Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire. The first word of each theme answer (Baloney, Bunk, Crock, Rot) is synonym for nonsense or foolishness.
17-Across. * Simple lunch box meal: BALONEY SANDWICH.
27-Across. * Dude ranch quarters: BUNK HOUSE.
32-Down. * Slow cookers: CROCK POTS.
35-Down. * Suffer forever: ROT IN HELL.
62. With 68-Across, sprinter's infraction, or what the answer to each starred clue has: FALSE. // And 68-Across. 68. See 62-Across: START. And together these answers give us a False Start.
Today's puzzle was crafted by C.C., our blog host. A nice puzzle to start off the new month.
Across:
1. Corn or sugarcane: CROP. There are a lot of sugarcane fields in Louisiana.
5. Best possible: IDEAL.
10. Seethe with anger: FUME.
14. Shout: YELL.
15. Monte __: Monaco resort: CARLO. Monte Carlo is where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Monaco is one of 5 European "micro-States" and Monte-Carlo is a district of Monaco.
16. "Already handling this": ON IT!
20. Newsroom worker: EDITOR.
21. In abundance: GALORE.
22. Manhattan liquor: RYE. While you are reading this, I am in Manhattan, although probably not drinking one. A Manhattan is a cocktail traditionally made with rye, sweet vermouth and bitters.
23. "About me" blurb: BIO. As in Biography.
25. "I'll return in a sec," in texts: BRB. Textspeak for Be Right Back.
26. Negative link: NOR. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will keep the mail carrier from delivering your mail. That was then. Today, my mail carrier never makes it to my house before it's quitting time.
30. Folded street food: TACO. // Not to be confused with 41-Across. Art colony near Santa Fe: TAOS. Although you can probably eat a Taco in Taos.
33. Nabe with some signs in Hangul: K-TOWN. Short for Koreatown / 코리아타운 . Hand up if you knew that Hangul is the writing system of the Korean language.
34. Very dry, as champagne: BRUT. "Brut" champagne, meaning "dry" in French, is generally considered high-quality style of champagne.
38. Work hard for: EARN.
39. Spicy: HOT.
40. Trickle slowly: OOZE.
42. Unenthusiastic: TEPID.
44. Chiwere speakers: OTOE. Chiwere is a Siouan language. The Otoe are a Native American tribe of the Midwestern United States.
45. Board game with hexagonal tiles: CATAN. I am not familiar with this game.
47. Asian mushroom: ENOKI. Enoki mushrooms are long, thin, and white mushrooms with a mild, flavor and a crunchy texture. I have eaten them in Chinese Hot Pot.
49. More dawdling: POKIER. The Poky Little Puppy was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. It is still popular today.
51. "Oh, dang!": AW, SNAP!
54. "How ya doin'?": 'SUP.
55. Argument: DISPUTE.
59. Color gradation: HUE.
60. Tiny bit of matter: ATOM.
63. Big Pharma products: MEDS.
64. __-Brite: LITE.
65. Heads for the hills: FLEES.
66. Dart like a dragonfly: FLIT.
67. Sports jersey material: MESH.
69. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.
Down:
1. Prefix with crime or security: CYBER.
2. Fully prepared: READY.
3. Snowboarding jump: OLLIE.
4. Scheme: PLOT.
5. Skater's hangout: ICE RINK.
6. Calendar unit: DAY.
7. Hosp. triage spots: ERs. As in Emergency Rooms.
8. Arroz __ cubana: rice dish with a fried egg: A LA. Arroz a la Cubana a rice dish made with white rice, fried egg, and tomato sauce. Other, non-meat, ingredients may also be added.
9. Extended time period: LONG RUN.
10. Turkeys, e.g.: FOWL.
11. Workers' group: UNION.
12. Prefix meaning "tiny": MICRO-. The Federated States of Micronesia is made up of over 600 tiny islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
13. Vanish into the __: ETHER.
18. Fusion chain with a signature miso-glazed black cod dish: NOBU. This restaurant appeared in a recent puzzle. I ate at the Nobu in Vegas last summer with 4 others. It's not cheap to eat there.
19. Applies lightly: DABS.
24. "Moving right along ... ": OK, THEN ...
25. Pasta shape made with a pinch: BOW TIE. // And 53-Down. Basil-based sauce: PESTO. You might use Pesto Sauce on Bow Tie Pasta.
27. Art of growing miniature trees: BONSAI.
28. Free throw target: HOOP.
29. Novels read on screens: E-BOOKS. Although I have some ebooks, I much prefer reading a paper book.
30. Lunar festival in Da Nang: Tết. Tết is short for Tết Nguyên Đán. Tết is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. The festival celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar and usually falls on January or February in the Gregorian calendar. The next celebration will be on February 16, 2026.
31. Battery size for some mice: AAA.
36. Aduba of "Mrs. America": UZO. Mrs. America was a television miniseries about the attempt to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Uzo Abuba (née Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba; b. Feb. 10, 1981) portrayed Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 30, 1924 ~ Jan. 1, 2005) in the series.
 |
| Uzo Abuba and Shirley Chisholm |
37. Casual shirt: TEE.
42. Taxes on imports: TARIFFS. Tariffs have been in the news in recent days.
43. Procedure that can determine ancestry: DNA TEST.
46. "Chopped" host Allen: TED. I never watched Chopped, so was unfamiliar with Ted Allen (né Edward Reese Allen; b. May 20, 1965).
48. Be in debt: OWE.
49. Sacred hymn: PSALM.
50. Belly button that protrudes: OUTIE.
52. Financial review: AUDIT.
56. Seasoning in shrimp paste: SALT. Shrimp paste is a fermented condiment used in Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks.
57. Earnest request: PLEA.
58. Software customer: USER.
61. "I've seen better": MEH!
63. Drama prof's degree: MFA. As in a Master of Fine Arts.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
