Sunday January 4, 2026 Doug Peterson

Theme: "CONFOUNDED" - CON is added to the start of each common phrase.

27. Bistro where diners rarely get what they order?: CONFUSION RESTAURANT. Fusion restaurant.

37. One who makes a huge profit in the gaming industry?: CONSOLE BENEFICIARY. Sole beneficiary. 

50. Museum employee who specializes in topographic maps?: CONTOUR GUIDE. Tour guide.

67. Well-secured garden vines?: CONSTRAINED PEAS. Strained peas.

89. Inflatables ridden in a river race?: CONTEST TUBES. Test tubes.

97. Inchworm with a successful YouTube channel?: CONTENT CATERPILLAR. Tent caterpillar. 

109. Remodel of a badly designed airport terminal?: CONCOURSE CORRECTION. Course correction. 

I think "Confound" works as a title too, right, as CON is FOUND.

Very consistent set, all the CON are inserted in the first word. And the theme entries are all quite long, occupying a total 113 squares. Super smooth fill, Doug is one of a kind. He can make easy Monday puzzles. And he can also make hard stumpers. He's also a test solvers for Patti. 

Across:

1. Geyser output: STEAM.

6. Cause to blush: ABASH.

11. Some Caribbean exports: RUMS. Ideal climate to grow sugarcane there.

15. "Goldberg Variations" composer: BACH.

19. Blender button: PULSE.

20. Marisa who plays Peter Parker's aunt: TOMEI. 

21. Cookie with six Thanksgiving-inspired flavors: OREO.

22. Crass: RUDE.

23. Dined at home: ATE IN.

24. Massage: KNEAD.

25. Annapolis sch.: USNA. 

26. "For All Mankind" side: Abbr.: USSR. Sci-fi drama for Apple TV. Wikipedia says "The series dramatizes an alternate history depicting "what would have happened if the global space race had never ended" after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States".

31. Bullpen stat: ERA.

32. Get into: DON.

33. Poke bowl choice: AHI.  Looks delicious. 

34. Vassals: SERFS.

44. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

47. Part to play: ROLE.

48. Give off: EXUDE.

49. Chaney of classic horror: LON.

55. Marvel superhero with martial arts expertise: IRON FIST. He knows Kung Fu too. 

57. Road beneath a freeway: UNDERPASS.

58. Uncomfortable spot: ZIT.

60. Layers: STRATA.

61. TV actress Susan: DEY.

62. Understood: GOT.

63. Parts of quotes: PRICES.

66. Black stone: ONYX.

72. Word in classic mystery novel titles: CASE.

75. Kumquat shade: ORANGE. It's called "golden orange" in Chinese.

76. Concert piece: AMP.

77. Long-running CBS drama: CSI.

80. Part of a vague threat: OR ELSE.

83. Nail art brand: OPI.

84. Row of stores: STRIP MALL. I also love this fill: 87. Sunday planning that makes weeknight dinners easier, say: MEAL PREP.

92. Shiba __: INU.

93. Maximum or minimum: LIMIT.

95. Shoddy: POOR.

96. The Hawkeye State: IOWA.

103. "Goosebumps" series writer: STINE (R. L.)

104. Retro hip beer, for short: PBR. Pabst Blue Ribbon.

105. Coconut __: OIL.

106. Hosts, for short: MCS.

117. Storyline: PLOT.

119. River of northern Spain: EBRO.

120. Made manageable: TAMED.

121. "The Studio" actress Catherine: O'HARA.

122. In short supply: RARE.

123. Corporate image: LOGO.

124. "Judge Mathis" event: TRIAL.

125. Election Day figure: VOTER. 

126. Doesn't rent: OWNS.

127. Abound (with): TEEM.

128. In a suitable way: APTLY.

129. Clear: ERASE.

Down:

1. __ bar: SPACE.

2. Teach privately: TUTOR.

3. Two-time WNBA MVP __ Delle Donne: ELENA.

4. "Ew! No!": AS IF.

5. Mexican soup made with tripe: MENUDO. Tripe and red chili.

6. Guitarist Chet who helped create the Nashville sound: ATKINS.

7. Pro __: at no charge: BONO.

8. "Right on!": AMEN.

9. Cook the surface of: SEAR.

10. Sleeper sofa: HIDE-A-BED.

11. Ordinary: ROUTINE.

12. __ Major: URSA.

13. OpenTable link: MENU.

14. Skyrocket: SOAR. As my health insurance did. Scary. 

15. Country surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak: BRUNEI. Fun trivia clue.

 

16. Like koalas: AUSTRALIAN.

17. IRA options: CDS.

18. See 29-Down: HER. 29. With 18-Down, pronoun pair: SHE.

28. Daughter's brother: SON.

30. Way up: ASCENT.

35. Extremely unfriendly: FROSTY.

36. Sentence structure: SYNTAX.

37. Blanchett with two Oscars: CATE.

38. Agcys.: ORGS.

39. Singers Reed and Rawls: LOUS.

40. Yale student: ELI.

41. Left: EXITED.

42. Dog coat: FUR.

43. Rite words: I DOS.

44. Skim along, as clouds: SCUD. Learned from doing crosswords.

45. Sharpen: HONE.

46. Memorial Day weekend race, casually: INDY.

51. Chem class for premeds: ORGO. Organic Chemistry.

52. "__ further reflection ... ": UPON.

53. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler: RATSO. Ratso Rizzo. "Hey, I'm walking here"

 

54. Online mag: E ZINE.

56. Curly hairstyles, informally: FROS.

59. Zamboni surface: ICE.

63. Freak out: PANIC.

64. Semi: RIG.

65. Trades barbs: SPARS.

67. Minesweeper unit: CELL.

68. Torrid Zone boundary: TROPIC. Guangzhou is near the Tropic. The week around the Chinese Spring Festival is often the coldest time of year. Even then, temperatures typically remain above 32F.

69. Sharp knock: RAP.

70. Give off: EMIT.

71. Spot on a sked: APPT.

72. Stand-up individuals?: COMICS. Stand-up comic. 

73. "We __ alone": ARE NOT.

74. Narwhal: SEA UNICORN. Because of its spiral tusk.

77. Baja resort, familiarly: CABO.

78. Whole lot: SLEW.

79. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid": ILSA.

81. Organ near the pancreas: SPLEEN.

82. CNN anchor Burnett: ERIN. And  86. ABC News anchor David: MUIR.

84. "Enough!": STOP.

85. Actress Polo: TERI.

88. First aid pro: EMT.

90. "The Mikado," for one: OPERETTA.

91. Scand. kingdom: NOR.

94. Place to make draft picks: TAP ROOM. Non-sports related.

98. IRA options: T NOTES.

99. Network that airs "TBBT" reruns: TBS. "The Big Bang Theory".

100. Imperious: LORDLY.

101. Tell tales: LIE.

102. Cozy spot: ALCOVE.

106. Mazda two-seater: MIATA.

107. Apple centers: CORES.

108. Drum kit piece: SNARE.

110. Saxon foe: CELT.

111. Wind with keys: OBOE.

112. Hankering: URGE.

113. Complain querulously: CARP.

114. Conveniently leave out, maybe: OMIT.

115. Word in some Spanish team names: REAL. Meaning "Royal". Real Madrid, e.g.

116. Hammer-wielding god: THOR.

117. __ rata: PRO.

118. Brief topic: LAW.

I made today's puzzle for Slate. Click here to give it a whirl! It was edited by the fantastic Quiara Vasquez, who added so much fun trivia and sparkle to the clues.

I'd love to hear about your solving experience. 

C.C. 

Saturday, January 3, 2026, Dr. Kyle Dolan

  Saturday Themeless by Dr. Kyle Dolan

This is the 21st themeless Saturday puzzle by Dr. Dolan I have blogged. As per my usual M.O. for Saturday puzzles I struggled with some small fills until the very gettable long entries shouted, "C'mon, Gary, you know this." This reduced Kyle's puzzle to manageable  proportions.

Across:

1. 2013 memoir that was followed in 2025 by "Finding My Way": I AM MALALA - The true story of Malala Yousafzai, the girl who survived an assassination attempt after standing up to the Taliban over education. More on this heroic woman.

10. Passing muster?: AWOL - Muster is when troops are assembled and if someone has 38. Left: GONE, he's AWOL. 

14. Interns, at times: FREE LABOR.

15. Birds whose collective noun is chime: WRENS - A group of wrens is called a chime. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

16. Shared pleasantries: SMALL TALK - Confidently filling in GREETINGS was my first, but not the last, misstep in Kyle's puzzle.

17. Sank, in a way: HOLED - Success in golf in when the ball is HOLED. In pool, it's when the  ball is pocketed. 

18. Olive often found with spinach: OYL 😀 This toon usually featured Olive being saved by her boyfriend Popeye who has "hulked out" on Spinach.

19. Word on a green helmet: JETS - The entire helmet was not green when the JETS won their only Super Bowl.

                                 

                        1969

 

2025

 

20. Without restraint: MADLY.

21. Essential: CORE.

22. Destiny: LOT.

23. Brio: PEP.

25. Haterade: FLAK - Haterade is a pseudo-word (a play on Gatorade) for what is said by mean people who give others FLAK

27. Two pieces?: DUETS - Hey, I loved the Everly Brothers but this is magic

29. Thai's neighbor: LAO.

30. Physical location: CLINIC 😀 The physical location of where you get a, uh, physical 

32. Drops from above: RAIN 😀

33. Fine print, e.g.: ART.

34. Question asked by a fan?: HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU? 😀 A fine example of anthropomorphism

37. Wonder: AWE.

39. Prepares (oneself): STEELS.

40. Big mo. for florists: FEB.

41. Top-tier: A-LIST.

43. Rundgren in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: TODD - He's now 77 years old.

44. Be wrong: ERR.

45. First perfect number: SIX - The next two are 28 and 496

46. Olympic archer?: EROS.

48. Pop by: VISIT.

50. Giveaway: TELL - Dr. Winchester of M*A*S*H got cleaned out because he starting whistling every time he had nothing.

51. "Fancy!": OOH.

54. Saw: DATED. 😀

55. Scenario just before a board takeover?: MATE IN TWO - The solution is at the bottom of the write-up. 

57. Volunteer's offer: USE ME.

58. Sharp kicks?: ICE SKATES - 😀 Kicks are slang for footwear and skates are sharp so...

59. From South Asia, perhaps: DESI - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Originating from the Sanskrit word desa, meaning "land" or "country," desi historically meant "local" or "indigenous". 

60. Namesakes of some days in English: NORSE GODS - Not so for Saturday

Down:

1. "In that case ... ": IF SO.

2. Theater group?: ARMY - Several divisions of the U.S. ARMY fought in WWII's European Theater of Operations.

3. Series of courses: MEAL 😀 

4. Former "The Great British Baking Show" co-host Giedroyc: MEL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Mr. Ott sits the bench today

5. "Seriously ... ": ALL JOKING ASIDE.

6. Down the road: LATER.

7. Let up: ABATED.

8. Chuckles at a gif, say: LOLS.

9. Sanctuary: ARK.

10. Nickname of the slugger who holds the MLB record for most career grand slams: A-ROD - I thought this was a very interesting chart

11. "Clever": WELL PLAYED.

12. No longer a foal: ONE YEAR OLD.

13. Drug needed for some trips: LSD 

15. Rhetorical expression of approval: WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE - A lovely puzzle by Kyle

20. Characteristic patterns: MOTIFS.

21. Support staff?: CANE 😀

22. "Queen of Creole Cuisine" Chase: LEAH. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

24. C in C: POTUS - This filled in automatically and then I eventually saw Commander in Chief

25. Spot for getting one's buds together?: FLOWER VASE.

26. Classic toys with colorful pegs: LITE BRITES - I spent many an hour with our girls playing with this

28. Pushes: URGES. Goads, dares, prods

30. Rub the wrong way?: CHAFE 😀

31. "Simmer down!": COOL IT.

35. Early operating system: UNIX.

36. Some vintage cars: REOS.

42. Rock: TEETER.

47. Like May through August: R-LESS - This is not necessarily so these days.

49. 50% up front?: SEMI - 😀 I guess that presumes the other 50% is behind

50. Birria order: TACO.

51. "The Simpsons" character whose surname is Mann: OTTO.

 
52. Due: OWED.

53. Informal ride: HOSS - Also Ben Cartwright's son 

54. Lemon: DUD.

55. Hr. division: MIN.

56. Hound: NAG - Persistent reminding?

* White queen to F5

* Black pawn to H5 is black's only move

* White queen takes pawn at H5 and it is checkmate

Friday Jan 2nd, 2026 ~ Nate Curry & Kevin Curry

 Café Au L.A.(IT)

or, the Times Crossword with your Morning Joe~?

Hi there~!  Splynter here, commencing my new day blogging.  Our first Friday puzzle of 2026 is a crossword from constructor Kevin Curry (alliteration), a regular, and what I gather is one of his three kids, Nate, who is 10(ish) yrs old - he and younger sister Kaela created a puzzle that made the NYT.  Today's grid, an oversized 15x16 to accommodate the center spanner, consists of four themers that drop, or "knock off" the I & T at the end of common phrases to create punny new ones.  A few too many names for me, a whole SLEW of abbrs, no circles, and a balance of 26 3LWs compared with the 24 five-letter ones.  The themers and the reveal; 

18. Warning on a note passed in a seminar?: NOT FOR PROF(IT)

more here

25. Crystal ball consulted atop Mount Everest?: HIGH EARTH ORB(IT)  - A.K.A. Geosynchronous Orbit

37. The discovery of the Lucy fossils, for one?: SIGNIFICANT DIG(IT)

52. Beauty school treatment?: LEARNER'S PERM(IT) - I got my learning-to-drive permit at 16yrs old

61. "Cut that out!," or an apt title for this puzzle: "KNOCK IT OFF~!"

Two other thoughts:

Unruly CanadianEh!~? - Bad Hab(IT)

Robinson with his musicians~? - Smokey and the Band(IT)

But Wait~!
There's More~!  ( all good, -T - Onward~! was my Saturday sign-in )

ACROSS:

1. Charges: BILLS - the contractor "charges" $$ for his time

6. During: AMID

10. House shower?: CSPAN - I wondered if this was "shOU-er", or shOH-er; I finally figured out it was the latter, with the channel that shows Congress, the US "House" of Representatives & Senate

15. More slick: ICIER - 'tis the season~! - I've cleared my driveway three times so far

16. 2024 NBA All-Star Game MVP "__ Time" Lillard: DAME - name #1, and I had "G-ame", since that made more sense at first, but I knew my "AD" at 6D. had to be correct - more about him here

17. In the loop: AWARE

20. Sew loosely: BASTE - I knew this 'cause my mom was a sewing master

21. Not gross: NET - weights and measures, as opposed to icky over sterile

22. Some Duracells: AAs - I'm an "AA" as well, but not a battery

23. Like many fiddle-leaf figs: POTTED - I had p-I-tted, which made sense at first - but figs have seeds, not pits - sigh.  

All(IT)eration

24. Land south of Eur.: AFRica

28. Hawaiian for "white": KEA

29. Highest seed: ONE - as of this writing, the Denver Broncos are the #1 seed in the NFL

30. Regret: RUE

31. Marble __: RYE

32. Up and about: ASTIR - if you have to ASTIR, you might need AWHISK - found at 60A.

34. Mother with a Nobel Peace Prize: TERESA - even if we all know who this is, still name #2

42. Agree: ASSENT - all(IT)eration

43. Soccer star Sergio who scored more than 100 goals for Real Madrid: RAMOS - no clue, name #3

45. Audible sighs: "AHs"

48. Long. crosser: LATitiude, the grid of the globe - all(IT)iteration

49. "Rugrats" dad: STU - name #4, learned doing crosswords

51. Tiebreaker periods, for short: OTs - OverTimes

56. Opposite of oui: NON - yes/no - ah, my first Friday Franwche fill - all(IT)eration

Oui~!  Oui~! Très Oui~!

57. Release: LET OUT - "who let the dogs out~?" woof, woof

58. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE - name #5, we see her a lot in crosswords

59. Paramount+ partner, briefly: SHO - SHOwtime, streaming services - all(IT)teration

60. Batter beater: WHISK - what a whip~! - all(IT)eration

65. Like déjà vu: EERIE

66. Cry of dismay: "OH NO~!"

67. Leaves for dinner: SALAD - my first thought was the leaf sections when expanding the dining room table, but it's the 'other' leaf - lettuce, romaine, etc.

68. Freezing temps: TEENS

69. Large number: SLEW - Hercules "slew" a whole slew of heads off the - - -

70. Monster with regenerative heads: HYDRA

The 1960 movie "Hercules vs. the Hydra" - all(IT)eration

DOWN:

1. Recycling container: BIN - my blue recycling bin goes out every other week - my garbage, rarely once a month

2. Admission of guilt: "I CONFESS."

3. Well-read individuals: LITERATI - filled via perps

4. Not right?: LEFT - I am a LEFTY, so I nailed this one

5. Sold-out letters: SRO - crossword staple, Standing Room Only

6. Magazine income source: AD PAGE - I had figured it being "AD" something . . . .

7. Swampy habitat: MARSH - I had BAYOU to start; been reading a lot of James Lee Burke books that take place in Louisiana, so this 'hab(IT)at' was on my mind; I did get a David Weber Sci-Fi book, "Off Armageddon Reef", and finished "Hail Mary" from Andy Weir; great book - thank you all for the reading suggestions

8. Texter's qualifier: IMO - In My Opinion

9. Pt. of HDTV: DEFinition; High and TeleVision were too long

10. Novelist Meg: CABOT - name #6, had no clue, learned she is the author of "The Princess Diaries", and the "O" does seem more likely than the "I" that I had from p-I-tted

11. Broad strip: SWATH - as in a swath of destruction laid down by a tornado

12. Tacos al __: PASTOR - never heard of this, so the NE corner was messy; name (ish) - the Wiki

13. Aorta, for one: ARTERY

14. (If) necessary: NEED BE - in hockey playoffs, games 5,6 and 7 may be "if necessary"

19. Picnic spoiler: RAIN - I pondered "ANTS" first

23. Groom feathers: PREEN

24. Pseudonym preceder: A.K.A. - Also Known As

25. Features of orchestras and rhinos: HORNS - clever

26. Upright: ERECT

27. Spiritual glow: AURA - it was either HALO or AURA, and I guessed correctly

33. Four-time French Open winner Swiatek: IGA - name #7, learned doing crosswords

34. Window shades: TINTS - slightly meh; I think windows GET tinted - OR - treatments like drapes, curtains, blinds, shades, etc.

35. Play guitar: STRUM - well, that is part of the mechanics - there's also picking, fretting, tapping, bending, sliding - did I miss anything~?

Eddie would have turned 71 on Jan 26th

36. Org. for orthodontists: ADA - American Dental Assoc.

38. Key: ISLET - That kind of key

39. Dread: FEAR

40. Comment from someone listening to elevator music, perhaps: "I'M ON HOLD."

41. Push beyond acceptable limits: GO TOO FAR - "you've gone far, Ted" was a classic Benny Hill gag

44. ID with two hyphens: SSN

45. Totally wrong: ALL WET - I had heard this phrase before, usually from my mother

46. [Giggle]: HEE-HEE - I had TEE-HEE, so 5/6ths correct - and technically, our Monday dupe~!

all(IT)eration

47. Many a mockumentary: SATIRE - this ROCK-umentary comes to mind

49. Manatee, e.g.: SEACOW - Awww, this puzzle shoulda been blogged by MM~!

50. Taxing trip: TREK - All(IT)eration

53. Gymnast's gripping aid: ROSIN - Dah~!  Not CHALK

54. Zaps: NUKES - Ah.  I use this term all the time when referring to the microwave

55. Susceptible (to): PRONE - as in "prone to lying down while sleeping" 😜

59. "Don't go!": "STAY~!"

61. MMA stat: KOs - Mixed Martial Arts, a sport I do not watch, and Knock Outs

62. Kraken's realm, briefly: NHL - the 'briefly' should have clued me in to the abbr, but I went with "SEA" - yet this is also correct , as the Kraken of the National Hockey League hail from SEAttle

63. "Or so": "ISH." - I'll be over about nine"ish"

64. HHS agency: FDA - Health & Human Sevices, and the Food & Drug Administration; here's the hierarchy on the website

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.9