Tuesday December 30, 2025

QOD:  I always prefer to believe the best of everybody ~ it saves so much trouble.  ~  Rudyard Kipling (né Joseph Rudyard Kipling; Dec. 30, 1865 ~ Jan. 18. 1936), British author

Don't leave mad, just leave.  

20-Across. Departure instructions for an ornithologist?: LEAVE THE NEST.  Birds leave the Nest.

35-Across. Departure instructions for a railway worker?: MAKE TRACKS.  Railway workers leave the Tracks.

42-Across. Departure instructions for a student pilot?: TAKE FLIGHT.  Pilots leave when they take Flight.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Plan for ending involvement, or an apt title for this puzzle: EXIT STRATEGY. 

Across:
1. Closes, as a parka: ZIPS.

5. Animal that may sleep upside down: SLOTH.  Sloths are interesting creatures.  They are so incredibly slow that it can take them a month to digest a leaf.  Did you know that they can swim?  They are faster in water than on land.

10. Morning joe: JAVA.

14. Prepare for publication: EDIT.

15. Secret stash: CACHE.

16. Decorative pitcher in still lifes: EWER.

Still Life with Ewer, by Willem Kalf

17. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.

18. Catchall option on a survey: OTHER.

19. Smartphone message: TEXT.

23. Keyboard key with an arrow: ENTER.

24. Behr product: PAINT.

28. Zodiac sign boundaries: CUSPS.

31. Green vegetable in a pod: PEA.

33. Soccer star Hamm: MIA.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm, b. Mar. 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She played as a forward for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004.

34. Not in support of: ANTI.

39. Box office bomb: FLOP.

40. Stadium: ARENA.

41. Eccentric fellow: COOT.  Also a water bird.

44. Play part: ROLE.

45. Blackjack card: ACE.

46. Spearheaded: LED.

47. Back tooth: MOLAR.

48. Gumption: NERVE.

50. Tiny bits: IOTAS.

59. Bowl over: STUN.

62. Unpleasant, as weather: NASTY.

63. Speck in the ocean: ISLE.

64. Machu Picchu country: PERU.  //  And 54-Down. Machu Picchu native: INCA.  Machu Picchu will really take your breath away.

65. Crossword hints: CLUES.

66. Old Testament brother: CAIN.  //  And 56. Old Testament brother: ESAU.  So many choices here.  I had to wait for the down answer to find Cain, who slew Abel.  This biblical story is the basic theme of John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden.  Esau was the fraternal twin brother of the patriarch, Jacob.  Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah.

67. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

68. Bright-eyed: ALERT.

69. Underwater vessels: SUBS.

Down:
1. Unbridled enthusiasm: ZEAL.

2. Loafing around: IDLE.  Not to be confused with Eric Idle, who is anything but.

Eric Idle (b. Mar. 29, 1943)

3. Bread with a pocket: PITA.

4. Hat worn by Abraham Lincoln: STOVE PIPE.

5. "Severance" star Adam: SCOTT.  Adam Scott (né Adam Paul Scott) also portrayed Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation.  I tried watching Severance, but quickly got bored.

6. Spinning shaper in a woodshop: LATHE.

7. Earthy pigment: OCHER.  This pigment contains ferric oxide, which gives it varying shades light yellow to brown or red.

8. Every now and __: sporadically: THEN.

9. Roll-call response: HERE.

10. Volkswagen sedan: JETTA.

11. Fill with wonder: AWE.

12. Irk: VEX.

13. Museum collection: ART.

 

21. Coast Guard rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  The Coast Guard Ensign is the most junior commissioned officer rank.

22. Practice boxing: SPAR.

25. "That works for me": I'M COOL.

26. Inventor Tesla: NIKOLA.  Nikola Tesla (July 9, 1856 ~ Jan. 7, 1943) was a Croatian-American inventor and futurist.  He is best known for designing the AC electrical system, the global standard for power transmission. In 1898, he also invented a remote-controlled boat.

27. Many a winery visitor: TASTER.

28. Flowy robe with long sleeves: CAFTAN.

29. Loosen, as a shoe: UNLACE.

30. Novelist Bram who created Dracula: STOKER.  Bram Stoker (né Abraham Stoker; Nov. 8, 1847 ~ Apr. 20, 1912) was an Irish novelist.  He is best known for writing the 1897 novel Dracula, the Transylvanian vampire.   and the creator of the fictional character Count Dracula.  Stoker never went to Transylvania, but did a lot of research to create its environs.

31. Phnom __, Cambodia: PENH.  Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia.

32. Coup d'__: sudden regime change: ETAT.

35. Like green-headed mallards: MALE.

36. Extremely dry: ARID.

37. Beer barrel: KEG.

38. Word puzzles with hidden messages: ACROSTICS.

43. Move a muscle: FLEX.

47. Goat's bleat: MAA.

49. Event site: VENUE.  Radio City Music Hall is the venue of the Rockettes.  Did you know that the Rockettes are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year?  The dance troupe was actually founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925 before moving to New York in 1932.  They were first known as the Missouri Rockets.  The venue has a seating capacity of just under 6,000!

50. Magazine edition: ISSUE.

51. Furry swimmer: OTTER.

52. Lovers' meeting: TRYST.

55. Like skyscrapers: TALL.

57. Smooth-talking: GLIB.

58. Cravings: YENS.  Not to be confused with the currency of Japan.

59. Pampering place: SPA.

60. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.

61. Web address: URL.  As in Universal Resource Locator.  This has become a crossword staple.

I make tracks now on this Penultimate day of 2025.  Wishing you all joy and health for 2026.  See you in January.

חתולה