Monday July 21, 2025 Zachary David Levy

  

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Today's theme is:  

Constructor Zachary David Levy gives us four themed clues and an earworm reveal that might very well stick with you all day. Let's take a closer look:

17 Across. Film edition typically longer than its theatrical release: EXTENDED CUT.

EXTENDED FAMILY are relatives beyond a nuclear family such as grandparents and cousins.

24 Across. Big name in nonprescription reading glasses: FOSTER GRANT.  

A FOSTER FAMILY provides temporary care for children who cannot live with their biological parents due to various circumstances.

39 Across. Opinion formed when shaking hands, perhaps: FIRST IMPRESSION.

The FIRST FAMILY is the family of the president of the United States.  

49 Across. Wrestling event with a series of combatants: ROYAL RUMBLE.  This is a WWE event available on pay-per-view.

A ROYAL FAMILY is an EXTENDED FAMILY with titles. 

62 Across. Sister Sledge classic whose second line is "I got all my sisters with me," and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 39-, and 49-Across: WE ARE FAMILY.

The starts of the themed clues are all types of families. Works for me!

Here is the song from 1979:  

Yes, the four singers in Sister Sledge are real sisters! 

Their names are Joni, Kim, Debbie, and Kathy Sledge.

Next we'll look at the members of this FAMILY grid seated at the kiddie table:

Across:

1. Sounds from a chicken coop: CLUCKS.   Here you go....

7. Spew forth, as oil: GUSH.  

It's a GUSHer!

11. Cleverness: WIT.  WITty clues are appreciated.

14. Sell every last copy: RUN OUT.  ... as in "Did the newsstand RUN OUT of copies of today's paper?"

15. Not for: ANTI.  ANTI can be a stand-alone word or a prefix.

16. Slip up: ERR.  To ERR in the Tour de France peloton (large group of riders) can have disastrous outcomes as seen in this crash from Stage 7. We later learned that Joao Almeida from Portugal broke a rib in this crash. He continued to ride but ultimately left the race during Stage 9. This was a tough blow since he placed 4th in last year's Tour and was the #2 man in this year's top-seeded team. 

19. Female sheep: EWE.

20. Performing: DOING.  ... as in "She is performing a tracheotomy."

21. Mardi Gras city nickname: NOLA.  New Orleans, LA  

House of the Rising Sun     ~     The Animals     ~     1964

<The authorship of this traditional folk song is uncertain.>

22. Et __: and others: ALIA.  Latin  

23. Mine output: ORE.  What's mine is (y)OREs.

27. "I inhaled it!": YUM.  Perhaps the clue writer was thinking:  "It tasted so delicious that I ate it all up quickly."

28. Little kiddos: TOTS.     and     33 Down. Little scoundrel: IMP.

29. Broadway "Auntie": MAME.  I had an advantage on yesterday's puzzle because I had already researched this for today's blog. Mame is a Broadway musical based on a 1955 novel entitled Auntie Mame. Angela Lansbury played Mame Dennis in 1966. The song We Need a Little Christmas is from that musical.

Auntie and 11-Down are Easter eggs.

32. Courteous: NICE.

36. Dance venue with a mirror ball: DISCO.  

This one cracks me up!

42. Scent: AROMA.

43. British baby stroller: PRAM.

44. French head: TÊTE.     and     55 Down. French "Hi": SALUT.  

45. Café au __: LAIT.  ... more French. This time we have a coffee with hot milk added.

47. Anger: IRE.

54. PC "oops" key: ESC.  One might use the ESC key to close an unwanted window.

57. "Your Friends & Neighbors" actor Jon: HAMM.  I was unfamiliar with this show. It first aired this past April on Apple TV+.

58. Insurance co. for mil. families: USAA.  To take out a policy with USAA, one must be a current or past military member or their FAMILY member.

59. "Inside Out" studio: PIXAR.  I was unfamiliar with this 2015 animated film. 

61. Medium's claim, for short: ESP.  

64. Sundial three: III.

65. Busy, busy, busy: AT IT.  

66. Increasingly rare web access method: DIAL-UP.  

I sometimes wonder what "latest tech"
will soon seem terribly outdated.

67. Surveillance org.: NSA.  Perps inform us on whether it will be CIA or NSA.

68. Gets into, as clothes: DONS.  🎵 "DON we now our gay apparel...." 🎵

69. "BoJack Horseman" voice actor Will: ARNETT.  I have not seen this one either. BoJack Horseman was an animated Netflix TV show for adult audiences that ran from 2014-2020. I do know Will Arnett from his Smartless podcast. He is quick-WITted.

Down:

1. Set of beliefs: CREDO.

2. Pyramid-shaped hotel in Las Vegas: LUXOR.  Every time I Google something about Las Vegas for this blog, I get Vegas ads on my computer for weeks.

3. Open, as a knot: UNTIE.  Or, as those of us who are spelling-challenged might say, "Open, as a not: unite."

4. "Fargo" filmmakers Ethan and Joel: COEN.  These brothers wrote, directed, produced, and edited this 1996 movie.  BTW, I did see this movie ... and liked it a lot!

5. Martial art practiced by a panda in an animated franchise: KUNG FU.  "Kung Fu Panda" rings a bell but I somehow missed seeing these movies, too.

6. Time zone wd.: STD.  word and standard

7. Actress Gal: GADOT.  (b. April 30, 1985)  her IMDb page

8. Dad's brother: UNCLE.  Easter egg!!!

9. E.B. White's "__ Little": STUART.  (1899 - 1995)  E.B. White was born in Mount Vernon, New York. His three most popular children's books are Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970).

10. Punch: HIT.  If you watched Saturday morning cartoons in 1975, you might remember this commercial:  

11. Little girl, in the Highlands: WEE LASSIE.

12. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve: IRWIN.  (1962 - 2006)  He was an Australian TV personality who hosted a show on Animal Planet. His untimely death was caused by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef.

13. Pay for: TREAT.

18. Nav. rank: ENS.  Naval and ensign

22. Adept performer: ARTISTE.  What is the difference between and artist and an ARTISTE?

25. Potent prefix: OMNI-.  Def.:  universally.

26. Divine beings: GODS.

27. Polite affirmation: YES MA'AM.  An 18-Down might say this to an adjuster at 58-Across.

29. Painter's deg.: MFA.  degree and Master of Fine Arts

30. Run on TV: AIR.  If you RUN OUT of clues, you might have to reuse a word from the grid.

31. Bodybuilding competition for men since 1965: MR. OLYMPIA.  This one was in the punchbowl because I remembered that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one. He won six years in a row from 1970 to 1975 then again in 1980.  

1971

34. EMT skill: CPR.  

35. Notable time: ERA.

37. Camper's bed: COT.  This RV bed takes camping up a notch.  

38. Single: ONE.     and     62 Down. Bundle of dollars: WAD.

40. Kite extension: TAIL.  I wanted to pair this with 56-Down but it was the wrong type of tale.

41. Actor Jannings: EMIL.  (1884-1950)  He was a Swiss-German actor. Hollywood historians would know him for sure. 

46. Always there for: TRUE TO.

48. Put back together: REPAIR.

49. Deutschland river: RHEIN.  Native spellings are used in the clue and, therefore, in the answer.

50. Caravan refuge: OASIS.

51. Sprinter Bolt: USAIN.  (b. Aug. 21, 1986)  In 2025 he became Jamaica's global tourism ambassador.  

52. Small shops: MARTS.

53. Sweetie: BAE.

54. Kick out: EXILE.  

"An English sea captain being asked if he had read The Exile of Erin replied, 'No, sir, but I should like to anchor on it.' Year afterwards, when he had been hanged as a pirate after a career of unparalleled atrocities, the following memorandum was found in the ship's log that he had kept at the time of his reply, 'Aug. 3d, 1842. Made a joke on the ex-Ile of Erin. Coldly received. War with the whole world!'"

56. Burial chamber: CRYPT.  

60. Somali-born supermodel: IMAN.  (b. July 25, 1955)  Happy almost-70th birthday to IMAN!  🎂

63. HHS agency: FDA.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is abbreviated, so is the Food and Drug Administration.

The Grid

That's all for this FAMILY reunion. Wishing everyone a pleasant week ahead!

Sunday July 20, 2025 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme:  "C'est le Puzzle" - LE is added to each common phrase.

23. Hypothesis about the origin of oversized bracelets?: BIG BANGLE THEORY. Big Bang Theory. 

33. Must-have cookbook in every Maine kitchen?: LOBSTER BIBLE. Lobster bib. 

52. "Wait, don't forget the most important hamburger topping!": TAKE YOUR PICKLE. Take your pick.

71. Highlight of a military band's museum tour?: BUGLE COLLECTION. Bug collection. 

89. Display models made for a palace renovation?: PLASTER CASTLES. Plaster casts.

105. Silliest cart on a hayride?: CHUCKLE WAGON. Chuck wagon. 

121. "Why is my faucet dripping all the time?," e.g.: TRICKLE QUESTION. Trick question. 

This is a perfect companion puzzle for the "Elimination" puzzle Ross Trudeau made for us a long while ago. 

Pam's style shone through in this grid. Her witty wordplay and fondness for cross-referencing.  

XWord Info 

Across:

1. Sonoma neighbor: NAPA. Napa Valley is in Napa County. 

5. Colt's mama: MARE. And 8. Lambs' mamas: EWES.

9. 22-Across letters: AM FM. 22. Rock medium: RADIO.

13. Unseasoned: BLAND.

18. Yellow shape on Ikea's logo: OVAL.

19. K2 cover: SNOW.

20. Green course, in Germany: SALAT. German for "salad".

26. Marital acquisition: IN-LAW.

27. Deplete: USE UP.

28. Shed: LOSE.

29. Soars behind a boat: PARASAILS.

31. Classic Angela Lansbury role: MAME. Also 74. Broadway opener: SCENE I.

36. GI address: APO.

39. Checklist items: TASKS.

42. Use Zelle, e.g.: PAY. Zelle is integrated in my Wells Fargo app.

43. Scuba spots: SEAS.

44. Like some beach reads: TRASHY. What's the nicest beach you've been to?

46. Hill staffers: AIDES.

48. Actor Penn: SEAN.

49. Blockhead: OAF.

55. Two under par: EAGLE.

57. Piece of mind?: IDEA. Also loved these:: 126. Sleep soundly?: SNORE. 9. Fire sign?: ASH.

58. Boss Tweed cartoonist: NAST. Thomas. 

59. Mythological ship: ARGO.

62. Scooby Gang leader: FRED.

63. Legal agreement: CONTRACT.

66. Brewery fixtures: TAPS.

69. Postage scale units: OUNCES.

76. Cambodia's continent: ASIA.

77. "You flatter me!": OH STOP IT.

81. Aretha's genre: SOUL.

82. Trade jabs: SPAR.

84. Phanaeng cuisine: THAI. Often spelled as panang curry.  So hot. 

86. Novelist Jaffe: RONA.

87. Medicare section: PART D.

94. Mimic: APE.

95. Act as an accomplice: ABET.

98. Take a shot: GUESS.

99. Accomplice: COHORT.

100. Like most folklore: ORAL.

101. May honoree: MOM.

102. Number of tiles played for a Scrabble bingo: SEVEN. 

104. Farm enclosure: STY.

110. Make a montage, say: EDIT.

112. 2-Down offering: RENTAL CAR. 2. Budget alternative: AVIS.

113. Persia, today: IRAN.

116. Rapper __ B: CARDI.

120. Pre-honeymoon destination: ALTAR.

125. Quick flash of light: GLINT.

127. Hamilton-Burr showdown: DUEL.

128. Alma mater of Bear Grylls: ETON. Did not know Bear Grylls, a British adventurer who hosted "Man vs. Wild".

129. Boot bottoms: SOLES.

130. Tight: SNUG.

131. Cheek: SASS.

132. Hits head-on: RAMS.

Down:

1. Big name in fusion cuisine: NOBU. Known for its misdo-marinated black cod. (Miso. Thanks, D-Otto.)

3. Hill helper: PAGE.

4. Taylor Swift's "Red" or Joni Mitchell's "Blue": ALBUM.

5. Early web portal: MSN.

6. Pool shot considerations: ANGLES.

7. Gold-wrapped candy: ROLO.

10. Whitman of "Good Girls": MAE.

11. Cottontail's kin: FLOPSY. Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail are Peter's sisters.

12. French Revolution figure: MARAT.

13. 2032 Summer Olympics host city: BRISBANE. LA next. 

14. Covered patios: LANAIS.

15. Improviser's forte: AD LIB.

16. Singer Horan of One Direction: NIALL. I confused him with Liam Payne.

17. Use a divining rod: DOWSE.

21. Gibson of "The Collective": TYRESE.

24. "Who cares?" attitude: APATHY.

25. Contact no.: TEL.

30. __ code: AREA.

32. Club spread: MAYO.

34. Crude outfit?: OPEC.

35. Lie in the sun: BASK.

36. Common web site: ATTIC. Spider web. 

37. Madrid museum: PRADO.

38. "The Old __ Bucket": Woodworth poem: OAKEN.

40. Sport that may involve chopping boards: KARATE.

41. Takes a taste: SIPS.

45. "Click It or Ticket" restraint: SEAT BELT. 53. Release, as a 45-Down: UNCLIP.

47. Old-school paper copies: DITTOS. Didn't know this meaning.  

48. Sun. message: SER. Sermon. 

49. Shrek's sort: OGRE.

50. Bass offerings: ALES.

51. Made a meal for: FED.

54. Use a surgical beam: LASE.

56. Steelers' div.: AFC NORTH.

60. Poe-like: GOTHIC.

61. Avignon approvals: OUIS.

64. "Go, go, go!": RUN.

65. Grows older: AGES.

67. Actor Mahershala: ALI.

68. Nebraska divider: PLATTE.

70. Part of NSFW: NOT.

72. "Bad Monkey" novelist Hiaasen: CARL.

73. Sandpapery: COARSE.

74. Cake by the sink: SOAP. Bar soap. 

75. Turn salmon into lox, say: CURE.

78. Some Ralph Lauren casuals: POLOS.

79. Nonreactive, in chemistry: INERT.

80. Appetizing: TASTY.

81. Upscale amenity: SPA.

83. Bldg. unit: APT.

85. Music scholar known for a Beethoven catalog: HESS. Willy Hess. Another learning moment for me. 

88. Sorcery: DARK ARTS.

90. Open-mouthed: AGOG.

91. Heavyweight battle: SUMO.

92. Crushed, as an exam: ACED.

93. Some fast-food outlets: SONICS.

96. Fancy party: BALL. Here is a picture of Big Easy and his wife Diane from their annual Woodstock charity dance. 

97. Opts for: ELECTS.

100. Pump number: OCTANE.

101. "La Vie en Rose" Oscar winner Cotillard: MARION. So pretty. 

103. Stadiums, e.g.: VENUES.

105. Rugged rocks: CRAGS.

106. "Are you listening to me?": HELLO.

107. Up to, timewise: UNTIL.

108. Cautions: WARNS.

109. Zip: NIL.

111. __ tot: TATER.

114. Some M&M's: REDS.

115. Caribbean color: AQUA.

117. Hayworth of "Gilda": RITA. She was married to Orson Welles for a while.

118. Gloom partner: DOOM.

119. Cozy quarters: INNS.

122. Wine label word: CRU.

123. Beer barrel: KEG.

124. Raised trains: ELS.

Constructor Andrea Carla Michaels has been in town for the National Puzzlers' League Convention. She kindly invited me for a walk around Lake Harriet. We stopped by her childhood home, and by sheer luck luck, the current owner's daughters were there and invited us inside. The house, now on the market, is absolutely gorgeous. Afterwards, we rode the streetcar. When we got off, Andrea struck up a conversation with a French couple visiting Minneapolis. She spoke with them in fluent French for about 10 minutes. Stunning. Andrea also speaks Italian. 

Saturday, July 19, 2025, Chandi Deitmer and Erik Agard

  Saturday Themeless by Chandi Deitmer and Erik Agard

           

Chandi wrote, I am a full-time puzzler out of Cambridge, MA with a love of nice people, spicy food, and (whatever entry POWER CLASHING is!). Hmmm...I wonder who came up with that clue/fill? 😀

Erik Agard (born 1993) is a crossword solver, constructor, and editor. He is the winner of the 2016 LollapuzzoolaExpress Division, the 2018 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT), a frequent contributor to the New York Times crossword puzzle, a crossword constructor for The New Yorker, the former USA Today crossword editor, and a former Jeopardy! contestant. He is currently a crossword editor at Apple News+.

I had a lovely trip through this collaboration but POWER CLASHING, BURBLE and MOCHI DONUT were speed bumps. Also, 46, 47 and 53 Down were just devious. I got the fill and then wracked what little brain power I had to make sense of them. 

Across:

1. Take off: STRIP.

6. Book jacket blurbs: BIOS.

10. Cover one's tracks?: DUB 😀 - Did you enjoy the "singing" of Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Marni Nixon was the actual performer who glorious singing voice was DUBBED over for these famous roles.

 

13. African capital with a City of the Dead: CAIRO - More info

14. Step in some Sun Salutations: COBRA POSE - Number 5 below

16. Attorney-__: AT LAW.

17. Boxing titles?: RING NAMES - Take a guess at the RING NAME of this boxing great Walker Smith Jr.. Answer at bottom of write-up *.

18. Greta of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse": LEE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ She voiced a character named Layla

19. GPS figs.: ETAS - My GPS does not consider detours and construction zones or my tendency to drive 4mph over the speed limit so my Estimated Time of Arrival is not always so accurate. 

21. Echelons: TIERS.

22. Magnetic presence in a classroom?: DRY-ERASE BOARD - My classroom board was home to many NASA and Disney magnetic "stickers"

26. Retired players?: VCRS - Failure to expand the idea of "players" made this take more time than necessary. At first I thought of baseball and OUTS.

27. Screenwriter's creations: ARCS - Those of us with a few miles on our tires will remember the name of the show whose story ARC was the search for the one-armed-man killer. Show is named below**

28. Halyard attachments: SAILS - This land lubber confused halyard with lanyard  which is where we coaches carry our whistle and convention goers wear their ID'S. 😀

30. Dose holder: VIAL.

31. Pewter element: TIN.

34. Setting for some of "Pachinko": KOREA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

35. Participate in story time: TELL A TALE.

37. GPS fig.: LAT - This screen shot shows you the LAT and LONG of the White House.

38. Catch: SNAG.

40. Stream-ing music?: BURBLE - Not a common word to me but exchanging it for BUBBLE gave me TRANCHE

41. Increases: UPS.

42. Some social circles?: HORAS. 😀

44. Standard intro course: SALAD 😀 the course was "intro" not "first". I wonder if this was a product of Chandi or Erik.

45. Rice flour pastry: MOCHI DONUT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. Team whose logo is a basketball with a B: NETS.

49. In some cases, it won't break: PHONE 😀 My iPhone is in an Otter Box case and has been saved several times

50. Surprisingly good event?: MIRACLE - The 1980 Lake Placid Olympics is truly one

52. Conductor Solti who held the record for most Grammys before Beyoncé: GEORG.

53. Slayer player: METAL HEAD.

55. Classic Monopoly token: IRON.

56. Ticket line?: ONE PLEASE.

57. Misses: GALS - Noun not verb

58. Worked into a lather: SUDSY 

59. Word with chosen or precious: FEW.

Down:

1. Prep, as milk for custard: SCALD.

2. Spud: TATER.

3. B.B. King's given name: RILEY.

4. SIMPLE __: IRA.

5. Looks in two different directions at once?: POWER CLASHING ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It's a fashion "thing". Chandi's note to me said she did not enter this. 😀

6. City that can be seen from Table Rock: BOISE.

7. Male equivalent of "bint," in Arabic: IBN.

8. Edu alternative: ORG.

9. Man known for his many gifts: SANTA CLAUS.

10. Like many mosques: DOMED.

11. App opener: USER.

12. Téa's "Madam Secretary" role: BESS.

14. Uncouth: CRASS.

15. Skating event: PAIRS.

20. Paves the way?: TARS.

23. Irish novelist Woods: EVIE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

24. Leave folks hanging: BAIL.

25. Big name in brushes: ORAL-B.

28. Genre originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble: SOAP OPERA.

29. Media training?: ART SCHOOL 😀

30. Honey-don't list?: VEGAN MENU - I'm a "meat and taters" kind of guy!

31. Dining room section: TABLE LEAF 😀 Ours are stored in the dining table.

32. Unsettled: ILL AT EASE.

33. Maslovian considerations: NEEDS - I studied (read memorized) these for my Master's Degree and then forgot them.

34. Kloss's "Project Runway" predecessor: KLUM.

Heidi Klum   Karlie Kloss

35. Tropical staple: TARO.

36. Financial term from the French for "slice": TRANCHE - This compelling scene from Margin Call uses the word TRANCHE and gives insight into a big cause of the 2008 financial crisis. It's worth 9:48 of your time.

39. Place to make a connection: NODE - Part of a Local Area Network

43. Apt: SUITED.

46. Lockers in a row?: HORNS  - Wow, variations on locker, row and horns! Here we see two kudu locking HORNS during a row (rhymes with cow). People can do the same thing metaphorically. 

47. Quarry containers: TRAPS - Continuing with animal references, some people use TRAPS to catch whatever quarry they are after. 

51. Person to fight with: ALLY - Two ways to go: The person who is with you and fighting on your side is an ally. The person who is not with you is someone you are fighting with/against.

52. Piece of work?: GIG.

53. JASON's five, e.g.: MOS - I got this eventually. JASON stands for the first letters in the MO.'S July through November. All capital letters in the clue put me off the name and MOS is most likely months. Aarrgghh! 

54. __ point: DEW - Recent numbers for Omaha.

*Walker Smith Jr. fought as Sugar Ray Robinson

**Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) sought the one-armed-man who killed his wife in The Fugitive