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Oct 13, 2025

Monday, October 13th, 2025 Ginny Too

Theme: Bear Necessities?


Bare Necessities

G'Day Cornerites!

Today, Ginny front loads the theme answers with a type of BEAR on the LEFT.

18. "Dream a Little Dream" singer: MAMA CASS. Papa bear, MAMA BEAR, Baby bear.



24. Symbol on a difficult ski run: BLACK DIAMOND. Black Bear.



40. Daily paper in the Windy City: CHICAGO SUN TIMES. Tribune didn't quite fit. The Sun Times is a daily nonprofit newspaper and the former home of Roger Ebert. Last Thursday NaomiZ illustrated a SUN BEAR (and SUN isn't far enough left) so...
 
Da Bears

52. Fast-casual Chinese restaurant chain: PANDA EXPRESS.

Good for a lunch at the airport

63. One option at a fork in the road, and an apt description of 18-, 24-, 40-, and 52-Across: BEAR LEFT.
Yogi is another BEAR on the LEFT

Due to the government shutdown, we didn't have:
Stubb's BBQ sauce flavor: SMOKEY MESQUITE [14] nor
"Being With You" Artist: SMOKEY ROBINSON [14]

We at The Corner hope SMOKEY BEAR resumes his National Parks duties soon.

Across:

1. Get plenty of sleep before a big event: REST UP.

7. Quick and nimble: SPRY.

11. __ Lock: PC key: NUM.

14. Starting squads: A-TEAMS.

15. French peak: ALPE.

16. CBS forensic franchise: CSI.

17. Hip-hop dance move: NAE NAE.


In case you need a refresher before rehearsal ;-)

18. [See: Theme]

20. Home project initials: DIY. Do It Yourself instead of hiring a contractor.

21. Thumb drive ports: USBS. Universal Serial Bus(es).

Quantum States of USB Connectors

23. Asian grocery chain: H-MART. The H is for Han Ah Reum (한아름), which means "an armful" in Korea [cite: WikiP]. We have two in Houston.

24. [See: Theme]

28. __ beer float: ROOT.
The Root Beer Bear

29. Pep talk target: MORALE.


33. House of Lords title: BARON.

36. Part of a superhero costume: CAPE.

Edna on why "No Capes"

39. Soccer great Hamm: MIA. Not only a soccer superstar but now a marrow & cord blood transplant awareness.

40. [See: Theme]

44. Nashville awards org.: CMA. Country Music Association.

45. Clock toggle: AM/PM.

46. Home: ABODE.

47. Dojo instructor: SENSEI.

50. Where to find "Campbell's Soup Cans" in NYC: MOMA. Museum of Modern Art.

52. [See: Theme]

58. ICU hookup: IV BAG.

61. Wet and squirmy: EELY.

62. Genetic messenger molecule: RNA. Ribonucleic acid.

63. [See: Theme]

65. French cake: GATEAU. In France it's just cake, in English there's a difference.

"Yummers, gateau," said no one I know.

68. Sports doc's scan: MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging -- difference from a CT scan.

69. __-steven: EVEN. Squared-up.

70. Draw out: ELICIT.

71. Plopped down: SAT.

72. Skating commentator Lipinski: TARA. Youngest (15yro) Gold Medalist.

73. Stinging weed: NETTLE.

Down:

1. Mary J. Blige's music genre: R AND B. Rhythm AND Blues (and SMOKEY's genre too!).

2. Etsy business: E-TAIL.

3. "Bye now": SEE YA.

4. Sun shade?: TAN.

5. Actress Thurman: UMA. I know her from Brooks' 2005 The Producers.
 


6. Bogus: PSEUDO.

7. Lively Afro-Brazilian dance: SAMBA.

8. Suffix with proto-: PLASM.

9. Turntable letters: RPM. Revolutions Per Minute.

10. "You'd think so, but ... ": YEAH, NO.

11. Org. covered by ESPNU: NCAA. ESPN (known as Entertainment and Sports Programming Network until 1985) Universities covers the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

12. Cold War initials: USSR. The CCCP (Союз Советских Социалистических Республик) is Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to English speakers.

13. Fine spray: MIST.

19. Nav. rank: CMDR. Commander.

22. "Friends" or "Girlfriends": SITCOM. A portmanteau of SITuation and COMedy.

25. Lightweight clog: CROC.
 
A croc with a CROC?  What a crock!

26. Hawaiian coffee district: KONA.

27. Harbinger: OMEN.

30. Snowball pile, say: AMMO.

31. Stretched the truth: LIED.

32. Soften: EASE.

33. Emails discreetly: BCCS. Blind Carbon Copy.

34. [Sigh]: AH ME.

35. "Glass Onion" director Johnson: RIAN.
 


37. Egyptian cobra: ASP.

38. Beat with one's fists: PUMMEL.

41. Make a profit: GAIN.

42. Pack (down): TAMP.

43. Vowel-shaped beam: I-BAR, U-bar, We-bar :-)

48. Practice in the boxing ring: SPAR.

49. Young bird of prey: EAGLET.

51. Gas with the symbol O: OXYGEN.

53. Put off: DEFER.

54. Health insurance giant: AETNA. Not to be confused with the Italian giant Etna.

55. Put up: ERECT.

56. Mollusk that's a symbol of slowness: SNAIL.

57. Pan fry: SAUTE.

58. Some early PCs: IBMS.

59. "Up in the Air" Oscar nominee Farmiga: VERA. Costars include George Clooney and Anna Kendrick.
 
Vera Farmiga

60. Fly, in fly-fishing: BAIT.

64. Actress Longoria: EVA. I only know her from Only Murders in the Building.
 
Eva Longoria

66. Blonde brew: ALE.

67. __ for tat: TIT. I'll leave this one to our Corner limerickists.

The Grid:
The Grid

WOs: cap -> NUM Lock, lure -> BAIT
ESPs: NAE NAE, RIAN, VERA, RARA
Fav: SNAIL next to SAUTE - escargot anyone?

Cheers, -T