Friday July 18, 2025 Tracy Gray

Hi everyone, it’s RustyBrain on the first of three fortnightly visits. Our illustrious Chairman is no Scrooge, but you may think of these reviews as the spirits of Moe past, present and future!

Tracy Gray serves up a double scoop of goodness today. She's a veteran constructor so we expect nothing less. Let's get started on the double with the revealer: 

53. Request to a bartender, and what must be done to the last words of 20-, 30-, 36-, and 47-Across for the answers to match their clues: MAKE IT A DOUBLE. By doubling the last word of each answer, we end up with wacky phrases.

20. Casual departure from a pub crawl after just one drink?: FIRST ROUND BYE. → FIRST ROUND BYE-BYE. In a tournament, the top seeded players often get to skip the preliminary rounds. Here, it's re-imagined as a bar-hopper who drops out early. Good thing, too, as you'd have to be drunk to follow this map!

30. Big name in transparent Band-Aids for toddlers?: PEEKABOO. → PEEK A BOO-BOO. Cute! And a good idea for bandages that match any skin color instead of generic flesh-tone. 

36. Confident shout from a Moulin Rouge dancer?: OH YES I CAN. → OH YES, I CANCAN. My favorite of the bunch! It's rare that I actually chuckle at an answer, but this one conjured up a delightful image. She sure cancan!

47. Question of quality?: IS THAT SO. → IS THAT SO SO. Odd to see this posed as a question, but then again, everyone's a critic.

Double your pleasure, double your fun! A bit easy for a Friday, but I'm traveling in the Pacific Northwest (beautiful vistas everywhere!) so I'm a happy camper. Okay, let's go-go:

Across:

1. Chill (with): HANG. Cool beans.

5. Storied meanies: OGRES. I like the use of "storied" here.

10. Au naturel: BARE. My one erasure, I had nude. 

14. Ancient theaters: ODEA. Plural of odeum, the theaters of Greece and Rome. 

15. Steaming mad: IRATE.

16. Limburger feature: ODOR. Does anyone remember a children's story called "Giant Grummer's Christmas"? He planned to steal presents but Prince Toppsy Turvy knew he liked Limburger, the smelliest cheese. The prince outsmarted the giant by delivering wheels of the stinky cheese that he ate then fell asleep and missed Christmas. Since childhood, the thought of the world's smelliest cheese has intrigued me - although not enough to actually try it!

17. __ history: ORAL. It's something my dentist keeps track of. 

18. Get connected: LOG ON.

19. Blu-ray kin: DVDS. These are two types of optical discs for storing data, usually movies.

20. [theme]

23. Easily fooled sort: SAP.

24. Mai tai liquor: RUM. Just add a fruit salad and an umbrella!

25. Celebrity with a book club: OPRAH. Counterintuitively, while her book club increased sales of individual titles, it caused a short-term overall decrease in sales for the book industry as a whole. Since Oprah's selections were often longer and more difficult classics that demanded greater time and energy to read, those people who were reading from her list were not buying their usual fare of books.

28. "Rub-a-dub-dub" location, in a classic rhyme: IN A TUB. How many of you know the next lines?

30. [theme]

33. Cartomancy deck: TAROT. Cartomancy is a form of divination using cards, TAROT being one type of deck. It involves interpreting the symbols and meanings associated with each card to provide guidance or predict outcomes.

34. O'Reilly purchase: PART. O'Reilly's is a huge chain of auto PART stores.

35. Bora Bora, e.g.: ISLE.

36. [theme]

39. "Stop living in the __!": PAST. Also, a classic Jethro Tull album. Hey, I had to include at least one!

42. Olympic event with masks: EPEE. I dream that someday they'll come up with a sword that is spelled with all E's to help our constructors out of tight corners.

43. Crete's highest pt.: MT IDA. Point is abbrev. so Mount is MT. Speaking of mountains, here are some I'm looking at - the Olympics in Washington State. Pictures don't do it justice; their scope is almost too vast to comprehend.

47. [theme]

49. Decathlon equipment: DISCUS. Essay question for extra credit: What other equipment is needed for a decathlon? Please DISCUS.

50. "Chopped" contestants: CHEFS. I like "The Bear," a TV series about a restaurant in Chicago. Everyone in the kitchen addresses each other as CHEF. Now I have some friends that also call each other CHEF! 

51. "Corduroy" writer/illustrator Freeman: DON. "Corduroy" is a childhood classic that tells the heartwarming story of a teddy bear and a little girl finding friendship.

52. Center of Dallas?: ELS. They're letterally in the middle!

53. [theme]

58. Prefix with conductor: SEMI. This guy's a full conductor.

60. Banjo sound: TWANG.

61. __ plaid: fabric also known as Prince of Wales check: GLEN. Don't stare at it too long...you are getting sleepy...very sleepy...

62. "Your turn," in radio lingo: OVER. 

63. Decadent dessert: TORTE.

64. Blow hard: GUST. Not unlike a windbag at your party. He's an uninvited GUST.

65. "Downton Abbey" title: LADY. Not my cup of tea.

66. Got in on a deal: ANTED. Better clue than usual for this crosswordese.

67. Gels: SETS. 

Down:

1. Travels on foot: HOOFS IT. Fun answer.

2. Girls in Tech founder Gascoigne: ADRIANA. ADRIANA Gascoigne is an American technology executive and activist. Girls in Tech is a global non-profit dedicated to empowering, educating, and mentoring women in the technology industry.

3. Decent, in golf: NEAR PAR. I don't play golf, mainly because when I hit a ball, I like someone to try and hit it back, not for me to go chase after it. In any case, NEAR PAR seems better than "decent."

4. "Archie's Pals 'n' __": classic comic book series: GALS. One of the GALS from the long running comic was Josie, who later went on to fame as the leader of the Pussycats. 

5. Massage option: OIL RUB.

6. Stable figure: GROOM. The happy couple.

7. Newman's Own rival: RAGU. I don't know how they fare in a taste-test, but Newman's donates most of their profits to charities if that helps you pick one. 

8. Historic British school: ETON.

9. Pop in the mail: SEND. Pop up in the mail: SPAM

10. Temporary art media: BODY PAINTS.

11. Some modifiers: ADVERBS. This is totally correct.

12. Eye cell that plays a role in night vision: ROD. The photo-receptor counterpart of a ROD is a "cone," which provides color perception.

13. Hosp. areas: ERS. Emergency Rooms aka the waiting area.

21. "Facts!": TRUTH.

22. __ choy: BOK. BOK choy is a type of Chinese cabbage that is sometimes called spoon cabbage because of its shape.

26. Early ISP: AOL. America On-Line has been chugging away as an Internet Service Provider since 1989.

27. Garden tool: HOE.

29. Visitor who leaves money under a kid's pillow: TOOTH FAIRY. What's the current exchange rate?

30. Public walkway: PASEO. PASEO means "stroll" in Spanish, but I'm more familiar with the Toyota model which, now that I think about it, is a rather uninspiring name for a car. 

31. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.

32. "The rest is obvious" abbr.: ETC.

34. Spices (up): PEPS. "Let's take it up a notch!"

37. Still: YET.

38. __ acid: AMINO.

39. Snap: PIC.

40. Bat wood, once: ASH.

41. Like some glasses: STEMMED. I wanted STEaMED, like when I walk out from air conditioning into Florida humidity and my glasses fog up.

44. Glacial hue: ICE BLUE. Shades of blue in July on Mount Rainier as we flew into Seattle.

45. Least exciting: DULLEST.

46. Says yes: ASSENTS.

48. "Shoot!": ASK. "Shoot" also means "darn," but not like socks - unless you shoot yourself in the foot.

49. Managed to avoid: DODGED. 

51. "Inferno" poet: DANTE.

54. James of blues: ETTA. OK, you twisted my arm. One more album because she is sooo good!

55. Victor's shout: I WON. Another Victor shouted, "It's alive!"

56. Acerbic: TART.

57. Fleecy boots: UGGS.

58. Santiago sun: SOL. 

59. "Hadestown" Tony nominee Noblezada: EVA. I thought she was nominated for the Noble-zada Prize. Seriously, though, why didn't this clue mention any of the awards she actually won? Like the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album?

And remember, kiddies, never double dip your chip!

Thursday, July 17, 2025, Katie Hale, Doug Peterson

Theme:  Multiuse implements.

Alton Brown, the cook, TV personality, and food scientist, abhors a single use tool in the kitchen.  If it only does one job, it's wasting space.  Alton might approve of the multiuse implements in today's theme answers, which give second meanings to common phrases.

"The only unitasker allowed in my kitchen is a fire extinguisher."
-- Alton Brown

Katie Hale and Doug Peterson have constructed many crosswords, alone and in collaboration with others.  Their theme answers today are symmetrically placed in rows Across, with two answers spanning the width of the grid.  The reinterpreted phrases all involve implements of some kind.

The theme clues and answers are:

17. E-readers?: LITERARY DEVICES.  Literary devices are generally understood to be writing techniques like metaphor, symbolism, foreshadowing, alliteration, and irony.  But our clever crossword creators think that Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iPad, and similar electronic tablets used for reading literature can also be called literary devices.

30. Printing press?: TIME MACHINE.  H.G. Wells published The Time Machine in 1895, planting in our minds the idea of a machine that facilitates time travel.  But Katie and Doug think the big machine that prints the glossy bi-weekly issues of Time is also a Time machine.

47. Zambonis?: GARDEN TOOLS.  Zambonis are ice resurfacing machines used in skating rinks, like Madison Square Garden.  If they are used at the Garden, can't they also be thought of as Garden tools?

62. Magnifying glass?: INSPECTOR GADGET.  You're probably familiar with Inspector Gadget, the police inspector with thousands of high tech gadgets installed in his body.  But since inspectors of various kinds may use a magnifying glass in their work, isn't one of those an inspector gadget, too?

I'm curious to know whether you interpreted the theme the same way I did.  Meanwhile, here's how I solved the rest of it:

Across:

1. "Cabaret" star Minnelli: LIZA.  Liza Minnelli starred in the 1972 musical film about bohemian characters in Berlin against a background of rising Nazism.

5. Word with sweet or candy: CORN.

9. Bolivian city ESE of Lima: LA PAZ.  La Paz, Bolivia is ESE of Lima, Peru.

14. Long-horned goat: IBEX.

15. Part of a Hawaiian honeymoon, perhaps: LUAU.

16. Thumbnail, e.g.: IMAGE.  A thumbnail is a small image representation of a larger image, usually intended to make it easier and faster to look at or manage a group of larger images.

17. [Theme clue]

20. Beauty spot: SALON.

21. Something to build on: SITE.

22. Cost fig.: EST.  One type of cost figure (abbreviated) is an estimate.

23. Member of K-pop's BTS: SUGA.  Min Yoon-gi is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, record producer, and member of the K-pop group BTS. He uses the stage names Suga for BTS and Agust D for his solo work. He is BTS's lead rapper.  All perps (perpendicular entries) for me.  Any fans here?

Suga

25. Holds or saves, e.g.: STAT.  A hold or a save is a baseball statistic.  Usually, if the answer is abbreviated, the clue is also abbreviated.  Hold and save aren't abbreviations, but I suppose sports fans use "stat" so often, they might not think of it as an abbreviation.

27. Retro taper: VCR.  My first mental image for "taper" was of a tall candle, but this "taper" was used to tape TV shows and movies.

30. [Theme clue]

35. Component of many detergents: WHITENER.  A few years ago, I discovered Patric Richardson's show, The Laundry Guy, on HGTV, and then read his book, Laundry Love, when it was pubished in 2021.  He is a phenomenon.  I have retrained our adult children so that none of us buys bottled detergents or dryer sheets anymore.  For whites, all you need are soap flakes and oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate).  Life changing!

Patric Richardson

37. Wiped out: TIRED.

38. Tolerate, quaintly: BIDE.  Bide is an old fashioned word meaning to wait, to withstand, or to tolerate.  "He couldn't bide children on his property."

39. Contort: GNARL.  Gnarl as a verb can mean snarl or growl, or it can mean to twist into a state of deformity.  As a noun, a gnarl is a hard protruberance with twisted grain on a tree.

42. Spot for some Christmas decorations: EAVE.

43. Home of the Vols: U TENN.  A gimme for me!  DH is a UT grad and loyal vol.  During the war of 1812, Tennessee was called the Volunteer State, and the nickname was reinforced during Texas's 1836 War for Independence from Mexico, and again during the Mexican-American War of 1846.

45. More than is necessary: TOO OFTEN.

47. [Theme clue]

50. Filler syllables: ERS.  Er, um, uh, like ...

51. Wide band: SASH.

52. German woman: FRAU.

54. Item that's waxed: SKI.

57. Dabbling duck: TEAL.  Dabbling ducks feed mainly at the water's surface rather than by diving.

Look how tiny the Green-Winged Teal is compared to the Mallards!

59. Possible response to 41-Down: I KNOW.

62. [Theme clue]

66. Cast list: ROLES.

67. Move by small increments: INCH.  People inch forward in their cars when traffic is heavy, or they inch forward on tiptoes to sneak up on someone or something.

An inchworm shows us how it's done.

68. Messes up: ERRS.

69. Bring to bear: EXERT.

70. Take to a booth: SEAT.

71. Overdo the aftershave, say: REEK.

Down:

1. "Lip Gloss" rapper __ Mama: LIL.  "Lip Gloss" was the 2007 debut single by hip-hop artist Lil Mama. Rated G for all audiences.

Lil Mama -- Lip Gloss

2. African wading bird: IBIS.

3. Epsilon follower: ZETA.  Greek to me.

4. Rink moves: AXELS.

5. Ringing sounds from old trolley bells: CLANGING.

6. "__ Planet": David Attenborough series: OUR.  Our Planet is a 2019 nature documentary series made for Netflix, narrated by David Attenborough.  The series focuses on the wildlife and natural wonders of eight different ecosystems, and is noted for its focus on humans' impact on the environment, especially how climate change impacts all living creatures.

7. Bright beams: RAYS.

8. Revealing lifestyle choice?: NUDISM.

9. Magic show, for one: LIVE ACT.

10. "__ imagining things?": AM I.

11. Walk worriedly: PACE.  Pacing is underrated.  DH burns lots of calories this way while speaking with clients and associates on the phone.

12. Factors in baby clothing sizes: AGES.

13. Ingredient in marmalade: ZEST.

18. Map guidance: ROUTE.

19. "Tell Mama" singer James: ETTA.

24. Grace closer: AMEN.

26. Pincher: THIEF.

27. Beetle with brakes: VW BUG.  The Volkswagen Beetle (often called the VW Bug) was a small car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003.  My first husband had a barely functional VW Bug when we married.  We spent weekends "bleeding" the brakes in hopes that they'd stop the car when necessary.

1967 Volkswagen Beetle

28. Tony winner Rivera: CHITA.  Chita Rivera was an American actress, singer, and dancer.  She received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.  She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.  She passed away just after her 91st birthday last year.

Chita Rivera

29. Legislative addition: RIDER.  A legislative rider is a provision added to a bill that may not be directly related to the bill's main subject matter. These riders are often added to urgent legislation, like appropriations bills, to enact controversial policies that might not pass on their own.

31. Sister of Calliope: ERATO.  In Greek mythology, the Muses were the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts.  By the Classical period, the number of Muses was standardized to nine:  Calliope, Clio, Polyhymnia, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Melpomene, Thalia, and Urania.  Calliope is all about eloquence and epic poetry; she has a lovely voice.  Erato is the muse of erotic poetry, and she is quite seductive.

Roman statue of Erato (2nd century AD)

32. Likely to storm off: IRATE.

33. Unequivocal turndown: NEVER.

34. Perfect places: EDENS.

36. Watches over: TENDS.

40. Spot for some Christmas decorations: ROOF.

41. "Ha, so true": LOL RIGHT.  Text speak for: Laughing Out Loud, right?

44. Worthy of a handwriting award: NEATEST.

46. "Shogun" setting: OSAKA.  Shōgun is an historical drama television series broadcast on FX in 2024.  It is based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, which was previously adapted into a 1980 television miniseries.  

Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in Shogun

48. Fraction of a min.: NSEC.  A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one-billionth (10⁻⁹) of a second.

49. "To clarify ... ": THAT IS.

53. Supervised by: UNDER.

54. Kingly address: SIRE.

55. Fort guarded by the U.S. Mint Police: KNOX.

56. Shetland element: ISLE.  Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. 

58. Sole: LONE.

60. Large fantasy antagonist: OGRE.

61. Beyoncé's "If I __ a Boy": WERE.

63. On the authority of: PER.  I have almost completed this post as per C.C.'s request.

64. Classic TV brand: RCA.

65. "I expected better from you": TSK.

Here's the grid:

What did you think of Katie and Doug's crossword DEVICES today?  

Did they trick you TOO OFTEN?

Or did you call out I KNOW and end up with the NEATEST grid ever?

-- NaomiZ

P.S.  Today is my 70th birthday!  My mom and I celebrated earlier this week on her 94th.