shifts and schedules.  It must assume that all your files and resources are electronic.  I still use filing drawers in my desk.

10. Solid carbon dioxide: DRY ICE.  Useful as a cooling agent, dry ice also makes cool fog effects.

Youngest daughter was married in August
and danced with hubby in a cloud of DRY ICE fog.

11. Drubbing: ROUT.  A resounding defeat.

12. Supporter: ALLY.

13. Microscopic: WEE.

21. Floss brand: ORAL B.

22. Spanish sons: NIÑOS.  No, no, no.  Sons are HIJOS.  Niños are children -- boys, or boys and girls -- but not necessarily sons.  Mis hijos son Isaac y Aaron.  Mis niños son Isaac, Leila, Aaron, y Rachel.  Lucina can correct me if I'm wrong.

24. Accounting record?: APOLOGY TOUR.  A well-known person might make a series of speeches, interviews, or public appearances to express regret for a mistake.  That's an apology tour.  You could say that they're giving an accounting of their misdeeds.

25. [Theme clue]

28. [Theme clue]

29. "My compliments to the chef": TASTES GREAT.

30. Part of UAE: ARAB.  United Arab Emirates.

32. Grains that may be steel-cut: OATS.

34. Produce aisle spray: MIST.

36. German entomologist Hermann: LOEW.  Friedrich Hermann Loew (1807-1879) was a German entomologist who specialised in the study of Diptera, an order of insects including flies, mosquitoes, gnats and midges. He was the first specialist to work on the Diptera of the United States.  His collections are in museums around the world, and more than a dozen insects are named for him.  See, for example, the lovely Albulina loewii that lives in the Middle East and Asia.  DNK, but great entomologists should be as famous as rock stars.

Albulina loewii

38. Large-scale: MACRO.

40. Make use (of): AVAIL.

43. "Yes, honey": OKAY DEAR.

44. [Theme clue]

45. Fashion tape target: BRA STRAP.  If you don't want your bra strap to show, tape your top to the strap.  

Tape those bra straps to your top!

Or, take a cue from the younger ladies, and flaunt them!

51. What a pocket protector protects from: INK.

When I was in college, a pocket protector was
universally acknowledged as the badge of a science nerd.

53. Dating initials: BCE.  Before Common Era, a secular alternative to BC, Before Christ.

54. Wood whose name comes from the Spanish for "raft": BALSA.  This tropical wood is surprisingly buoyant.

57. Rested: SLEPT.

60. "u tell me": IDK.  I Don't Know.  Here in the corner, we more often confess:  DNK.

61. "Yikes!": EEK.

64. Horn-heavy genre: SKA.  Ska originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, combining Caribbean sounds like calypso with American jazz, rhythm and blues.  Ska today is fast paced and features lots of brass instruments.

66. __ Mahal: TAJ.

Here's the grid:

(O)bligation -- I OWE you an explanation of the puzzle theme.

(U)nderstand -- Did YOU get it?

(R)eactions?  ARE you ready to comment?