Tuesday, July 21, 2026 Kinan Alsheikh

Sounds Like ...   Today we will study Homophones.  Homophones are words that sound exactly the same when pronounced but have different meanings and spellings. The word comes from the Greek homos (meaning same) and phone (meaning sound).

17-Across. Shampoo for horses as well as humans: MANE N TAIL.  This horse shampoo was originally developed in the 1970s for show horses.  It became a cross-over product for humans and is purported to  promote stronger, fuller, and longer-looking hair without stripping natural oils.

24-Across. Meatless Chinese noodle dish: VEGETABLE LO MEIN.  Yummers!

36-Across. "The Theory of Everything" Best Actor Oscar winner: EDDIE REDMAYNE.  Eddie Redmayne (né Edward John David Redmayne; b. Jan. 6, 1982) went to Eton and was a classmate of Prince William (b. June 21, 1982).  The Theory of Everything was a bio-pic about Stephen Hawking (Jan. 8, 1942 ~ Mar. 14, 2018).

52-Across. Tender salad greens: HEARTS OF ROMAINE.

Too soon?

61-Across. Principal draw on fight night, or an apt title for this puzzle: MAIN EVENT.  Also the title of a terrible1979 Barbra Streisand movie.

Here's the Grid:

And now for the true Main Event ~ the rest of the puzzle ...

Across:

1. Prattles on: YAPS.

5. Bay Area sch.: UCSF.  As in the University of California, San Francisco. 

9. Uninspiring: VAPID.

14. Mapa of "Ugly Betty": ALEC.  I never watched Ugly Betty, so was unfamiliar with Alec (né Alejandro Mapa; b. July 10, 1965).

15. "New Rules" and "New Love" singer Dua: LIPA.  Dua Lipa (b. Aug. 22, 1995) is a British-Albanian singer and songwriter.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

16. Twisted humor: IRONY.

19. Honeycomb units: CELLS.

20. Neither partner: NOR.  Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...

21. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT.  As in the Law School Admission Test.

23. Southeast Asian language: LAO.  Lao is the official language of Laos, however, it is also spoken in some parts of northeastern Thailand.

29. Hullabaloo: ADO.

30. Light __ feather: AS A.

31. Product labels: BRANDS.

32. Private aid gp.: NGO.  As in a Non-Governmental Organization.

33. Sure winner: SHOO IN.

42. Not asea: ON LAND.

43. Poem of praise: ODE.  A crossword staple.

45. Former House Speaker Nancy: PELOSI.  Nancy Pelosi (née Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro; b. Mar. 26, 1940) served as the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

48. Due-in hr.: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

51. Crank (up): REV.

56. "The Lord of the Rings" beast: ORC.

57. Move for one's co., say: RE-LO.  As in Relocate.

58. Olive extract: OIL.  Everything you ever wanted to know about Olive Oil, but didn't know to ask.

59. Capone cohort Frank: NITTI.  I learned about Frank Nitti (né Francesco Raffaele Nitto; Jan. 27, 1886 ~ Mar. 19, 1943) from doing the crossword puzzles.  He makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  

66. "OK, that was dishonest": I LIED.

67. Ritz-Carlton competitor: OMNI.  I am not sure I could consider these hotel chains to be competitors.  I view the Ritz-Carlton as a very high-end luxury hotel, whereas Omni is more family-oriented.

68. Tops with frosting: ICES.

69. Ride a bike: CYCLE.

70. "Auld Lang __": SYNE.

71. Every __ and cranny: NOOK.

Down:

1. Thanksgiving tuber: YAM.

2. __ carte menu: À LA.  Today's French lesson.

3. Writing tool: PEN.

4. All-too-public argument: SCENE.

5. Marathons longer than 26.2 miles, familiarly: ULTRAS.  An ultra marathon is a footrace that exceeds the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles.  Ultra marathon distances vary greatly but typically range from 31 miles (50 km) to 100 miles (160 km).

6. U.S. intel org.: CIA.

7. Tell all, as gossip: SPILL.

8. Untrue: FALSE.

9. Beckham also known as Posh Spice: VICTORIA.  Victoria, Lady Beckham (née Victoria Caroline Adams; b. Apr. 17, 1974) is probably the best known Spice Girl.  The band was big in the 1990s.

10. "__ we there yet?": ARE.

11. Wind-borne allergen: POLLEN.

12. Embedded, as tiles: INLAID.

13. High-end vacuum cleaners: DYSONS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Dyson Vacuum Cleaner.

18. The "N" of N.B.: NOTA.  Today's Latin Lesson.  N.B. is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase nota bene, which which means "note well" or "pay attention." 

22. "Tuesdays With Morrie" writer Mitch: ALBOM.  Mitch Albom (né Mitchell David Albom; b. May 23, 1958) has written many books, but is probably best known for Tuesdays With Morrie.  That book is memoir about a series of interviews and visits Albom made with his former Brandeis University sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz was dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  I have never read this book.

24. Vehicle for movers: VAN.

25. Microsoft web browser: EDGE.

26. Yummy: GOOD.

27. Iraq port city: BASRA.

28. Plenty of: MANY.

34. __ of the woods mushrooms: HEN.  Hen of the woods is a mushroom that grows at the base of trees, particularly old growth oaks or maples.  It is native to China, Europe, and North America.

35. More quirky: ODDER.

37. Entryway: DOOR.

38. Without losing one's cool: IN STRIDE.

39. Renée __ Goldsberry of "Girls5eva": ELISE.  Renée Elise Goldsberry (b. Jan. 2, 1971) is probably best known for her portrayal of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton.  She has also starred in a number of Broadway plays.

40. Sushi seaweed: NORI.

41. Biblical garden: EDEN.  //  And 44-Down:  41-Down woman: EVE.

45. Relating to sound: PHONIC.

46. In a creepy way: EERILY.

47. Acid type built up during high-intensity exercise: LACTIC.

49. Nickname for Canada's $2 coin: TOONIE.  The Canadian $1 coin is called a Loonie.

50. French friend: AMIE.  More of today's French lesson.  This is the female friend.

53. "Battlestar Galactica" actor Edward James __: OLMOS.  Edward James Olmos (b. Feb. 24, 1947) is an American actor who has starred in dozens of films and television shows.

54. Like hand soap: FOAMY.

55. Singing brother of Simon and Theodore: ALVIN.  A reference to The Chipmunks.

60. No. on a resume: TEL.  As in Telephone Number.

62. Airbnb alternative: INN.

63. __-friendly: ECO.

64. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.

65. Sound of disapproval: TSK.

Many thanks to Tony who filled in for me for the past three months.

חתולה

Monday, July 20, 2026, Rena Cohen

Theme:  Tea for two and two for tea ... 🎵🫖

Constructor Rena Cohen has a wealth of experience, although she is only a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. At age 9, Rena heard Will Shortz (crossword editor at the New York Times) speak at Indiana University, and began sending him original crossword puzzles for review and comment.  In high school, she was published by the Los Angeles Times and by USA Today.  In 2023, she received mentoring through a New York Times crossword fellowship and has since been published at the NY Times, LA Times, and elsewhere. She runs a daily mini crossword through her school's newspaper at games.studlife.com.  And she's here today for Monday funday!

Rena Cohen, wordsmith wunderkind

Today's theme is Truly Terrific, with the big reveal here:

37-Across. Collections with cups and saucers, or a phonetic description of 16-, 22-, 49-, and 60-Across: TEA SETS.  Sets of Ts ...

The other theme clues and answers are:

16-Across. Nickname for Hollywood: TINSELTOWN. 

22-Across. Sanction for running a red light: TRAFFIC TICKET.

49-Across. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers," e.g.: TONGUE TWISTER.

60-Across. "Magic Tree House" subject: TIME TRAVEL.  A series of books for young readers (second grade "chapter books") by Mary Pope Osborne.  Unknown to yours truly.

Symmetrically placed theme answers, a reveal smack in the middle of the puzzle ... well done!  But now, let's talk turkey about the rest of the grid.

Across:

1. Scouting mission, briefly: RECON.

6. Assent nonverbally: NOD.

9. Blue-green hue: AQUA.

13. Greeting at a luau: ALOHA.

14. Identical: SAME.

15. Organ with bronchioles: LUNG.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Meaty spread: PÂTÉ.  Ground meat with butter or cream and herbs.

19. Meh: SO-SO.

20. "Tastes great!": YUM.

21. __ to go: full of enthusiasm: RARIN.  When you are RARING to go, you are eager, like a horse impatiently REARING on its hind legs.  When you are RARIN' to go, you are an eager hillbilly.  I wish the clue would have given us some further hint about the subject.

22. [Theme clue]

26. Hopelessly stuck: IN A RUT.

28. Peruvian capital: LIMA.  Not dinero, but the capital city.

29. One-named "Dancing on My Own" singer: ROBYN.  The critically acclaimed "Dancing on My Own" was composed by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn and released in 2010.

30. Astonish: STUN.

32. Pepper partner: SALT.

36. Comm. used by many CODAs: ASL.  CODAs are Children Of Deaf Adults.  They may learn to communicate with American Sign Language.

37. [Theme clue]

40. Fish eggs: ROE.

41. Require: NEED.

43. Tears: RIPS.  My brain wanted to read "tears" as the droplets that leak out of our eyes when we weep.  

      Here's a set of Ts that form the crying emoticon:  T_T  

      Can you see the closed eyes with tears streaming down?

      The emoji version looks like this:  

44. Secures with a key: LOCKS.

46. King of the Norse pantheon: ODIN.  Odin is the father of the gods and also the god of war.

48. Many a chart-topping song: POP HIT.  All songs that reach the #1 spot on a recognized music ranking are chart toppers, but not all of them are pop hits because they could be metal or country songs.  And many pop hits never reach #1, so not all pop hits are chart toppers.  But *many* chart toppers *are* pop hits, just as our clue suggests. 

49. [Theme clue]

54. Express feelings: EMOTE.  

55. Approves: OKS.

56. Like a plump red strawberry: RIPE.

59. Org. with a phonetic alphabet: NATO.  The NATO phonetic alphabet is an internationally recognized set of names for the letters of the Latin alphabet and the Arabic digits. It is most commonly used in radio communication, where the usual names of the letters are likely to be misunderstood. I don't know why we don't all learn it.  It would be so helpful when spellling out our names and addresses to people on the phone!

Letter names

Alfa	November
Bravo	Oscar
Charlie	Papa
Delta	Quebec
Echo	Romeo
Foxtrot	Sierra
Golf	Tango
Hotel	Uniform
India	Victor
Juliett	Whiskey
Kilo	Xray
Lima	Yankee
Mike	Zulu
One	Six
Two	Seven
Three ('tree')	Eight
Four ('fower')	Nine ('niner')
Five ('fife')	Zero

60. [Theme clue]

63. Gender-neutral pronoun: THEY.

64. Zone: AREA.

65. Gaming giant: ATARI.

66. Back talk: SASS.

67. Frying vessel: PAN.

68. Gets soupy, as ice cream: MELTS.  When Darling Daughter was a tiny tot, she called her soupy ice cream "root stew."  Who knows why?  Nowadays she is much more likely to eat actual root stew than ice cream.

Down:

1. Sewer scurriers: RATS.  DH wants me to eliminate the two rats that are eating fallen seed under the bird feeder, but he participates in the lavish feeding of the squirrels.

2. Pixar film about a boy who meets aliens: ELIO.  In this 2025 animated film produced by Pixar for Walt Disney Pictures, eleven-year-old Elio is mistaken for the intergalactic ambassador of Earth after being beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens.

3. British police officer: CONSTABLE.

4. "Whoops, my bad": OH SORRY.

5. Scottish denial: NAE.

6. Tennis star Osaka: NAOMI.  What is nationality, anyway?  Wikipedia says that Naomi Osaka is a Japanese professional tennis player, who is the first Asian to hold the top ranking in singles, and the first Japanese player to win a major singles title.  Naomi was born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, and has lived and trained in the United States since age three. Her income has been record breaking for a female athlete, based on many corporate sponsorships. She is well known for activism on behalf of the African American community.  

Naomi Osaka

7. Texter's "Coming!": OMW.  On My Way.  Have never used nor received this one.

8. Cozy room: DEN.

9. Pack animals known for spitting: ALPACAS.  Darling Daughter visited an alpaca farm last month and told me this is a thing.

10. Elementary subatomic particle: QUARK.  Advanced imaging systems have confirmed the existence of hierarchies of elements of atoms that are all constituents of matter.  At some level, I have been given to understand, everything that exists is just energy vibrating at various frequencies.  Hold on tight!  Or let go.  We are all just passing through here.

11. Loosen, as a knot: UNTIE.

12. Representative: AGENT.

14. Double __ Oreo: STUF.  Once every couple of years, I lose all restraint and purchase a package of Oreos, and not just because they are the most popular cookie in crosswords.  I plan to eat them.  Then I find DH standing over the kitchen trash bin, scraping the STUF out with a knife, and eating the plain chocolate wafers.  I complain bitterly.  If you don't like STUF, stay out of the Oreos!  Who's with me?

Sacrilege!

17. Uber competitor: LYFT.

21. Outer edge: RIM.

23. Mom's sister: AUNT.

24. "Blue's __": Nick Jr. show: CLUES.  This Nickelodeon childrens' program ran from 1996 to 2006.  (There was also a 2019 reboot.)  The show followed an animated dog named Blue as she left a trail of paw prints for the host and the viewer to figure out her plans for the day. Based on research in early childhood education, Blue's Clues presented material in a narrative format, used repetition for reinforcement, structured every episode the same way, and invited the viewers' involvement.  It had a novel look, using construction paper shapes to create the animation.  Sounds like something good to stream for the grandchildren.

25. Add color to: TINT.

26. Tehran's country: IRAN.

27. Rudolph's red body part: NOSE.

30. Exceptionally kind person: SAINT.

31. Baking qty.: TSP.

33. Biggest competitor: ARCHRIVAL.

34. Trickster of the Norse pantheon: LOKI.  Loki is Odin's blood brother, and thanks to that, when his mischief causes the death of Odin's son, he cannot be killed -- but he can be gruesomely punished until the end of the world (AKA Ragnarök).

35. Midterm, e.g.: TEST.

38. Shallowest Great Lake: ERIE.

39. Opening in a spatula: SLOT.  Some of us watching TV in 1989 enjoyed this pretend advertisement for Spatula City.  I can hardly hear the word "spatula" without thinking of it.  Obviously.

42. Nylabones, squeak balls, and the like: DOG TOYS.  Love hearing the dogs squeak their toys.

45. Do surgery: OPERATE.

47. Payable now: DUE.

48. Soft "Hey, you!": PSST.

49. Camp shelters: TENTS.

50. Biggest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA.

51. Parts of a scale: NOTES.

52. People celebrated internationally every March 8: WOMEN.  International Women's Day is celebrated globally on March 8 every year.  I was not even aware of this special date until my daughter moved to Italy and experienced significant celebrations of Women's Day annually.  Her husband gave her a mimosa tree on Women's Day and they planted it in the front yard.

53. Furniture chain founded in Sweden: IKEA.

57. Cheeky: PERT.

58. Yale students: ELIS.  Yale students are called ELIS for the university's early benefactor, Elihu Yale.

60. Alternative to bottled, in a restaurant: TAP.  Another thing I learned in Italy:  always order bottled water.  Admittedly, here, I am back to the finest local tap.

61. Golden yrs. fund: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

62. Aries animal: RAM.  Seems like I just used this image on June 29th:

Here's the grid:

Solvers, 

Were you RARIN to go on this Monday marvel?

Did you TAP into the theme right away?

Use the comments section to opine on the CLUES!

-- NaomiZ