Friday, October 3, 2025, Alan Southworth

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday puzzle created by Alan Southworth.  Alan made his NYT debut in 2018.  I did not find a previous label for Alan on the Corner blog site so this may be his debut in the LAT.

Today's theme is pretty straightforward (as so many of them are once we "grok" them) so let's start with the reveal:

54 Across:  "I can't see through you!," and what's needed to complete 17-, 24-, 33-, and 45-Across?: DOWN IN FRONT.

We are asked to mentally add the word DOWN in front of the themed answers completed in the grid in order to derive the correct/complete answers to those clues.

Here are the four places where the gimmick is employed:

17 Across:  Said, "Skipping school isn't a big deal," say?:  (DOWN) PLAYED HOOKY.

24 Across:  Australian-themed amusement park?:  (DOWN) UNDER WORLD.  Down Under being a nickname for Australia. . .

33 Across:  Unused vacation days, essentially?:  (DOWN) TIME TO SPARE.  Extra downtime.

45 Across:  Recession indicator?:  (DOWN) TURN SIGNAL.  An indicator of an economic down turn.

Here is the completed grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Cold nuggets: ICE.  Anyone misread this as Gold nuggets?

4. Fluffy accessory: BOA.  What’s the difference between a BOA and a Python?  A Python doesn’t have feathers.

7. Bus. type: LLC. Limited Liability Company

10. "Last four digits" ID: SSN.

13. Some Argentine reds: MALBECS.  MALBEC  is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine.

15. Lock insert: OAR.  Not a door lock reference.  A rowing reference.

16. GPS prediction that accounts for traffic: ETA.  Stands for Estimated Time of Arrival, but, much like SSN, now stands on its own.

19. Iran neighbor: Abbr.: PAK.  PAKistan

20. Fails to mention: OMITS.

21. Game cube: DIE.  Singular of dice.

22. Mother in a stable family?: MARE.  Stable as in where horses might reside.

23. Philosopher Descartes: RENE.  Along with RENE Magritte, a frequent visitor.

27. __ table: TRESTLE.

29. Online biz: ETAIL.  A portmanteau often seen in our puzzles.  Electronic retailing.

30. Berry touted as a superfood: ACAI.  Frequently consumed in our puzzles.

32. Crewmate of Sulu and Bones: SCOTTY.  A Star Trek reference.  Remember "The Monster Mash"?  Bobby "Boris" Pickett also came up with this in 1975:

Star Drek

36. Learn backward and forward: MASTER.

38. Laura Lippman genre: NOIR.  Laura Lippman is an American journalist and author of over 20 detective fiction novels. Her novels have won multiple awards, including an Agatha Award, seven Anthony Awards, two Barry Awards, an Edgar Award, a Gumshoe Award, a Macavity Award, a Nero Award, two Shamus Awards, and two Strand Critics Award.

39. Carrier renamed in 1997: US AIR.  All you (might) want to know:  Wiki - US Airways

40. Says grace over, say: BLESSES.  Here's one:

Heavenly Father, As we stand before this microwave-made marvel, we bow our heads and ask for a touch of guidance. Bless us with the wisdom to interpret cooking times without triggering popcorn explosions.  May our reheated leftovers be as satisfying as the first time around, and may our mealtime excitement far exceed our microwave’s ding. With gratitude for modern convenience and a sprinkle of humor, we pray, Amen

49. __ Scotia: NOVA.

50. Locale of the 2018, 2020, and 2022 Olympics: ASIA.  South Korea, Japan, China.

51. Murmur: COO.

52. Group of talking heads: PANEL.

53. Word with school or party: BUS.

57. Not long. for this world?: LAT.  Longitude and LATitude.  The dot after the long. abbreviation was the tip off.

58. Airbnb alternative: INN.

59. Whistle blower: REFEREE.  A clue to be taken literally and not idiomatically.

60. High trains: ELS.  Famous ones run through Chicago.

61. Ed.'s pile: MSS.  ManuScriptS

62. Having everything one needs: SET.  My record collection includes Bruce Springsteen, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Tom Petty. It’s almost a full Heartland Rock SET . . . Close, but no Seger.

63. Go on to say: ADD.

Down:

1. Significance: IMPORT.  Not as in to bring goods into a country from abroad.  Used, here, as a noun.

2. Less windy: CALMER.  Also, how we may feel after completing the puzzle.

3. Paige known as the "First Lady of British Musical Theatre": ELAINE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

4. Some drones: BEES.  Not the kind of drones that deliver packages, spy on us and deliver explosives.

5. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.

6. Fire proof?: ASH.  Not fire resistant.  Evidence of a fire.

7. Sarge's superior: LOOIE.  Slang.  Sergeant and Lieutenant.

8. Luka Doncic, for one: LAKER.  A basketball reference.

9. Weep: CRY.

10. Not together: SEPARATE.  Apart.

11. Like a clear night: STARLIT.   A well known example by Van Gough:

12. With nothing to hide: NAKEDLY.  Hmmm.   Quite the job of teeing things up but we'll keep it safe for work by presenting, instead, a wonderful book that this solver read nearly thirty years ago.

14. Data units: BYTES.  A computer reference.

18. Like half the numbers on a 21-Across: ODD.

22. The "Mo" of Motown: MOTOR.  Detroit aka MOTOR City.

24. Stomach woe: ULCER.

25. Not on the rocks: NEAT.  A reference as to how alcohol might be served.

26. "You're important to us": WE CARE.

28. Big cat handlers: TAMERS.

31. Cyclotron particle: ION.

32. "__ the tea!": SPILL.  Colloquialism for gossiping.

33. Romanov supporters: TSARISTS.

34. Turner memoir: I TINA.  Not Nat Turner.  Not Ted Turner.

35. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA.

36. Not set in stone: MUTABLE.  More often seen as its opposite, IMMUTABLE.

37. Just like always: AS USUAL.  Not mutable, I suppose.

41. Catch: SNARE.

42. Hermosillo's state: SONORA.  This time the state is in Mexico (although it does border the USA).

43. Leveled (out): EVENED.

44. Like some peanuts and winter roads: SALTED.

46. Clicked images: ICONS.  A computer, or cell phone, screen reference.  What would happen if we were to click on a Pop Icon?

47. Met Gala interview topics: GOWNS.  . . .  and who are you wearing?

48. Starter start: NON.  A couple of weeks ago we had NAAN Profit.

52. Scoffing sound: PFFT.  Punt!

54. Not bright: DIM. I got tired of flipping the little switch on my rear view mirror to DIM the reflected headlights.  So I removed the whole mirror.  I haven’t looked back since.

55. E-file org.: IRS.

56. Once named: NEE.  As in Jacqueline Kennedy NEE Bouvier.

Well, we have now gone completely DOWN the list of clues so that will have to do it for today.  Yours truly will once again (what, again?) be taking some time off to  travel.  First to Japan "just for the halibut" and then to NYC for the Bat Mitzvah of a long-time friend's granddaughter.  

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Friday, September 19, 2025, Zhou Zhang

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here, back from the Rocky Mountains with a recap of a puzzle by Zhou Zhang.  Hmm, both of our names are alliterative.  That and five dollars will get you a cup of coffee.

Let's jump right in with the unifier:

66 Across:  Fueled up before a big race, or a description of the answers to the starred clues?: CARBO LOADED.

Each of the following four theme answers references a form of carbohydrates:

19 Across:  *Earnings for a restaurant with a tandoor?: NAAN PROFITS.  FROM NON PROFITS.  With this erudite crowd there's no need to explain what NAAN is.

25 Across:  *Bun that's a really big hit?: STARRING ROLL.  From STARRING ROLE

43 Across:  *One who eats the same brand of corn flakes every morning?: CEREAL MONOGAMIST.  From SERIAL MONOGAMIST

55 Across:  *Ciabatta Chihuahua or pumpernickel Pomeranian?: PURE BREAD DOG.  From PUREBRED DOG.

This is how the completed grid looks:

... and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. __ second: LEAP.  Hand up for first thinking something along the lines of NANO second.

5. Percussion troupe since 1991: STOMP.

10. Prickly plants: CACTI.

15. Cream alternative: ECRU.  Not a reference to a dairy product.  Not a reference to a super group band.  Not slang for trouncing.  A reference to a color.

16. Eaglet's home: AERIE.

17. Astronaut Ochoa: ELLEN.  All You Might Want To Know

18. Tons: A LOT.

21. Handles: NAMES.  Handle, in this case, being slang for, well, NAME.

23. Bill: NOTE.  As in "C-note" or banknote

24. Each: A POP.  Slang for apiece.

29. Japanese artist and peace activist: ONO.  A frequent visitor.

30. Fuss: TODO.

31. Crocheter's stash: YARN.

33. Yearning: ITCH.

36. Large mammals in matrilineal groups: ORCAS.  "Large mammals" would have sufficed.

40. Paint option: MATTE.  Gloss.  Semi-gloss.  Flat.

46. Ages: YEARS.  It makes more sense in French.  Par exemple:  Quel age avez vous?  J'ai soixante-quinze ans.

47. Panache: STYLE.

48. Wasabi __: PEAS.  Tasty

49. Heroic deed: FEAT.  Finding Bigfoot would be no small FEAT.

51. Upfront stake: ANTE.  As in a poker game.

53. Beloved rock, e.g.: PET.  Remember the fad from the 1970's ?

62. Actor Idris: ELBA.  Another frequent visitor.

64. __ bean: LIMA.  Might have been clued as ____ , Ohio . . . or _____ Peru.

65. ID on a map: IDAHO.  Not a reference to identification.  A state's abbreviation.

70. Kiwi-shaped: OVAL.  Technically, OVOID.

71. Gobbled down: ATE UP.  Nice word play with down and up.

72. Backsplash installer: TILER.  The five florists I called earlier today knew absolutely nothing about laying carpet or tile.  And yet I’m the idiot....

73. Kite flyer's need: WIND.  If there's no WIND you must WIND up your kite string.

74. Grown efts: NEWTS.  Frequent amphibian visitors, both.

75. With a wink: SLYLY.

76. Confidentiality docs: NDAS.  Non Disclosure AgreementS have become a crossword staple.

Down:

1. Tends (toward): LEANS.

2. Pizzazz: ECLAT.

3. Feature of a rose garden in full bloom: AROMA.

4. "Shake on it": PUT 'ER THERE.

5. __ Diego: SAN.  It could have been DON Diego (de la Vega).

6. Leaves that might be red or read: TEA.  Nice word play with red and read.

7. Chimp kin: ORANG.  Chimpanzee / ORANGutan

8. Like a key that may evoke sadness: MINOR.

9. __-Bismol: PEPTO.

10. GM's Mary Barra, for one: CEO.  Mary Teresa Barra is an American businesswoman who has been the chair and chief executive officer of General Motors since January 15, 2014. She is the first female CEO of a 'Big Three' automaker.

11. Italian auto, familiarly: ALFA.  ALFA Romeo.

12. Neckwear suitable for a young child: CLIP ON TIE.  

13. Western Wyoming county: TETON.  How The Grand Tetons Got Their Name

14. Insta browsing goal, perhaps: INSPO.  INSPIRATION.  Meh . . . or maybe I am just of the wrong generation.

20. Depend (on): RELY.  

22. Sign of a packed house: SRO.  Standing Room Only

26. Adored celebrity: IDOL.

27. Benchmarks: NORMS.  If Al Yankovic wasn't weird he'd be called NORM Al.

28. Tibetan monk: LAMA.

32. Decreased: RAMPED DOWN.  Much more frequently used as RAMPED UP

33. Distant: ICY.  ICY what they tried to do here.

34. Wardrobe staple: TEE.

35. Concoction that might be pint-sized: CRAFT BREW.  Literally, pint sized.

37. Tent bed: COT.  If you sin 90 times, you'll only get caught 50% of the time because sin 90 = cot 45.

38. Vague amount: ANY.

39. Like a system that's revolutionary?: SOLAR.  A bit of a stretch but not completely off base.

41. PreCheck org.: TSA.

42. GRE org.: ETS.

44. "Stat!": ASAP.  As Soon As Possible

45. Inheritance factor: GENE.

50. Rock's Jethro __: TULL.  Fronted by Ian Anderson

52. __ chi: TAI.

53. Louisiana's state nut: PECAN.  Think pralines.

54. Overjoy: ELATE.  We are often ELATEd in our puzzles.

56. Hilarious folks: RIOTS.  An idiom that is often seen in our puzzles.

57. Username, often: EMAIL.

58. More than anything: BADLY. 

59. Naturalist Attenborough: DAVID.  Sir DAVID Frederick Attenborough is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer.

60. Family, in Hawaiian: OHANA.  A straightforward definition.  Lilo and Stitch have popularized the word.

61. Gym chain that began in Venice Beach: GOLDS.  

63. Be next to: ABUT.  What does the seat of your pants ABUT?

67. Special __: OPS.

68. Fish that swims by generating waves: EEL.

69. Not sweet: DRY.  A wine reference.

. . . and always be sure to use an appropriate glass.

. . . Not a bad idea.  Cheers, everyone!

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Friday, August 8, 2025, Jess Rucks

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalisits!  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday puzzle by Jess Rucks.  From Jess' website:

Jess Rucks (she/her) is a crossword constructor living Colorado; she is a Minnesotan at heart. Her puzzles have been published in The New York Times, Apple News+, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Universal, AVCX, AVCX+, Boswords, Puzzmo, and The Inkubator.  She runs the monthly Constructor Spotlight feature at Daily Crossword Links.  Jess is also a licensed school counselor and a licensed professional counselor candidate who provides clinical play-based therapy to elementary students in schools.

Today, Jess takes us on a visit to the third dimension.  Well, to 3-D anyway.  Each of the four themed-answers consists of words containing the letter D three times.  For those seeking an introduction to said letter:

Yep, that's it.  Simple and yet quite elegant.  Here are the places where the gimmick is employed:

16 Down:  3D film?: DROP DEAD GORGEOUS.  A 1999 satirical mockumentary movie.

25 Down:  3D puzzle?: WORD LADDER.   A type of puzzle progression with which most crossword solvers are familiar

47 Down:  3D animation?: DONALD DUCK.  No introduction needed.

59 Dow: . 3D printing?: DAVID COPPERFIELD.  Printing?  That threw this solver for a while.  Aha!  A book is printed.

This is how is all looks in the grid:

... and now for the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Blush wine: ROSE.  ROSE wines incorporate some color from the skins of the grapes but not enough to qualify as a RED wine.

5. Howling canine: WOLF.  Not a tooth ache.

9. [She said what!?]: GASP.  

13. Loot: BOOTY.  Not being used, in this instance, as in "to shake one's BOOTY".

14. Geometry calculation: AREA.  Width times length.

15. Harmonizer, often: ALTO.  See also 21 Across.  Very clever of Jess to work this pair, and 6/23 Down, and also 58/60 Down into the puzzles.  Brava!

19. Buffoons: OAFS.  What is the difference between a cat on a couch and a dim witted cow?  One is a cat loaf and the other is a cattle OAF.

20. Some ER pros: RNS.  Registered NurseS

21. Soprano's part, usually: MELODY.  See Also 15 Across

22. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.

23. Forever and a day: EON.  A time span often spent in our puzzles . . . but, fortunately, not in solving them.

24. Sweet start?: SEMI.

29. Fragrant latte: CHAI.  Frequently served up in our puzzles.

33. Drag icon with 14 Emmys: RU PAUL.

34. Throw on the floor: RUG.  Throw is not used in the clue as a verb.  A throw RUG.

35. D.C. summer hrs.: EDT.  Eastern Daylight Time

36. Globes: ORBS.  If the theme had been 2D instead of 3D I could have gone with the John Hartford song here.        Oh, 'common, I'm not the only one who thought of that!

37. Hieroglyph beetle: SCARAB.

40. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS.  A World Heritage Site.

41. "Seize the Awkward" spot, e.g.: PSA.  Public Service Announcement

42. Fix, in a bad way: RIG.  As in to rig an election.  There was also a line from Stan Freberg - "You mean to tell me that, on top of everything else, this ship is RIGged!?"

43. Hang out after checking for rain?: AIR DRY.  Hang something on the clothesline to dry.

45. Basic French verb: ETRE.  Être meaning "to be" and avoir meaning "to have" form the bedrock of French conjugation.

49. Step on someone's toes, perhaps: TRIP.  A clue to be taken literally and not idiomatically.  Still, a bit of a stretch.

51. Alias indicator: AKA.  Also Known As.

52. Cuban ingredient: HAM.  As in a Cuban sandwich.

54. Native Nebraskans: OMAHAS.  . . . and an eponymous city... and, without the S, the title of a Moby Grape song.

57. Reggae kin: SKA.  Everything You Need To Know - Ska vs Reggae  See also 32 Down.

58. "Queen of Country" McEntire: REBA.

Fancy

63. Corp. bigwig: EXEC.  Abbreviated clue, abbreviated answer.  EXECutive

64. Boo-boo: OWIE.  Kidspeak.

65. Animal whose name means "eater of bark" in Algonquian: MOOSE.

Thanks, perps.

66. Entitled men?: SIRS.  Men with titles.

67. Snow day toy: SLED.  Hi, Calvin!  Hi, Hobbes!

68. Field for Kahlo y Burga: ARTE.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Art, in English.

Down:

1. High point of hospitality?: ROOF TOP BAR.  Another clue meant to be taken literally.

2. "My b!": OOPS.  "My bad!"  What’s the most terrifying word in nuclear physics?  Oops!

3. Norm: Abbr.: STD.  STandarD.

4. "What-ev-er!" expressions: EYE ROLLS.

5. Gum balls?: WADS.  My aunt always put a WAD of Copenhagen between her cheek and gun before swimming . . .  She liked taking a dip.

 

6. Nonprofit domain: ORG.  See also 23 Down.  A .ORG domain extension is short for organization, and it was initially intended for non-profit organizations. Over time, however, it has expanded to include other groups, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charities, educational institutions, and community-driven projects. 

7. Nocturnal cat?: LEO.  You can see the LEO constellation at night.

8. Seed money investor?: FARMER.  Cute play on words.  FARMERS invest money in seeds.

9. Celtic language: GAELIC.  The only GAELIC that this solver knows is Sláinte !

10. Potatoes, in Urdu: ALOO.   And now for something completely different...

11. __ finder: STUD.  A handy device to have if one is hanging something heavy on the wall of their home.

12. Small bouquet: POSY.

13. Sausage that may be boiled in bier: BRATWURST.  Bier, with the German spelling, was the tip off.

16. "__ dare?": DO I.

17. Karenina of literature: ANNA.

18. Ruby, e.g.: GEM.

23. Academic domain: EDU.  See also 6 Down.  The ending for an online domain associated with a school or university.

24. Creator of Sonic and Knuckles: SEGA.  A video game reference.

26. Dorm figs.: RAS.  Resident AdvisorS  or Assistants   Domitory 

27. Sink hole: DRAIN.  Another clue to be taken literally.  A hole in the sink.

28. Hindu goddess whose name means "impassable": DURGA.  Unknown to this solver. Thanks, perps.  From Wikipedia:  

Durga is a principal Hindu goddess, worshipped as a central aspect of the supreme goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga is seen as a motherly figure and often depicted as a beautiful woman, riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon and often defeating demons.

30. Dish that resembles a jellied meatloaf: HEAD CHEESE.  Despite its name it is neither cheese nor a dairy product.

31. Endearingly nerdy: ADORKABLE.  A portmanteau.  Adorable / Dork

32. Teeny: ITSY.

A ReggaeSka Cover

33. Lasso: ROPE.

38. __ rotation: CROP.

39. Many unhappy returns?: BAD KARMA

40. "Ur so right": TRU.  IMHO not the best moment in the puzzle.  TRU?

44. Investigative journalist __ B. Wells: IDA.  A frequent visitor.

46. Moral philosophy: ETHICS.  What do you call a guy who believes in ETHICal treatment of spiders?  PETA Parker.

47. Spots for hustlers: DISCOS.  Do the Hustle.

48. Tahoe, for one: LAKE.  Lots of ways to clue LAKE.

50. "Gnarly!": RAD.  Power Thesaurus lists 584 synonyms for gnarly.

53. Fit to be tied: MAD.

54. Some Keats works: ODES.  ODE to a cold:

When your nose is runny 

Some people think it's funny

But it'snot

55. Dress choice: MAXI.

56. Assert: AVER.  To AVER is to affirm and to AVOW is to openly declare.

57. Ignored the signs, perhaps: SPED.

58. Real hoot: RIOT.  See also 60 Down

60. Real hooter: OWL.  See also 58 Down

61. March 14 dessert: PIE.  March 14th, or 3/14 or 314 or 3.14 or 

62. Not against: FOR.  Straightforward.

. . . and, on that positive note . . . well, maybe not just quite yet.  If you've got six minutes to spare let Weird Al bracket today's journey through the third dimension:

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M M OUT