Orthorunics: Wednesday, Apr 9th, 2025 ~ Catherine Cetta

CURSES, CIRCLES~!

It's the way the cat looks back at the camera

I had the pleasure of blogging Catherine's puzzle back on January 8th, on my 20yr AA anniversary; we had one other from her last month, with the ascending do-re-mi theme. Today we have four theme answers ( two that are unique to crosswords ) containing scrambled synonyms for MAD in the dreaded circles; just a couple of names, twenty-one 3LWs, but then again 18 five-letter words. A standard 15x15 grid, and nothing too obscure for a Wednesday; just the one word highlighted in the grid below for me. The themers;

18. Nerf squirt gun in the National Toy Hall of Fame: SUPER SOAKER - SORE

24. Emergency evacuation rehearsal: FIRE DRILL - RILED

38. Inequality in access to technology: DIGITAL DIVIDE - LIVID - one source of inequality info

51. Piano larger than a spinet: BABY GRAND - ANGRY - large piano~? Pffft

Proposed Organ for a church in Rhode Island

57. Frantic, last-minute rush, and what can be found in each set of circled letters in this puzzle?:

MAD SCRAMBLE

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like a texter who sends a crying emoji: SAD - 😢 Blogger does not have a simple "sad" : - (

4. Frittata ingredients: EGGS - filled via perps; I have heard of this dish, but . . . .

...now methinks I want to make one - but eggs are pricey right now

8. Words to live by: MOTTOS - "Don't be a troll" is what us Cornerites like to say 😜

14. Green prefix: ECO

15. Simple fastener: SNAP

16. Wayward: ERRANT

17. Took off: RAN

20. Pop star: IDOL - Billy Idol, still rocking at 70; a quiet remake of his 1984 hit

Eyes Without A Face - the chorus is in Frawche ( les yeux sans visage * )

22. Grassy meadow: LEA

23. Himalayan Bigfoot: YETI - Sasquatch~!

28. Compare prices: SHOP

29. Texas team in the American League since 2013: ASTROS - I know we are into the 2025 baseball season now, and our hostess C.C. is a huge fan, but I just don't care for the sport - boooring . . . . and I did not know Huston moved to the "other" league

30. Approves: OKs

33. Dawn goddess: EOS - not the makeup this time

34. Kia crossover SUVs: SOULS

36. Instant noodles option: RAMEN

41. Wear away: ERODE

42. Place of refuge: OASIS

43. Bioengineered food initials: GMO - Genetically Modified Organisms - the "dot gov" site

44. Sp. woman: SRA

46. On deck: UP NEXT - a little baseball lingo, as well

49. Christian period after Carnival: LENT - I 'gave up' giving a S#** for Lent - best 40 days ever; try it

54. Length x width: AREA

55. Pre-K sequence: A B C

56. Winter blanket: SNOW - CT got a "wintry mix" yesterday, but I'm putting the snow blower away

62. Responded to a rumbling tummy: ATE

63. For the time being, in some titles: PRO TEM - Literal Latin, pro tempore

64. Looks at: EYES - yeux again~!?!

65. Barely passing grade: DEE - A, B, C, and now D

66. With reason: SANELY

67. Leak out slowly: SEEP

68. Thumb drive port: USB

DOWN:

1. Stroke that some fonts are "sans": SERIF

2. National park near Bar Harbor: ACADIA

3. GoFundMe contributors: DONORS - I am contemplating starting a page like this for my board game production; I can make a prototype easy, and sell through Amazon ( or Etsy, etc. ) - BUT - if I need to "mass produce", I don't know where to turn for manufacturing, and it will cost money - I'll offer a free game to those who donate, say, $20~?

4. The last of us?: ESS - very clever; only two letters - - first you, then ess

5. Bearded beast: GNU

Gn-no Gn-news, is Good Gn-news, with Gary Gnus

6. Banana Republic parent company: GAP

7. Hex: SPELL

8. Home of two Cactus League stadiums: MESA

pre-season MLB baseball in the Phoenix, Arizona area

9. __ y plata: phrase on Montana's state flag: ORO - Gold and Silver

10. Cafeteria carriers: TRAYS

11. Pay attention: TAKE HEED - alright, there are some circles I pay attention to . . . .

How about a montage of hoop gymnastics~?

12. Low tie score: ONE TO ONE - I put in ZERO ZERO

13. Formats for funnies: STRIPS - comic STRIP

19. Move, in brokerese: RELOcate

21. "C'mon! It's time!": "LET'S GO~!"

25. iPhone alternatives: DROIDS - ANDROID didn't fit; the "abbr" didn't occur to me

26. Networking device: ROUTER

27. Land in the agua: ISLA

31. __ Kreme donuts: KRISPY

32. Building a nest egg: SAVING - I like to think I am "diversified"

35. __-mo replay: SLO

37. Tightwads: MISERS - it IS one way of "SAVING"

38. Natural brown sugar: DEMERARA - never heard of this; a unique crossword fill, too. More here

39. Like some patches: IRONED ON - I typed in IRON, but ON didn't finish the fill. . . .Ah.

40. Apply haphazardly: DAUB

43. Stays in a luxury yurt, say: GLAMPS - popular in crosswords; Glamorous Camping

Hey, they at least built a fire . . .

45. "Mamma Mia!" band: ABBA - saw them on Monday along with "LENT"

47. Eden in Coleridge's "Kubla Khan": XANADU - no clue; filled via perps

48. Govt. securities: T-NOTES - The "dot gov"; my cash gets 4% INT at Robin Hood and Discover

50. Flavor: TASTE

52. Pinnacles: ACMES - Third time this puzzle intersected with Monday and sumdaze's very punny write-up; I like to think ACME is a singular word, implying the ONE place to reach - better yet, an online store for great anvils, bird seed, etc.