Monday, June 22, 2026, Robbie Cottom

Theme:  Avian journeys

We are just at the tail end of spring migration for birds.  How nice for constructor Robbie Cottom to remind us of it.  His birds, however, are rather down-to-earth.

16-Across. Flightless migration on a farm?: CHICKEN RUN.  A chicken run is an enclosed outdoor space where chickens can safely roam and forage.

Chicken run

35-Across. Flightless migration on a pond?: DUCK TOUR.  A duck tour uses amphibious buses to take visitors on land and sea.

It only *looks* like a disaster.

60-Across. Flightless migration on Thanksgiving?: TURKEY TROT.  A turkey trot is a short race held around Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Macabre costumes optional

10-Down. Flightless migration in Toronto?: JAY WALK.  Jaywalking refers to a pedestrian crossing a street unlawfully.  Toronto because of the Toronto Blue Jays, a baseball team.  In Toronto, the most common jay bird is the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata).

Blue Jay

40-Down. Flightless migration in a cornfield?: CROW HOP.  A crow hop can be a short, quick jump -- or, if you are sports minded, it can be a footwork technique used by baseball outfielders.

Crow hop

WALK with me now -- or HOP, RUN, or TROT -- on a TOUR of the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Channel that brings tears to one's eyes?: DUCT.  There are two sets of tear ducts in each eye.  On the upper outer side of each eye is a lacrimal gland producing tears, which flow through ducts and over the eye.  Excess tears drain into lacrimal ducts in the inner corner of each eye, flowing thence into the nose.  That's why your nose runs when you cry.

Note the ducts at left and right.

5. Grow frantic: PANIC.

10. "__ my memory": "Remind me": JOG.

13. Worker protection org.: OSHA.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

14. Unavailable: IN USE.

Do not enter!

15. Serving success: ACE.  In tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, winning the point for the server.

16. [Theme clue]

18. "Despite that ... ": YET.  I took you on that fabulous bus tour of the pond, and yet ...

19. Tempts: ENTICES.

20. Nobel Peace Prize winner Sadat: ANWAR.  Anwar Sadat (1918-1981) was an Egyptian military officer who served as the third president of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981.  In 1978, Sadat and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty in cooperation with U.S. President Jimmy Carter, for which they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Anwar Sadat

22. "Who even __ you?": ARE.

23. "Where babies come from" class, briefly: SEX ED.

25. The __ of one's existence: BANE.  A source of misery; a curse.

26. On a smaller scale: LESS SO.  I thought this was going to be LESSer, and was excited to tell you about one of my backyard birds.  But it was LESS SO ...

Lesser Goldfinch in my garden

28. Sicilia's country: ITALIA.  This is how Italians say Sicily and Italy.  Isn't it funny how they don't know the real names?

30. Thought: IDEA.

31. Animal life of a region: FAUNA.  Birds are fauna, too.  Even TURKEYs.

34. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films: KAL.  Kalpen Modi, known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, and former White House staff member in the Obama administration.  He is known for his portrayals of Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar film series, Lawrence Kutner on the television program House, White House staffer Seth Wright on Designated Survivor, and Kevin, a psychologist and boyfriend to Robin in How I Met Your Mother.

Kal Penn

35. [Theme clue]

38. __ and cheese: MAC.

41. Tempos: PACES.

42. Letters not found on a 24-hour clock: AM PM.

46. Under threat: AT RISK.

48. Also: AS WELL.

50. Clump of earth: CLOD.

51. "Your food is getting cold!": EAT UP.

54. Puffin kin: AUK.

55. Maya of "Stranger Things": HAWKE.  The daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Maya Hawke made her screen debut as Jo March in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women. She starred as Robin Buckley in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2019–2025).  She has also recorded three musical albums.

Maya Hawke

57. Bugs Bunny fare: CARROTS.

59. "Kinda like that": ISH.

60. [Theme clue]

63. "New" prefix: NEO.

64. Nordic noir novelist Larsson: STIEG.  Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (1954-2004) was a Swedish writer, best known for The Girl with the Dragon Tatooo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, all of which were published posthumously, starting in 2005, after he died of a heart attack.  

Stieg Larsson

65. Some poke fish: TUNA.  Poke (POH-kay) is a dish of raw fish cubes tossed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions.

Tuna poke

66. Telepathy, e.g.: ESP.  Extrasensory Perception.

67. "Got it?," slangily: YA DIG?

68. Do as one's told: OBEY.

Down:

1. Rx writer: DOC.

2. Guided (in): USHERED.  Better than the "ushed" we sometimes see in these pages.

3. Like dim sum and bao buns: CHINESE.  Perhaps nostalgic items for our blogmistress.

4. Diplomatic skill: TACT.

5. "Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!": PIECE OF CAKE.

6. Granny flat, maybe: ANNEX.

7. Breastfeed: NURSE.

8. The Cyclones of the NCAA: ISU.  The Iowa State Cyclones are the NCAA Division I collegiate athletic teams representing Iowa State University.

And YET Iowa's state bird is not the Northern Cardinal (depicted)
but the American Goldfinch.

9. Wrestler/actor John: CENA.  John Cena was a professional wrestler with the WWE for 24 years, and a 17-time world champion, before becoming an actor.  Cena is also known for his charity work, granting more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the most in the organization's history.

10. [Theme clue]

11. Australasia's region: OCEANIA.  Oceania inlcudes Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

12. "Be reasonable": GET REAL.

17. O : hug :: X : __: KISS.  XOXO means hugs and kisses -- even though the X for kisses comes first.

21. Org. with Cavs and Mavs: NBA.  The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks are teams in the professional National Basketball Association.

22. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.  

Muhammad Ali

24. Paleontologist's prize find: DINOSAUR EGG.

The small feathered dinosaurs with beaks designed to crack seeds
survived the famine when an asteroid collision killed most plant life on Earth
and gave rise to today's birds.

27. Unhappy: SAD.

29. Greek "T": TAU.

32. Org. that oversees NYC's Museum of the Dog: AKC.  American Kennel Club.

33. Sport-__: auto for rugged terrain: UTE.

36. Delivery company with brown trucks: UPS.

37. Like some poke fish: RAW.  See 65-Across.

38. The "M" of ATM: MACHINE.  Automated Teller Machine.

39. Geography texts: ATLASES.

40. [Theme entry]

43. Barbecue chef's coat?: MEAT RUB.  The coat goes on the meat, not the chef.

44. Wedding guest's date: PLUS ONE.

45. Civil rights leader honored in Jan.: MLK.  Martin Luther King.

47. Brief "No clue": IDK.  I don't know.  Here in the Crossword Corner, we often write "DNK" for "did not know."

49. Light on one's feet: SPRY.

52. Bitter-smelling: ACRID.

53. "Star Trek" legend George: TAKEI.

George Takei as Sulu on Star Trek

56. "Keep commerce human" website: ETSY.

58. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Otto Preminger (1905-1986) was an Austrian-American film and theatre director, producer and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films, and was one of the most influential directors in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s.

Otto Preminger

61. The Jazz, on scoreboards: UTA.  The Utah Jazz compete in the NBA.

62. Swift, to Swifties, when doubled: TAY.  Taylor Swift fans ("Swifties") call her Tay Tay.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Did you need perps (perpendicular entries) to JOG your memory regarding the celebrities named in this puzzle?  Did you PANIC at any point?

Or was the whole thing a PIECE OF CAKE?

We want to hear from you in the comments.  YA DIG?

-- NaomiZ

Sunday June 21, 2026 Jeffrey Diton & Katie Hale

 Theme: "M&M'S" - Every theme entry is a well-known person whose initials are M.M.

22. The Duchess of Sussex: MEGHAN MARKLE.

41. Rebecca Pearson player on "This Is Us": MANDY MOORE.

43. Comedian whose podcast's final episode featured Barack Obama: MARC MARON.

64. Anthropologist who theorized that children learn by watching adults: MARGARET MEAD.

73. Oscar winner who gave her acceptance speech in ASL: MARLEE MATLIN.

95. Austin Powers portrayer: MIKE MYERS.

97. Actress who won a Tony and an Emmy for playing Peter Pan: MARY MARTIN.

118. Hall of Famer who holds the record for most World Series home runs: MICKEY MANTLE.

 

This is a very straightforward theme. Meghan Markle's debut in a major newspaper crossword. I was especially happy to see Marc Maron, whose long-running podcast often closed with the phrase "Boomer lives!"

 

This is also Jeffrey's first Sunday for the LAT. Congrats!

Across:

1. Record player?: DEEJAY. Great clue to start.

7. __ accompli: FAIT.

11. Swimwear top: BRA. We all wear swimsuits at our pool. The lady in front is Jan, who was a lifeguard for many years.

14. Secrecy doc: NDA. Non-Disclosure Agreement.

17. Wrap: ENROBE.

18. British unit of mass: TONNE. 21. British unit of length: METRE.

19. Singer Rawls: LOU.

20. Like a good handshake: FIRM.

24. Dines after 10, say: EATS LATE.

26. Go to press?: IRON.

27. B'way passes: TIX.

28. Stops talking about: LETS DROP. The topic.

30. Comedy routine: BIT.

31. Gradually stop nursing: WEAN.

33. Fix, as a pool cue: RE-TIP.

34. Shop online, say: ETAILER. Noun "shop".

36. Bolt down the track?: USAIN. His nickname is "Lightning Bolt". Beautiful family.

39. Numbered work: OPUS.

45. Griffith Observatory style: DECO.  The observatory opened in 1935, right in the heyday of Art Deco architecture.

46. Review that might go viral: PAN.

47. Strike: PICKET.

48. Typesetting unit: PICA.

50. Lucy's sitcom chum: ETHEL.Ethel Mertz.

52. "Fire away": ASK.

55. __-mo: SLO.

56. Valvoline rival: STP.

58. Establishment with teas and tabbies: CAT CAFE. The first cat cafés appeared in Asia before spreading around the world. 

60. Sunset dirección: OESTE. West in Spanish.

62. Fan sound: WHIRR.

66. __ latte: CHAI. Do you cold brew tea in the summer?

69. Pee Wee of baseball: REESE.

71. Quintet that occasionally becomes a sextet: AEIOU.

72. Milky Way maker: MARS. Not the planet but the confectionery giant.

76. Eleanor in a Beatles hit: RIGBY.

78. "You know the __": DRILL.

79. Hair band: ELASTIC.

81. Pic of Pinocchio: CEL. Traditional animated films were created by painting characters onto transparent cels.

82. One of Tarzan's adopted family: APE.

85. Irish actor Stephen: REA. "The Crying Game"

86. Academy student: CADET.

88. James of "Misery": CAAN.

90. Malia and Sasha, to Craig Robinson: NIECES. Brother of Michelle Obama. 

92. __ phrik: Thai chili sauce: NAM. Made from pounded chilies, garlic, shallots, and lime juice, and shrimp paste or fish sauce. Odd but very tasty dip for green mango slices.

93. Casual get-together: SESH.

101. Dog biscuit shape: BONE.

102. Green pasta sauce: PESTO.

103. Detail, as a bill: ITEMIZE.

104. South Asian pancakes: DOSAS.  Rice-and-lentil pancakes.

106. Not more: LESS.

108. Reply to a meme, perhaps: LOL.

109. "I'll just leave a message": NO ANSWER.

111. "I'm __ yours!": ALL.

112. "My bad!": OOPS.

116. 87-Down predator: ANACONDA. 87. Area with the world's largest rainforest: AMAZONIA. Fortunately, Minnesota's lakes are free of anacondas.

121. 32-country org.: NATO.

122. Apple platform: IOS.

123. With 89-Down, "Delta of Venus" writer: ANAIS. 89. See 123-Across: NIN.

124. Polynesian language: SAMOAN.

125. Relay part: LEG.

126. TV journalist Cabrera: ANA.

127. Geek (out): NERD.

128. Famous last words?: THE END. Aptly placed as the last entry.

Down:

1. Prefix with -tasse: DEMI.

2. Cabinet dept. with a sun on its seal: ENER.

3. Therefore: ERGO.

4. Film assassin played by Keanu Reeves: JOHN WICK.

5. Legal org.: ABA.

6. Busybody: YENTA.

7. Not against: FOR.

8. Spots for some bracelets: ANKLES.

9. Cove: INLET.

10. Start of a round: TEE TIME. Golf round.

11. Wasn't colorfast: BLED.

12. Laughed loudly: ROARED.

13. Option in some password managers: AUTO-TYPE.

14. Org. with Cowboys and Chiefs: NFL.

15. Devil, in Spanish: DIABLO. The author of "Juno" is Diablo Cody.

16. More stylized: ARTIER.

18. Burden: TAX.

23. Key word?: MINOR.

25. Musical based on "Monty Python and the Holy Grail": SPAMALOT.

29. Modernistic: SPACE AGE.

32. Tangle up: ENMESH.

33. Like an ancient alphabet: RUNIC.

35. Charged particle: ION.

36. Strike callers: UMPS.

37. Cruise (by): SAIL.

38. Not pizzicato: ARCO. With the bow.  In string music, pizzicato instructs players to pluck the strings with their fingers, while arco tells them to return to using the bow.

40. Dad: POP.

42. "The injustice!": NOT FAIR.

44. Wardrobe: ATTIRE.

45. Mining target: DATA. Data mining.

49. Bedouin mounts: CAMELS.

51. Like Superman: HEROIC.

52. Far from land: ASEA.

53. Take the lead: STAR.

54. Shoe brand founded by U.S. Rubber: KEDS. Didn't know this.

57. Program for some psych majors: PRE-MED.

59. Skulls: CRANIA.

61. "The Pitt" award: EMMY. Medical drama set in Pennsylvania.

62. Last words, often: WILL.

63. Most genuine: REALEST.

65. University of Oregon city: EUGENE.

66. Nav. officer: CMDR.

67. Fabulous loser?: HARE. Another fun clue.

68. Diva's big moment: ARIA.

70. Driver's licenses, e.g.: STATE IDS.

74. Chevy coupe with a cargo bed: EL CAMINO. 

75. Hankering: ITCH.

77. Goodyear fleet: BLIMPS.

80. Stealthy patterns, for short: CAMOS.

82. Fab: ACES.

83. Saucy: PERT.

84. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. The name comes from pronouncing the initials "S.O." for Standard Oil.

91. "Class, pay attention!": EYES ON ME.

92. MLB team in blue and orange: NYM. New York Mets.

94. Olaf, for one: SNOWMAN.

96. __ green: KELLY.

97. La Scala locale: MILAN.

98. Like music that's hard to sing along to: ATONAL.

99. Connect: RELATE.

100. Continue enjoying a book: READ ON.

101. Train lounge: BAR CAR.

105. Rive Gauche waters: SEINE. Left Bank. 

107. Horror film loc.: ELM ST.

110. Artemis II org.: NASA.

111. Two-time loser to DDE: AES. Adlai Stevenson lost presidential races to Dwight D. Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956.

113. Great Plains tribe: OTOE.

114. Think ahead: PLAN.

115. Email action: SEND.

117. Gear tooth: COG.

119. Josh: KID.

120. Pleased sigh: AAH.

C.C.

Saturday, June 20, 2026, Craig Stowe

 Saturday Themeless by Craig Stowe

Here's a nice note from Craig about this fun puzzle:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for reaching out, it's been a while!  I haven't been as constructive as of late mainly because I don't have as much free time these days.  For your Canadian solvers I have a couple of puzzles at thewalrus.ca if anyone is interested in checking them out.  It has a fun (and free) crossword section similar to the LA Times or Universal in terms of difficulty.

As is often the case I was staring at a blank grid wondering how to start when I heard the phrase AS THE KIDS SAY on tv.  I typed it in and let the puzzle reveal itself.  The fun of making themeless grids is solving the puzzle as you go, making changes to the grid when necessary and learning new words - ANNOYWARE, for example, is something most of us have experienced but probably didn't have a name for.  Hopefully the crossing are fair enough that solvers can figure it out without too much difficulty.

 Happy solving!

Craig

p.s. Slight update, I'm still at the hotel but I work in finance now. 

  

Across:

1. Iodine source: KELP - Since Craig is in Canada, he may pronounce this EYE oh deen 

      

5. Kenny Chesney hit about living in the moment: HERE AND NOW 

A lot of people dreamin' 'bout a one day

Somedays waitin' just around the bend

I used to be one, wonderin' when they'd come

But now I'm livin' in (But now I'm livin' in)

Here and now

15. "Toodles": CIAO.

16. Birthstone for many Pisces: AQUAMARINE.

17. Genesis preposition: UNTO.

18. Splurges, in a way: RUNS UP A TAB.

19. Coevals: PEERS - Our school administrator once had us evaluate our colleagues/PEERS and it really did not go well.

21. Quite a stretch: AGES.

22. Bowler's edge: BRIM - Liza wore one well

23. Take third, say: STEAL 😀- Here's my current fav ball player Bobby Witt Jr. doing it

25. Bulb choice: LED - How do you decide?

27. MDW alternative: ORD - O'Hare International Airport in Chicago is an alternative to Midway

28. Comment after using a new expression: AS THE KIDS SAY - Craig's seed entry. Isn't it obvi you just totes adorb the new expressions? 😀

32. For sure: DEFINITE.

33. __ pudding: PEASE - The chant for PEASE porridge (aka pudding) hot, PEASE porridge cold clapping song we all did growing up (picture is a little old!)

 

37. Actor Arkin: ALAN.

38. Queens player: NY MET.

41. Cut: SNIP.

42. "Roots" actress Sinclair: MADGE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Some of us seniors might remember this MADGE.

44. Splurging: ON A BINGE.

46. Top-notch: SECOND TO NONE.

49. Nerve center: HUB.

52. Fa follower: SOL.

53. Uncool in a cool way: NERDY - My NERDY high school classmate became pretty cool when he became a tech multimillionaire. 

54. French 101 verb: ETRE.

56. Storage structure: SILO - Harveststore is a big name around here

58. Critters that can regenerate limbs: NEWTS.

61. Start again: REACTIVATE.

64. British noble: EARL.

65. "... any time, really": OR WHENEVER.

66. Three, in Kindergarten: DREI 😀 Kindergarten is a German word so...

67. Photography collection subtitled "Mathematicians and Their Chalkboards": DO NOT ERASE. I love the irony of this picture I saw last year while subbing.

68. Throw, 28-Across: YEET - As the kids say...

Down:

1. Coffee option: K-CUP - Part of my daily routine

2. A on a German test?: EINE - The title below is A Little Night Music. Sample as much of this beautiful music as you like

3. This week's TikTok trend, e.g.: LATEST FAD - Some can be very dangerous

4. Oscar-winning film based on an Alasdair Gray novel: POOR THINGS.

5. Chuckle syllable: HAR - Ralph Kramden did it the best!

6. Goal of many civil rights organizations: EQUALITY.

7. Step up or down: RUNG 😀

8. Stands in a studio: EASELS - Stands is used as a noun not a verb

9. Tickles: AMUSES.

10. Quick recharge: NAP - Ten minutes and I'm good to go!

11. Uninspired: DRAB.

12. Coffee option: NITRO - Coffee infused with Nitrogen gas

13. Live in a studio?: ON AIR. 😀

14. Site with health advice: WEB MD - Check it out

20. "I feel __": SEEN.

24. Related: AKIN.

26. Big name in caulk: DAP.

28. Driver in Hollywood: ADAM.

29. "Homesick: A Memoir" writer Ward: SELA.

30. Inner being?: DEMON - We all have 'em

31. "For sure, for sure!": YES INDEEDY.

34. Application with persistent pop-ups: ANNOYWARE - Annoyware is software that continuously shows reminders or pop-up windows to remind users to perform a particular action, such as registering or buying 

35. Ink: SIGN - ink as a verb not a noun

36. Olympic event since 1900: EPEE.

39. Thesis section: END NOTES.

40. London home of many works by Louise Bourgeois: TATE - Her work is displayed in London's TATE museum

43. Some RPI grads: EES - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

45. "I was __ ready!": BORN.

47. Secant reciprocal: COSINE - COSINE is a common trig function and its inverse is called a secant.

48. "Where Is Love?" musical: OLIVER.

49. Judean king known for ambitious building projects: HEROD.

50. In __: UTERO.

51. Might: BRAWN.

55. Bounce back: ECHO.

57. Mountain flower: LAVA - 😀 A flower is something that flows as well as a plant

59. Fig or olive: TREE.

60. Paper cut: SLIT.

62. Holiday celebrated with banh chung: TET - Hmmm..., a three letter Asian holiday... 

63. "I'll see thee damned __ I call thee coward": "Henry IV, Part 1": ERE - Along with a translation into, uh, English. 😀