Sunday November 1, 2026, 2026 Doug Peterson

Theme: "READ THAT BACK TO ME" - Each clue needs to be read backwards. 

23. Bonk?: DOOR HANDLE. Knob. 

34. Laced?: WINDOW STICKER. Decal. 

44. Pacer?: POSTGAME REPORT. Recap. 

65. Drab?: MEDIEVAL POET. Bard.

74. Ergo?: FANTASY BEAST. Ogre.

93. Gulp?: BATHTUB STOPPER. Plug.

102. Mined?: JEANS MATERIAL. Denim. 

121. Rebut?: FLESHY ROOT. Tuber. 

 
I just learned that this type of word is called a "semordnilap," which is "palindromes" spelled backward.

There are plenty of other semordnilaps, like EVIL/LIVE and GOLF/FLOG. The challenge is finding solid in-the-language phrases.

 Across:

1. Low voice: BASSO.

6. Out of fizz: FLAT.

10. Zoning measure: ACRE.

14. Expressed disdain: TSKED.

19. Room that often has a slanted ceiling: ATTIC.

20. Undoer of Othello: IAGO. He has more lines than Othello in "Othello".

21. Son of Noah: SHEM. Semite derives from Shem through the biblical genealogy. The other two sons were Ham and Japheth.

22. Absolut rival: STOLI. Originated in the Soviet Union. Absolut is a Swedish brand. 

25. Considerate: KIND.

26. March 14 observance: PI DAY.

27. Classic record label: EMI.

28. Repetitive sonata movement: RONDO.

29. Trojan hero in a Virgil epic: AENEAS. He deserted Dido.

31. London art gallery: TATE.

32. Performer honored with a Billboard Icon Award in 2017: CHER. Do you believe in life after love? 

37. One of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers: OHIO. The other two are the Allegheny and Monongahela.

39. Inked body art: TAT.

42. Monopoly token that replaced the iron: CAT.

43. Corned beef __: HASH.

49. "Jingle Bells" transport: SLEIGH.

53. South Pacific island group: SAMOA.

54. Picked out, in a way: ID'ED.

55. Los Angeles Philharmonic, e.g.: ORCHESTRA.

57. "My turn": I'M NEXT.

59. Sorceress whose aunt is the sorceress Circe: MEDEA. She helped Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece.

61. Exploits: USES.

62. Invalidated: NULLED.

68. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.

69. Cheer syllable: RAH.

71. Sticky pine product: RESIN.

72. Padmé's beloved: ANI. Anakin Skywalker is often called "Ani" by Padmé.

73. JFK predecessor: DDE.

77. Precisely correct: DEAD ON.

79. Egyptian cross: ANKH.

80. __ Hall: MONTY.

81. Princess introduced in season four of "The Crown," familiarly: LADY DI.

84. "So much for that plan": I GUESS NOT.

87. Norway home of the Munch Museum: OSLO.

88. Wreck: TRASH.

92. Carpentry tool: RIPSAW.

97. Shortly, shortly: ASAP.

99. She/__ pronouns: HER.

100. Consumed: ATE. Have you tried pumpkin bars before? 

101. Goes (for): OPTS.

108. Once-sacred snakes: ASPS. Sacred to the Ancient Egyptians.

110. Within: AMID.

111. Schoolbook: PRIMER.

112. Shelter org.: ASPCA.

115. Poetic contraction: TIS.

118. Move like a crab: SIDLE.

120. "Voulez-Vous" pop group: ABBA.

123. Nondairy spreads: OLEOS. Short for oleomargarine, a name derived partly from Latin oleum ("oil").

124. Food plan: DIET.

125. Pet aisle brand: IAMS.

126. Maker of iComfort mattresses: SERTA.

127. Cozy spots: NESTS.

128. Hearing things: EARS.

129. Doofus: TWIT.

130. Endless expanse: OCEAN.

Down:

1. Commanded, quaintly: BADE.

2. Particle with an electron cloud: ATOM.

3. Philosophy stressing self-control: STOICISM. The most famous Stoic philosophers are Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. 

4. Title for Idris Elba: SIR.

5. Earthy colour: OCHRE.

6. Literary Huckleberry: FINN.

7. Cheryl of "Charlie's Angels": LADD.

8. Radiant: AGLOW.

9. Digit covered by a sock: TOE.

10. Sent an invitation for: ASKED TO.

11. Khaki-colored cloth: CHINO. The name comes from Spanish for "Chinese," referring to the fabric's association with China.

12. Extend, in a way: RENEW.

13. Punctuation mark that may signal an abrupt change: EM DASH. I was going to text you—but then I changed my mind.

14. Minced garlic amt.: TSP.

15. Repairs with thread, as a torn pocket: STITCHES UP.

16. Classic camera brand: KODAK.

17. Make merry: ELATE.

18. One who may watch how-to videos online, for short: DIYER.

24. Vital artery: AORTA.

29. Take __: rest up: A NAP.

30. Save for later: STASH.

33. Deep conditioning choice for hair: HOT OIL. Not going to put oil in my hair. 

35. Coffee specification: ICED.

36. __ of Wight: ISLE.

37. Short missions?: OPS. Operations.

38. Residential community org.: HOA.

40. Dijon companion: AMIE. The city Dijon. 

41. Lecture series spinoff: TEDX.

45. Giant fire-breathing turtle in Japanese monster films: GAMERA. Godzilla's giant turtle rival.

46. Pt. of IRA: RET.

47. The Burghers of Calais sculptor: RODIN. 

48. Plant with a trunk: TREE.

50. "Hmm, strange": IT'S ODD.

51. "Star Wars" bounty hunter shot by Han Solo: GREEDO. Learning moment for me.

52. Hotfoot it: HASTEN.

56. Spanish wine similar to Champagne: CAVA.

58. "Keep this private" docs: NDAS.

59. Stylike: MESSY.

60. Make a long story short?: EDIT.

62. "You cheated!": NO FAIR.

63. Congo River tributary: UBANGI.

64. Connect (with): LINK UP.

65. Veal or venison: MEAT.

66. "Toy Story" boy: ANDY.

67. Wasn't honest with: LIED TO.

70. Church song: HYMN.

71. Fashion designer Oscar de la __: RENTA.

75. Baseball movie with the line "You're killing me, Smalls!": THE SANDLOT. I need to watch this movie someday. 

76. __ tube: BOOB.

78. Prepare a movie snack, perhaps: AIR-POP.

81. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU.

82. Actress and entrepreneur Jessica: ALBA.

83. "__ thou love me?": Juliet: DOST.

85. Attitude: SASS.

86. __ Thing: green DC Comics superhero: SWAMP.

87. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRA.

89. Place to buy games: APP STORE.

90. Matching group: SET.

91. Time sheet abbr.: HRS.

94. Menacing messages: THREATS.

95. Beneficiary: HEIR.

96. Do some school work?: TEACH. Real school work.

98. Show off: PARADE.

102. "Matlock" actor Ritter: JASON.

103. "Ratatouille" rat: EMILE.

104. West Wing staffers: AIDES.

105. Leg bone: TIBIA.

106. Live coal: EMBER.

107. Former TV drama set in SoCal: LA LAW.

109. Final word: SAY SO.

113. Sweet start?: SEMI. Semi-sweet.

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

116. Tiny bit: IOTA.

117. Big fan, in slang: STAN.

119. Curvy shape: ESS.

121. In shape: FIT.

122. Button for making a voice note, briefly: REC.

C.C.,

Saturday, October 31, 2026, Kelly Morenus

Saturday Themeless by Kelly Morenus

Kelly provided a lot of nice treats and very few tricks with this fun puzzle.

          

Across:

1. Prince William, to Eddie Redmayne, at 51-Down 51. College founded in 1440: ETON.: SCHOOL MATE - The arrows point out Eddie and William, who is the very image of his mother.

11. Ask: POSE.

15. "This is news to me!": I HAD NO IDEA.

16. Quechua-speaking highlander: INCA.

17. Feeling that all roads lead to roam?: WANDERLUST.

18. Some Ivy Leaguers: ELIS.

19. Combine: ADD.

20. Some are plant-based: DIETS - Neither we nor our kitty Lily will ever be vegans

21. Winnow: SIFT - Letting a breeze help winnow the wheat from the chaff

22. Skye of "La Brea": IONE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think you can pick out Ms. Skye below

24. Prince of Moscow from 1325 to 1340: IVAN I.

26. "And there it is!": BOB'S YOUR UNCLE.

31. Helps out with a job: ABETS.

32. "Waiting for Godot" role: ESTRAGON - As I mentioned last week, Godot is a no show

35. "You don't say!": GOSH.

36. San Juan's __ de la Princesa: PASEO - A PASEO is a tree-lined public walkway

38. Took home: MADE - I took home less than $400/month in my first year of teaching

39. Reserved: SET APART - My son-in-law's architecture firm got four $2,300 reserved seats from a construction firm for a Husker VB earlier this month and took the entire family. The tix came with great parking and a prime rib buffet.

                    

41. Many a "Hacks" guest star: COMIC - Here's a list. I don't know a lot of them.

42. Fixes a situation: STACKS THE DECK.

45. Needle: TEASE.

46. Strong: HALE.

47. Farm youngster: CALF.

48. Peter __ Steak House: LUGER - Here's the menu

51. Federal org. with a flower logo: EPA.

54. Dance in "Lilo & Stitch": HULA.

55. Topic for discussion: AGENDA ITEM.

58. Cartel headquartered in Vienna: OPEC.

59. List of attractions: PLACES TO GO.

60. Forward: PERT.

61. Fatal attractions?: SIREN SONGS - Sail on Odysseus!

Down:

1. "Boomerang" singer JoJo: SIWA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

2. African lake in four countries: CHAD.

3. Assistance: HAND.

4. Suspicious: ODD - Don't we all know this Sesame Street Song: "Three of these belong together, three of these things are kind of the same..."

5. Number of former public defenders who have served on the Supreme Court: ONE.

6. "Perish the thought!": LORD NO!

7. Environs: MILIEU - Not a word you might use in every environ 

8. Together, musically: A DUE.

9. Try out: TEST.

10. Starts to consume: EATS INTO.

11. Dishes that can be both hot and cold: PIES ALA MODE 😀

12. Minecraft, e.g.: ONLINE GAME - The ORE elements of this game are regularly used here.

13. "Dune" realm: SCI FI.

14. From Armenia to Azerbaijan: EAST.

22. "Oh, yeah?": IS THAT A FACT.

23. Kvetching cries: OYS.

25. Home entertainment staple, once: VCR.

26. Secures: BAGS - Hunters around here try to BAG a deer in season

27. Prominent instrument in "Swan Lake": OBOE - Here it is (1:01)

28. Novelist's goal: BEST SELLER.

29. Sits for a spell: RESTS.

30. Mistreat, maybe: USE.

33. Like much of Pindar's work: ODIC - I wonder if they were BEST SELLERS

34. Ukulele part: NECK.

36. Warmup stretches: PACE LAPS - The PACE CAR at the Indy 500 race a few years ago

37. Synagogue fixture: ARK.

40. Some med. professionals: PAS - My doctor and her PA are both former students

41. Film frame: CEL - The practice of making hand painted CELS ended in the late 1990's

43. From that point on: THENCE - As used by Emily Dickinson

44. Firm up: HARDEN.

45. Neutral tone: TAUPE.

47. Lamb cut: CHOP - Remember?

49. Citrus hybrid: UGLI.

50. Neutral, for one: GEAR.

52. Simon of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise: PEGG.

53. "The West Wing" actor John: AMOS.

56. Donkey: ASS.

57. Manga artist Junji: ITO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

I'm off to get out the bags of candy for tonight's 250+ trick or treaters who I don't think will look much like ITO's images!