Sunday June 28, 2026 Emet Ozar

 

Theme: "WRITE-UPS"- The first word of each theme entry is a newspaper.

3. Pride and joy of many an audiophile: RECORD COLLECTION.

8. One who takes the snap and the spotlight: STAR QUARTERBACK.

13. Insist on a debate, perhaps: PRESS THE ISSUE.

48. Memorization aid in math class: TIMES TABLE CHART.

56. Cultural movement of the 1960s and 1970s: POSTMODERNISM.

Reveal: 

41. Editorial essays, or what 3-, 8-, 13-, 48-, and 56-Down are: NEWSPAPER COLUMNS.

The theme answers are placed in Down slots, forming literal newspaper columns.

This puzzle only has 13 three-letter entries. Amazing. I often find myself with 24 or 25 before I know it.

Across:

1. Dragon roll wrap: NORI. Dragon rolls are typically inside-out rolls, with the nori hidden inside.

5. X-ray specs?: REMS. Radiation dosages. Great clue.

9. Sea anemone, e.g.: POLYP.

14. Spanakopita cheese: FETA.

18. Equally matched: EVEN.

19. Awards achievement completed by Steven Spielberg in 2026: EGOT. Only 22 people have achieved this status. 

20. Thin layer: VENEER.

21. Keen: AVID.

22. Suggestions, for short: RECS.

23. Fizzy beverage: SODA.

24. Chilling: AT EASE.

25. K, in the NATO alphabet: KILO.

26. Give up: DROP.

27. Layer: TIER.

28. Rogan josh bread: NAAN. Rogan Josh is a curried lamb or mutton dish.

29. Gets a whiff: SMELLS.

31. Caramel candies: ROLOS.

33. Feathery pen: QUILL.

35. Kaplan prep course subj.: PSAT. 53. Kaplan prep course subjs.: APS.

36. Up in the air, briefly: TBD. To Be Decided/Determined.

38. Biceps exercise: ARM CURL. 

40. Falcons city: ATLANTA. NFL.

44. Mysterious to many: ARCANE.

46. Marimba player: MALLET.

49. Black eyes: SHINERS.

50. Ecological community: BIOME.

51. FYI part: FOR.

52. Fly: AVIATE.

54. Whack, as a fly: SWAT.

55. Without a partner: SOLO.

56. 1492 ship: PINTA.

58. Damage: IMPAIR.

60. Pre-1991 atlas initials: SSR.

61. Teased: LED ON.

63. Escapes the notice of: ELUDES.

65. Lyric poet of Lesbos: SAPPHO. Lesbian comes from Lesbos.

67. Corrupt: DEBASE.

68. Landscaping tools: RAKES.

69. Off course: ASTRAY.

70. "That's impossible for us": WE CAN'T.

71. Missing class: ABSENT.

72. Prepare to play: CUE UP.

73. Canadian prov.: ONT.

74. Empire Builder operator: AMTRAK. The Empire Builder runs daily between Chicago and Seattle or Portland. 

76. Small sip: TASTE.

78. Target of a brood parasite such as the cowbird: NEST. Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests, leaving the host parents to raise the chicks.

81. Best-__ plans: LAID.

83. Mine vehicle: ORE CAR.

85. Mass transit option: BUS.

86. American Eagle Outfitters loungewear brand: AERIE. 

87. Home of Jupiter: FLORIDA.

89. Uses a prayer mat, e.g.: KNEELS.

91. Much of the heart: MUSCLE.

92. Powerfully built: SINEWED.

93. Gorillagram costume: APE SUIT.

95. Blesses: OKS.

96. Bluetooth device's lack, often: WIRE.

97. Bare-bones: BASIC.

99. Sneak around: PROWL.

101. Composer Bach: JOHANN.

104. "Alice's Restaurant" singer Guthrie: ARLO.

105. "Very funny": HA HA.

107. Large lump: HUNK.

110. Declare: AVOW.

111. For nothing: IN VAIN.

113. Eager: AGOG.

114. Sign of things to come: OMEN.

115. Last name of sisters Rooney and Kate: MARA. Rooney Mara is married to Joaquin Phoenix.

116. Meshes in the kitchen: SIEVES.

117. Dominate: RULE.

118. In the know about: ONTO.

119. Crush it on the runway, say: SLAY.

120. "Circles Around This Town" singer Morris: MAREN.

121. Smidgens: TADS.

122. Hushed "hey!": PSST.

Down:

1. Deep member of a fandom: NERD.

2. Concluded: OVER.

4. Motivation, in hashtags: INSPO. Short for "inspiration".

5. Put back: RESTORE.

6. Extreme self-involvement: EGOISM.

7. Mean relative?: MODE. Another fun clue.

9. "She loves me, she loves me not" piece: PETAL. My little garden is thriving. I'm so happy to see Boomer's lilies flourishing again.

10. Lakers legend Shaquille: O'NEAL.

11. Like ground turkey: LEAN.

12. "100%!": YES.

14. Sunless glow-ups: FAKE TANS.

15. Wicked: EVIL.

16. Cultivate: TILL.

17. Ruckuses: ADOS.

20. Spice native to Mesoamerica: VANILLA. Pandan is often called "Asian vanilla".

30. Senegal neighbor: MALI.

32. "Stay in your __!": LANE.

34. Clickable link: URL.

35. Carbonara ingredient: PASTA.

36. Browser units: TABS.

37. Pizzazz: BRIO.

39. "Shake a leg!": C'MON.

42. Tawdry: TRASHY.

43. Houston pro: ASTRO.

45. Single-celled creature: AMOEBA.

47. Barefaced: EVIDENT.

51. "Whatever": FINE.

57. Fairbanks resident: ALASKAN.

59. Grade: RATE.

62. CNN anchor Bash: DANA.

64. Luau instrument, informally: UKE.

66. Dried plums: PRUNES.

67. Koyukon name of North America's tallest peak: DENALI.  Meaning "The Great One".

69. Play parts, or plays a part: ACTS.

70. Gobbles (down): WOLFS.

71. Exist: ARE.

75. Take stock?: TRADE. Stock here refers to "shares" rather than "inventory".

77. Work (out): SUSS.

79. Lingerie fabric: SILK.

80. Some gym tops: TEES.

82. Recoiled: DREW AWAY.

84. Works (out): REASONS.

86. Camera setting: AUTO.

88. "Victory is mine!": I WIN.

90. Prefix with Pen: EPI.

91. Desert deceptions: MIRAGES.

94. Sustain: UPHOLD.

97. Lionhearted: BRAVE.

98. Rocky of "Project Hail Mary," for one: ALIEN.

100. Joyful holler: WHOOP.

101. Preserves: JAMS.

102. Like some coffee tables: OVAL.

103. Jewish wedding dance: HORA.

104. Declare: AVER.

106. Oaxaca water: AGUA.

108. Team that shares an arena with the Liberty: NETS. Same owner. Joe Tsai.

109. Binding loop: KNOT.

112. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding": NIA.

C.C.

Saturday June 27, 2026 by Zhouqin Burnikel

 Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel

Solving C.C.'s clever puzzle had me following a familiar pattern. I searched for a solid foothold which came up at the grid-spanning PLEASE BE PATIENT/AND YET HERE WE ARE and everything grew out from there. I had a very pleasant 29-minute exercise where C.C.'s construction skills always made me feel I would never COME UP DRY. Another lovely feature was that she only used six 3-letter words.

Across:

1. Early revolutions: WARM UP LAPS 😀 Tradition at the Indy 500 has a pace car leading the cars around for the last WARM UP LAP.

1964 Indy 500

11. Exam with a max score of 180: LSAT.

15. Only shopped at farmers markets, perhaps: ATE ORGANIC.

16. Set in stone: ETCH.

17. Help in obtaining top-shelf products: STEP LADDER 😀

18. "Educated: A Memoir" writer Westover: TARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

19. Homes for some queens: HIVES. 😀

20. Instrument invented by Hermes: LYRE.

21. Bamia or sambar: STEW. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

22. Frosted: ICED.

23. "Fore!" site: TEE 😀

24. Bundles: WADS.

26. Earring parts: POSTS.

28. Ending of "Oedipus": SIGMA - Oedipus is spelled Οιδίπους in Greek. The last letter is the lower case Greek letter SIGMA

31. Put on a bashful front: ACT COY.

35. Overdrive: HIGH GEAR.

37. Line for waiters: PLEASE BE PATIENT - All these peeps are in line and waiting to get to the top of Mt. Everest

39. Cannes Film Festival prize: PALME D'OR - Golden Palm

40. Prankster with opposable thumbs: MONKEY.

41. Aisha of "Archer": TYLER.

42. Oman neighbor: YEMEN.

44. Go, to the dogs: MUSH - 😀 The comma in the clue made this my fav clue.

46. General concern: WAR.

47. Material for some biodegradable bags: HEMP.

51. Kitchen work: PREP.

53. St. __ Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub: IVES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

55. "Brave" studio: PIXAR - It netted a $350 M profit at the box office

56. Zest source: RIND - I loved orange marmalade before I knew it was zest from the RIND that gave it such a distinctive flavor

57. "Great, now we're pouting": REAL MATURE.

59. Smell: ODOR.

60. Messages that something's gone wrong: ERROR CODES.

61. Word in skin care ads: DEWY.

62. One who has seen it all: EYEWITNESS.

Down:

1. Paper used in origami: WASHI ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

2. Unfinished story, perhaps: ATTIC 😀 Oh, the top story of a house

3. "Still Me" memoirist Christopher: REEVE - My favorite movie portrayer of Superman wrote this after his horse riding accident left him paralyzed.

4. Wore a long face: MOPED.

5. Addresses with dots: URLS. 😀

6. Org. with many excellent drivers: PGA - Fore!

7. Big scoops: LADLES.

8. "... somehow nothing has changed": AND YET HERE WE ARE.

9. Huntington Beach landmark: PIER.

10. Item that's often turned in: SCREW 😀

11. "Our food's getting cold!": LET'S DIG IN.

12. One who might crunch numbers for fun: STATS GEEK - Uh, I might be guilty 

13. Orchard unit: ACRE.

14. Spring break?: THAW.

23. Trifled (with): TOYED.

25. Running back Jeanty who was runner-up for the 2024 Heisman Trophy: ASHTON.

26. Tough puzzles: POSERS.

27. Nurse: SIP.

29. Thick hair: MANE.

30. Like some indie movies: ARTY.

31. Cal. entry: APPT.

32. Roland Garros surface: CLAY - The CLAY court in Paris is named for WWI air hero Roland Garros who died in combat in 1918 but never played tennis.

 

33. "I can't wait for an answer!": TELL ME NOW.

34. Left empty-handed, in a way: CAME UP DRY - In this state that depends heavily on irrigation this can be a big problem

36. Fortnite streamer, e.g.: GAMER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  An online streaming game

38. Little dude: BOY.

43. Psychologist who created a notable hierarchy: MASLOW - I'm sure I memorized this list when I got my M.A. in Counseling.

45. New team member: HIREE.

47. Suddenly come up with: HIT ON - Dick Fosbury HIT ON the idea of high jumping with his face up and completely changed the sport.

48. Radiate: EXUDE.

49. Some stable parents: MARES 😀

50. Iron: PRESS.

51. Nudge: PROD.

52. Wheels: RIDE.

54. VIP member?: VERY 😀

55. Formal agreement: PACT.

58. Scan that may diagnose a torn ACL: MRI - “An MRI has confirmed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in today’s game. Patrick and the club are currently exploring surgical options.”

Friday, Jun 26th, 2026 ~ Jeremy Venook

  DISMISSED A SPOT

See Spot run . . . out the door

This is Jeremy's second LA Times puzzle; RB had the first one a year ago.  Today we have the addition of "DIS" to phrases that I found to be not as common as I would have liked, and therefore left me feeling a little DISsatisfied with the results.  YMMV.  Ektorp returns with two examples, a standard grid, one-third the # of 3LWs to four-letter words, a handful of names, and I'm DISappointed that the crossword had no circles - we already had two this week.  The three themers and reveal;

20. Hours at an art gallery?: DISPLAYING TIME - The base phrase refers to the equal distribution of on-field activity for all team members of a little league, etc.  - and here's the Dissed version . . . 

Salvador Dali, "The Persistence of Memory"

25. Factory that produces bad vibes?: DISCONTENT MILL - The base phrase is more broadly recognized as "Content Farm" - with more here from Wiki; the Dissed version . . .

Santa's Elves Unite~! Local N.P. 33

44. Admit to wearing a dental prosthetic?: DISCLOSE THE GAP - The "gap" being a wide variety of things, but mostly bringing technology and eductaion to those without - and the Dissed version . . .

He was my first thought - here's a list of other 'gap-toothed' people

51. Process of detachment, or an apt title for this puzzle: DISASSOCIATION - what's the difference between ignorance and apathy~?  I don't know, and I don't care . . .

But . . .

Wait , , ,

There's . . .

More~! ! !

ACROSS:

1. Carrefour's country: HAITI - Jeremy likes Haiti - it appeared in his first LA Times puzzle, too - geo name #1

6. Cuticle oil spot: NAIL - this made no sense until I looked up cuticle oil - it's lotion for the unguis

10. Trellis part: SLAT - I had to rebuild one in April

14. "Snowy" bird rarely found in snowy places: EGRET - five-letter snowy bird~? - Ektorp

15. Hindu mentor: GURU

16. Pixar film set partially in the afterlife: COCO - half-filled via perps

17. Inner self, to Jung: ANIMA - Mentioned frequently in Jordan Peterson's Psychology of the Bible series

18. Soup noodle: UDON - crossword staple

19. Bicycle attachment: HORN - training wheels didn't fit

I like this attachment - the wire basket, that is 🙄

23. Munich article: EINE - Deutsch - we saw this last Saturday

24. Memoji platform: IOS - I am PC ( Android ) - so I didn't get this one

32. Irrefutable point: FACT

33. Fad: RAGE - memoji~?  obvi it's totes all the rage

34. Trout's team, on scoreboards: LAA - I had _ AA from perps, and not being into baseball . . .

35. Concise concession: "I LOST."

37. Part of some uniforms: HAT

38. Judicial pauses: STAYS - I get it, but pauses~? . . . meh

40. Mum's mum: NAN

41. Word in a Samin Nosrat cookbook title: ACID - HEAT, and two others I couldn't recall

43. Burden: ONUS

49. Broadcast: AIR

50. Ivy in New Haven: YALE - collegial reference

58. Slam dance: MOSH - now this one I knew, but I do not participate - seems a bit silly to me; guess I'm old now

59. Viola clef: ALTO - filled via perps

60. Getty Images download: PHOTO - Getty being one of the image sites that sometimes "license" a photo, and therefore, ones I avoid at all costs when writing the blog . . .

61. Otherwise: ELSE

62. Standard choice: GO-TO

63. Took effect: SET IN

64. Shredded side: SLAW - I'm a fries / onion rings kind of guy

65. School founded in 1440: ETON - four letter old school~? = Ektorp

66. Clear one's name, perhaps?: ERASE

DOWN:

1. Eye site: HEAD - Once again, had most of my Downs wrong; starting with filling in FACE

2. Hindu god of fire: AGNI - more here

3. Eye piece: IRIS - Dah~!  Not LENS

4. Storms: TEMPESTS - I love this album cover image

Nanci Griffith  - storms

5. Bold alternative: ITALIC - Ah.  Referring to fonts / type

6. "The Sympathizer" Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh: NGUYEN - Friday name, #2, filled via perps

7. German auto: AUDI - Yay~! I got a Down answer right~!

8. Nutrient in beans and rice: IRON - Ah.  My mind had "protein" polarity

9. Putting one foot forward, in a way: LUNGING - some of the most difficult exercises working with my gym trainer involve lunges and squats - my knees are aging faster than the rest of me . . . 

10. Doctrinal rupture: SCHISM - I read this as "doctoral", and went with HERNIA . . .😜 It's also one of my favorite "Tool" songs; 

Tool, from Lateralus, "Schism"

11. Arachne's device: LOOM - I knew we got "arachnid" from this myth, but WEB didn't fit

12. Land division: ACRE

13. Boatload: TON - thank you for not being the A TON Twurd~!

21. "It's __-brainer!": A NO - aaaaand I spoke too soon . . . 

22. "For sure!": "TOTES~!" - 21st century-speak for totally, dude . . .

25. Start of a Tibetan religious title: DALAI - a gimme; "ocean" master / teacher

26. Taskbar lineup: ICONS - I was forced to upgrade to Windows 11 while writing this blog - but so far, I have not had any issues . . . 🤞

27. Swap: TRADE

28. Consume: EAT

29. Glazer of "Broad City": ILANA - the single, opening cel where I didn't bother to do the alphabet run - A~? E~? - in retrospect, I needed to see MILL as the logical end of the themer.  Sigh.  Her IMDb; Name #3

30. Easy bucket: LAYUP - Wiki says it's one word

31. Miss: LASS

32. Happen across: FIND - Ah, right - I "happened across" an article I saved from a Cincinnati newspaper detailing the movie "The Golem" that I worked on half my life ago . . . 

Most likely the best time of my life

36. "The Godfather" actress Shire: TALIA - a, a, name, #4

37. Third-person possessive: HIS - I got locked into OUR

39. As one: TOGETHER - as in the next clue/asnwer

42. Boutonnière partner: CORSAGE - nailed this Frawnche pair - buttonhole and bodice in English

Awww, matching . . . 

45. Nut used to make cheese or butter: CASHEW - this and ALMOND fit, but I waited on perps

46. Titan of industry: TYCOON - crossword staple

47. Japanese assent: HAI - the equivalent of "yes"

48. Pass: ELAPSE

51. Barbie or Ken: DOLL - it could have been a, a, a NAME

52. Rae of "Barbie": ISSA - a NAME, a crossword staple, aaaand #5

53. Opening at the post office: SLOT - not an employment opportunity, but this 🠋

54. Springfield Elementary bus driver: OTTO - knew it, "The Simpsons", still name #6

55. Wee bit: IOTA - Yay~! not the Twurd ATAD

56. Elevator name: OTIS - aaaaand #7

57. __ of the above: NONE - which name did I like most in today's puzzle~? . . . 

58. Mayo o diciembre: MES - I knew what we were looking for, didn't know Español for 'month'

Splynter

Grid Flow 32.6