August 22, 2025

Title: "DO TELL!"

Constructor: Dena R. Verkuil

Editor:  Jared Goudsmit

Theme synopsis:

"DO TELL!" (Freestyle): There's no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless puzzle. The title is a nod to I'M LISTENING (3D: "You have my attention").

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• JOSH (5A: Actor Hutcherson) I recognize JOSH Hutcherson's face, although I didn't recognize his name. He portrays Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games movies (2012-2015). JOSH Hutcherson also played the role of Jess Aarons in the 2007 movie Bridge to Terabithia, a movie I saw in the theater with my daughter when it first came out.
• SWEAT (57A: Really shvitz) I recognized that "shvitz" was likely a Yiddish word, but I didn't know its meaning. Now I know "shvitz" means "sweat."
• WWE (64D: Ring announcer Lilian Garcia's org.) Lilian Garcia is a ring announcer for special WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) events. She was the first woman to announce WrestleMania. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OREO (15A: Three-syllable cookie) It's fun to have three syllables with just four letters, isn't it? Also, if it's a cookie in the crossword, there's a pretty good chance it's our crossword friend OREO, which is making its 18th appearance of the year today.
• OTTAWA (30A: Canadian Tulip Festival city) The Canadian Tulip Festival is an annual event held in May in OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada. The festival originated with commemorative donations of tulips to Canada from the Netherlands. It is now one of the largest tulip festivals in the world, with over a million tulips on display. FUN FACT: You can be a part of the 2026 Tulip Festival by "adopting" a tulip bulb for just $8.
• LISA (35A: Animated sax player) LISA Simpson is the middle child of the Simpson family on the animated TV series The Simpsons. One of her hobbies is playing the baritone saxophone. 
• FUN FACT (38A: Bit of trivia) FUN FACT: The phrase "FUN FACT" is one of my favorites, and (you may have noticed) I frequently use it while blogging.
• ENG (52A: Official language of Grenada (Abbr.)) Grenada is an island country located in the Caribbean Sea, about 100 miles north of the South American mainland. The island of Grenada was formed by volcanic activity approximately two million years ago. The capital of Grenada is St. George's, and the country's official language is English (ENG). Although English is the country's official language, the primary spoken languages are Grenadian Creole English and Grenadian Creole French.
• OTOH (54A: Texter's "However...") OTOH = on the other hand
• SCALES (55A: C major and D minor) and KEY (13D: C major or D minor) This is a fun musical duo.
• IDAHO (60A: "Famous Potatoes" state) The slogan "Famous Potatoes" has been on IDAHO license plates since 1928. 
• ERIE (68A: Sandusky's Great Lake) Sandusky, Ohio is located in northern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake ERIE. Our crossword friend ERIE is making its third appearance of the month today.
• SWEDE (69A: Greta Thunberg, for one) Greta Thunberg, who lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and is therefore a SWEDE, staged her first climate strike protest in August 2018. Her activism helped raise awareness of the climate crisis. For her book, The Climate Book, which was published in 2022, she brought together over one hundred experts who contributed essays focusing on climate change.
• EYRE (70A: Bronte's Jane) Jane EYRE is the title character of Charlotte Bronte's 1847 novel, Jane EYRE. Jane says many memorable things in the book, including, "I would always rather be happy than dignified."
• HOAX (2D: Snopes may debunk one) Snopes is a fact checking website that launched in 1994 as Urban Legends Reference Pages. If you ever read something online and wonder if it's a HOAX or a myth, Snopes is a good place to check. I've found their information and sources to be reliable.
• TIME SUCK (9D: Activity such as mindlessly scrolling on TikTok) So relatable. I'm not on TikTok, but I certainly do my share of mindless scrolling.
• APT (12D: Like the name Dawn, for an early riser) This is fun. I do like an occasional "APT name" clue.
• TALC (25D: Softest mineral) The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is something I first encountered in a crossword (before I began blogging), and I looked it up because I was curious about it. The Mohs scale characterizes scratch resistance on a qualitative scale from one to ten. As the softest mineral, TALC is a one on the Mohs scale. Diamond is a ten.
• CHAOS THEORY (27D: Field of study involving the butterfly effect) The butterfly effect – the idea that small changes can result in larger changes at a later time – is a concept that originated in weather science and has been adapted to other contexts. Mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz was studying weather models of tornados, and noticed that a very small change in initial conditions could result in a significantly different outcome. CHAOS THEORY is an area of science and mathematics that focuses on patterns of systems. The butterfly effect is one concept in CHAOS THEORY.
• OFFICE (30D: Dunder Mifflin workplace) The fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company is the business portrayed in the mockumentary TV series The OFFICE (2005-2013).
• PRE (33D: Prefix in "prefix") This is so fun that I don't even mind the dupe of the answer being in the clue (twice)!
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• SPOT (24A: "You missed a ___")
• GROUP HUG (32A: Collective embrace)
• CAN WE NOT (47A: "Let's stop, okay?")

We're on a bit of a freestyle roll, as this is the third one in a row. In addition to the answers I've highlighted above, I'm also a fan of TOUCAN, IT COULD BE, UTTERLY, and HOLOGRAMS. Thank you, Dena, for this enjoyable puzzle.