Tuesday, May 5, 2026 David Farthing

An Apple A Day ...

17-Across. Total hunk: STUD MUFFIN.  Apple Muffins.  My favorite muffins were the white chocolate apricot muffins that Central Market used to make.  The store no longer makes them.  What are your favorite muffins?

23-Across. Overdo and then some in the oven: BURN TO A CRISP.  Apple Crisp.  Yummers!

37-Across. Advantages for dealmakers: BARGAINING CHIPS.  Apple Chips.  Apple chips billed as a healthy snack.  They are thinly sliced, dehydrated apples generally seasoned with cinnamon.   Not what I typically reach for when I want a snack.

And the unifier:

48-Across. With 59-Across, rhetorical taunt, or a question answered by the ends of 17-, 23-, and 37-Across: HOW DO YOU LIKE.  //  And 59-Across: See 48-Across: THEM APPLES.  When combined, we get the phrase:  How Do You Like Them Apples?  This is a a rhetorical, sarcastic phrase used to mock or taunt someone after outperforming them, delivering an unexpected surprise, or turning the tables on a situation.  Did you know this phrase became popular after the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting?

You can find the apple treats in the grid.

Across:

1. Hip-hop trio that covered Aerosmith's "Walk This Way": RUN-DMC.  Run-DMC is / was an American hip-hop group formed 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell.  Run-DMC was one of the most famous Hip-Hop acts of the 1980s.

14. Plenty: ENOUGH.

15. Fall Out Boy genre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

16. Foot part: ARCH.

19. Greek cheese: FETA.  Feta is a brined curd cheese from Greece.  It has a salty, tangy flavor and crumbly texture.  It is traditionally made from sheep's milk or a sheep/goat milk blend.  It's a staple in Greek cuisine.  Authentic Greek feta is aged in brine for weeks. 

20. Weigh station unit: TON.

21. Destroy: RUIN.

22. Storm-tracking aid: RADAR.

26. "The Irishman" star Robert: DE NIRO.  The Irishman is a 2019 movie set in the 1950s and portrays a Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro (né Robert Anthony De Niro; b. Aug. 17, 1943), who becomes a hitman and goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa (Feb. 14, 1913 ~ disappeared July 30, 1975).

29. Walking pace: GAIT.

30. Chris of "Knives Out": EVANS.  Knives Out was also a 2019 film, but was a comedy-mystery.  Chris Evans (né Christopher Robert Evans; b. June 13, 1981) was one of many actors in the film.

31. Nothing to write home about: SO-SO.

34. Sch. whose colors are purple and gold: LSU.  Geaux Tigers!

41. Camera letters: SLR.  SLR stands for Single-Lens Reflex.  It is a type of camera design that uses a mirror system to allow photographers to view the exact image through the lens that will be captured on film or a digital sensor.

42. FasTrak payment: TOLL.

43. Pound fraction: OUNCE.

44. Sculler's pair: OARS.  //  And 46. Use 44-Across: ROW.

47. Simple bookmark: DOG EAR.

53. Statutes that protect inventions and works of art, for short: IP LAW.  As in Intellectual Property Law.

54. Iridescent gem: OPAL.  These gems from Australia make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

55. Oral health org.: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

58. "__ the change": KEEP.

62. QED center: ERAT.  Today's Latin lesson.  QED is an abbreviation the phrase quod erat demonstrandum, which translates to that which was to be demonstrated.

63. London's Big __: BEN.  Did you know that Big Ben is actually the 13.7-ton Great Bell and not the tower?  The bell is named after Sir Benjamin Hall (Nov. 8, 1802 ~ 1867), the politician who oversaw its installation in 1859.  The tower is the Elizabeth Tower.

64. "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity" org.: THE FBI.

65. Fathers: DADS.

66. Do some sums: ADD.

67. U.S. citizens living abroad: EXPATS.  Short for expatriate.

Down:

1. Take a breather: REST.

2. "And I say __ you ... ": UNTO.

3. Subject of a sentence, typically: NOUN.

4. Total bust: DUD.

5. __ Grand Las Vegas: MGM.

6. Fried cinnamon-sugar pastry: CHURRO.  Yummers!

7. Are appropriate for: BEFIT.

8. __ acids: AMINO.  Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins.  They are needed for repairing tissues, breaking down food, producing energy, and supporting immune function. There are 20 common amino acids, classified into essential (must be eaten) and non-essential (made by the body).

9. Mattingly who was the Yankees starting first baseman for 12 seasons: DON.  Don Mattingly (né Donald Arthur Mattingly; b. Apr. 20, 1961) played his entire baseball career with the Yankees.  He played from 1982 until 1995.  I thought he was much older than he actually is.

10. Excursion in the Serengeti: SAFARI.  The Serengeti is a vast, 12,000 square-mile ecosystem in East Africa, spanning northern Tanzania and southwestern Kenya.  It is home  the world’s largest, most spectacular wildlife migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebras, along with one of the highest concentrations of large predators,

11. Borrower's limit: CREDIT LINE.

12. Stand in for: ACT AS.

13. "Movin' Out" choreographer Twyla: THARP.  Twyla Tharp (b. July 1, 1941) is an American dancer and choreographer.  In 1965 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance, which merged with American Ballet Theatre in 1988.  Her work often uses classical, jazz, and contemporary pop music.  The music for Moving' Out was by Billy Joel (né William Martin Joel; b. May 9, 1949).

18. Lots of laughs: FUN.

22. Color TV pioneer: RCA.

23. Microsoft search engine: BING.

24. Latin for "bear": URSA.  You can see the Ursae (that the plural of ursa) in the sky at night if you use your imagination.

25. Eagerly excited: AGOG.

26. New socialites, familiarly: DEBS.  Short for Debutants.

27. Test: Abbr.: EVAL.  As in Evaluate.

28. One-point advantage, say: NARROW LEAD.

31. __-cone: icy treat: SNO.  Yummers!

32. Vinaigrette ingredient: OIL.

33. Weekly sketch show, briefly: SNL.  Saturday Night Live is a crossword staple.

35. "Adopt, don't shop" org.: SPCA.  The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals began in England in 1824.  It was the world's first animal welfare organization, founded to prevent the abuse of carriage horses.  The first American SPCA was began in 1866 in New York City.

36. __-friendly: USER.

38. "The __-bitsy spider ... ": ITSY.

39. Diner employee: COOK.

40. Massive: HUGE.

45. Learns to fit in: ADAPTS.

47. Enlarge, as a pupil: DILATE.

48. Walked in the woods, say: HIKED.

49. Puccini work: OPERA.  Giacomo Puccini (néAntonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini; Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas.  He is regarded as one of the the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera.  Some of his operas include Madame Butterfly and La Bohème.

 

50. __ and aahed: OOHED.

51. Flip over: UPEND.

52. On the __: fleeing: LAM.

55. Letter before Bravo: ALFA.  Letters of the NATO phonetic alphabet.

56. Financial liability: DEBT.

57. Yard sale tag warning: AS IS.

59. "More details soon" letters: TBA.  To Be Determined.

60. The Suns, on scoreboards: PHX.  The Phoenix Suns, the professional basket ball team.

61. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

חתולה

I will be taking a hiatus for the next couple of months.  I know you will be in good hands during my absence.

Monday, May 4, 2026, Janice Luttrell

Theme:  Fast and FURIOUS!

Did you move through this puzzle too quickly to become enraged, infuriated, indignant, or irritable?

I'm sure our experienced constructor, Janice Luttrell, didn't mean to make you angry, but she might have hoped you would notice the testy, ill-humored, and dyspeptic beginnings of the theme answers, which are:

17-Across. Cactus with showy flowers: PRICKLY PEAR.

28-Across. Like some Winter Olympics skiing: CROSS COUNTRY.

45-Across. Tummy trouble: UPSET STOMACH.

61-Across. Satirical periodical featuring Alfred E. Neuman: MAD MAGAZINE.

Don't be sullen if you missed it.  Yours truly had to look for it after solving.  I'm not bitter, but I'd better get on with the rest of it!

Across:

1. Airtight excuse for a defendant: ALIBI.

6. Pool floats: RAFTS.

11. Moroccan cap with a tassel: FEZ.

14. Add to the conversation: PUT IN.  We don't talk politics here, but I think we can PUT IN something about PUTIN.

15. Snowboarding jump: OLLIE.  The ollie is a skateboarding trick where the rider and board leap into the air without the use of the rider's hands.  It is a combination of stomping the tail of the skateboard off the ground to get the board mostly vertical, jumping, and sliding the front foot forward to level out the skateboard at the peak of the jump.  The ollie is a fundamental skill in skateboarding and has crossed over to snowboarding.

Skateboard ollie

Snowboard ollie

16. Big name in jarred tomato sauce: RAO.  

Rao's was purchased by Campbell Soup in 2024.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Self-serve coffee server: URN.

20. Sn, to a chemist: TIN.  Did you study chemistry?  If so, do you remember most of these?

21. "Do __ favor?": ME A.  PUT IN a good word for me, perhaps?

22. Extremely absurd: ASININE.

24. Fish-eating bird: SEA EAGLE.

27. Not at home: OUT.

28. [Theme clue]

33. Kindle download: EBOOK.  Electronic book.  Kindle is Amazon's eBook reading device.

36. Gramps: POPS.  We never called Grandpa "Pops," but his sons called him that.

Pops at work

37. "Christopher Robin" joey: ROO.  A "joey" is a young kangaroo or other marsupial.  In A.A. Milne's books about Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, the smallest character is Roo, the energetic son of kindhearted Kanga.

"Kanga and Roo were spending a quiet afternoon in a sandy part of the Forest. Baby Roo was practising very small jumps in the sand, and falling down mouse-holes and climbing out of them, and Kanga was fidgeting about and saying "Just one more jump, dear, and then we must go home." And at that moment who should come stumping up the hill but Pooh." -- Winnie-The-Pooh chapter VII

38. Dollywood's st.: TENN.  Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood, is in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

39. Studies all night: CRAMS.

41. Lettuce unit: HEAD.

42. Lipton product: TEA.

43. Stratford-upon-__: AVON.  Stratford-upon-Avon is famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare. 

44. Tuscan cathedral city south of Florence: SIENA.

45. [Theme clue]

49. Body art, briefly: TAT.  Short for tattoo.

50. Playground structures that challenge balance and coordination: LOG ROLLS.  I have never encountered one of these in a playground, so I was a little surprised by the answer.

Log roll

54. OPEC units: BARRELS.

58. Fish eggs: ROE.

59. "You've got mail" ISP: AOL.  Dial-up Internet Service Provider America OnLine used to announce new email with a voice greeting, “You've got mail!”  The dial-up service and greeting were discontinued in September 2025, although AOL still provides email service.

60. Stack starter in solitaire: ACE.  Never learned to play.  You?

61. [Theme clue]

64. Lingerie top: BRA.  Baby boomers like myself learned from our mothers to keep our bras hidden, and never to mention them in mixed company.  But what was once hidden has gradually been revealed, and it's hard to say whether the change started as a popular movement or was dictated by designers.

Miu Miu Fall 2025

65. British baby buggies: PRAMS.

66. Free-for-all: MELEE.

67. Shrill shriek: EEK.

68. Grabs: TAKES.

69. Sarcastic commentary: SNARK.  DH says that snark is my most endearing quality.  That's good, as it seems to be here to stay.

Down:

1. Daily planner entries: Abbr.: APPTS.  Appointments.

2. San Francisco mayor Daniel: LURIE.  Daniel Lurie was born and raised in San Francisco, where he serves as mayor.  He is an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune through his stepfather.  Mr. Lurie earned a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley, and prior to becoming mayor, organized private philanthropic organizations.  He takes only $1 per year in mayoral salary, and focuses his efforts on affordable housing, a larger and more responsive police force, clean streets, and government accountability.

Daniel Lurie

3. Singer Turner's rock memoir: I, TINA.  Published in 1986, I, Tina: My Life Story became a worldwide best-seller and led to the 1993 film adaptation What's Love Got to Do with It, starring Angela Bassett as Turner.

4. Clic Stic pen brand: BIC.

5. Result of a leaking 4-Down, perhaps: INK MARK.

Put a rag under the stain and spray or blot it with rubbing alcohol.
If it doesn't disappear, apply Amodex and launder as usual.

6. Kansas City baseball team: ROYALS.

7. Swiss peak: ALP.

8. Pest on a pet: FLEA.  Did you know that a flea circus was a circus sideshow in which fleas were attached to miniature carts and other items, and made to perform within a enclosure?

9. Aunts, in 26-Down: TIAS.

10. Humorless: SERIOUS.

11. Orchard growth: FRUIT TREE.

12. Be worthy of: EARN.

13. The "Z" of ZIP code: ZONE.  The United States Postal Service introduced the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code system in 1963.

18. Brick that's painful to step on: LEGO.

Notoriously painful experience.

23. Convent figure: NUN.

25. Supply-and-demand subj.: ECON.  Economics.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

26. Bad Bunny's native language, in his native language: ESPAÑOL.  Español is the Spanish word for Spanish, which is Bad Bunny's native language.

In case you couldn't follow his lyrics en Español,
Bad Bunny put a message in English on the board at the Super Bowl.

29. URL ending: COM.  A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a web address.  The letters after the final period are a "domain suffix," commonly .com for commercial websites, .org for organizations, and .edu for colleges or universities.

30. Photo __: some PR events: OPS.  Photo opportunities are often Public Relations events.

31. Reddish speckled horse: ROAN.

32. Green Jedi Master: YODA.

33. "__, Brute?": ET TU.  Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar depicts Caesar's last words as "Et tu, Brute?" which translates to "You too, Brutus?"  Today, a person might say "Et tu, Brute?" after realizing a close friend or ally has betrayed them.

Et tu, Brute?

34. Microwave sound: BEEP.

35. Racking up victories: ON A STREAK.

39. MinuteClinic drugstore chain: CVS.  CVS is the dominant drugstore chain in Los Angeles.

40. Biodegrade: ROT.

41. Kermit's greeting: HI HO.

43. Have a go at: ATTEMPT.

44. Hollers with fright or delight: SCREAMS.

46. AirPod holder: EAR.

47. Swampy area: MORASS.

48. Awestruck: AGOG.

51. Undefeated boxer Ali: LAILA.

Laila with her famous father, Muhammad Ali

52. Solitary sort: LONER.

53. Smooth and shiny: SLEEK.

54. Sweetie: BABE.

55. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.

56. "__ Croft: Tomb Raider": LARA.

57. Mt. Rushmore's st.: S. DAK.  Some folks defaced a mountain in South Dakota and got away with it.  Oh, wait.  They didn't DEface it.  There doesn't seem to be a verb for putting faces on it.

It looks dramatic in this photo, but quite silly from a distance.

62. Marseille Mrs.: MME.  Stands for "Madame."

63. School of Buddhism: ZEN.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, how was your first ATTEMPT at solving the LA Times crossword this week?

Think you're ON A STREAK for the week?  Or did you suffer an UPSET already?

Either way, don't be a LONER!  Join us in the comments and PUT IN your two cents!

-- NaomiZ