Thursday April 23, 2026 Jeffrey Wechsler

Jeffrey Wechsler made a triumphant return to the LAT with a fun Sunday puzzle just last month. While I know he has no control about when these are published, I think this one came out of the oven a bit too soon.

Golly Gee! For all you fans out there that love proper nouns, this is the puzzle for you. All five themers are peoples' names, both real and fictional, and they all end with GG. 

17. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" novelist: FANNIE FLAGG. She was also a frequent panelist on the Match Game.

30. Rapper featured on the Dr. Dre song "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang": SNOOP DOGG. That SNOOP is mentioned in a song with a "G" in the title, is the closest thing I found to a deeper theme.

37. Circumnavigator in a Jules Verne novel: PHILEAS FOGG. As a boy growing up on Verne, this was the one answer I filled in without hesitation, except I thought he was PHInEAS with an "N". 

41. English actress who played Emma Peel on "The Avengers": DIANA RIGG. DIANA RIGG as British spy Emma Peel in the 60s TV series was everything a young boy could hope for (when not reading Verne).

58. "The Road to Wellville" role for Anthony Hopkins: JOHN KELLOGG. "K-E-double L, O-double Good, Kellogg's best to you!" Whee! Are we having fun yet?

The real Dr. John Harvey Kellogg

I like the majority of the puzzles I do, but this one didn't excite me. I kept waiting for something to happen, a clever reveal, maybe something to do with movie Gigi, but it never materialized. It's just a list of names that end in GG. 

Across:

1. Revels (in): BASKS.

6. Kremlin cash: RUBLE.

11. Part of the DHS: TSA. The Transportation Security Administration is a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

14. Like sparrows and swallows: AVIAN.

15. One of several mistakes in a Shakespeare comedy?: ERROR. Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest and shortest plays, known for its farcical humor, slapstick, and mistaken identity, revolving around two sets of identical twins separated at birth.

16. Ashen: WAN.

17. [theme]

19. See 34-Down: ORA. Rita ORA.

20. Naval groups: FLEETS.

21. Fresh start?: NEO. From the Greek meaning "new."

22. Govt. figure: POL. POL is short for a government politician.

23. Whispery: LOW. LOW as in volume, not in tone. Cows LOW to communicate hunger or distress.

Psst! The grass is greener on the other side.

24. Observed furtively: SPIED.

27. Florence's river: ARNO.

28. One-named singer from Donegal: ENYA. ENYA has sold an estimated 80 million albums worldwide and now lives in a castle.

30. [theme]

33. Warble: TRILL.

36. Custardy desserts: FLANS. This is rarely seen in the plural, unless we're talking about the all-girl group from Mexico.

37. [theme]

39. Greek island in "The Two Faces of January": CRETE. The Two Faces of January is a 2014 thriller film set in Greece. Also see 29D.

40. Stay put, in Paris: RESTE. French lesson. It's interesting when a foreign word looks like a English word with a different etymology, yet has a similar meaning. "Rest" has Germanic roots.

41. [theme]

43. Fret (over): STEW.

47. eBay caveat: AS IS. I buy and sell often on eBay, and have had surprisingly good interactions with people. Especially gratifying are fair resolutions when something doesn't go quite right on either end.

48. Opposite of o'er: NEATH.

51. Lille pal: AMI. A little more French.

52. Oz. and mg.: WTS. Ounces and milligrams are WEIGHTS.

53. "The View" airer: ABC. The View is a daytime talk show hosted by women, now in its 29th season.

55. Driver's lic. with an added star: REAL ID. Starting on May 7, 2025, a REAL ID license or authorized alternative (like a passport) is required for U.S. domestic flights, entering secure federal buildings, and military bases.

57. Born: NEE. And even more French.

58. [theme]

61. Round topper for a scepter: ORB.

62. Part of the Dutch Caribbean: ARUBA. ARUBA is an island off the coast of Venezuela.

63. Netflix category: GENRE. 

64. Vane dir.: NNE. I'm glad more recent xwords have started cluing compass points this way rather than directions between two random cities.

65. Satisfy, as a debt: REPAY.

66. Good point: ASSET.

Down:

1. Perplex: BAFFLE.

2. Island where Excalibur was forged: AVALON. "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government." 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

3. Trim and muscular: SINEWY.

4. "Citizen __": KANE. Played by Orson Wells in 1941.

5. Pique performances?: SNITS. Fun clue.

6. NFL employee: REF.

7. Brief address: URL.

8. Corleone player: BRANDO. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

The Godfather

9. Theater section: LOGE.

10. Therefore: ERGO.

11. Like many electric plugs: TWO PRONG. This guy's a victim of a TWO PRONG attack.

12. Some Malaysian attire: SARONGS.

13. Like Big Ben's clock: ANALOG.

18. Dubious ability: ESP.

25. Michigan's __ Royale National Park: ISLE.

26. Make bigger: ENLARGE.

27. Maxims: ADAGES.

29. Greek city in "The Two Faces of January": ATHENS. Almost a clecho. See 39A.

31. Trade-__: compromises: OFFS.

32. Gardener's parcel: PLOT.

34. With 19-Across, "How We Do (Party)" singer: RITA. RITA Ora.

35. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER. I don't remember this young man, and he's already quit acting, but misspelling the cross of PHInEAS with an "N" sunk me.

37. "Hallelujah!": PRAISE BE.

38. Video game giant: SEGA.

39. Collector of rainwater: CISTERN.

41. Suddenly hit: DAWN ON.

42. Increase slowly: INCH UP.

44. Claws: TALONS.

45. New citizen, perhaps: EMIGRE.

46. Doohickey: WIDGET.

49. Otto meno cinque: TRE. Now we switch to Italian for a math lesson. Eight minus five equals three.

50. Hägar the Horrible's wife: HELGA.

53. Slightly open: AJAR.

54. Offer no amusement to: BORE. Zzzz.

56. Tavern quaffs: ALES.

59. Bulls org.: NBA. The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association.

60. Big name in jewelry: KAY. Winner - Best Slogan: "Every Kiss Begins With KAY."

Well, was Jeffrey a good eGG or did he lay one?

Be good. RB