Thursday May 21, 2026 Heather Stanger McIntire & Shannon Rapp

In March, Shannon Rapp co-wrote a puzzle published here. Now she's found another collaborator, Heather Stanger McIntire, who's making her first appearance here. Shannon must have a SECRET MENU of constructors to select from!

37. Unpublicized restaurant offering, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue: SECRET MENU. SECRET MENUs are mostly a fast-food thing, and most aren't all that secret. They're just off-menu offerings, but they help build brand loyalty because the customer feels like an insider when ordering one. 

In today's puzzle, the MENU offerings are not from restaurants, but seen on websites. Some of them may be hidden under a "hamburger menu" - three bars in the upper corner of the screen that sorta resemble a burger. When clicked, it opens to show more choices like those clued below.

18. *Brunch choice: FRENCH OMELET. HOME takes one back the the HOME page of a website. Clicking on the company's logo will often do the same thing.

24. *Apprenticeship in the ways of The Force: JEDI TRAINING. Pressing EDIT enters "EDIT mode," where one can make changes to content. 

54. *Negro Leagues player in the Baseball Hall of Fame: SATCHEL PAIGE. Clicking HELP often suggests things that are of no HELP.

61. *"I Just Called To Say I Love You" singer: STEVIE WONDER. VIEW buttons enable switching between layouts on a monitor, such as half or full screen.

At first, I thought the word "MENU" would be hidden or scrambled in the entries. Failing in that, I dug deeper. Because it's a proper Thursday, nothing was circled so I actually had to work for my "aha" moment. As usual when there are five long themers, we're left with a lot of abbrev. even with an extra-wide grid.

Let's see what else is on the menu:

Across:

1. Texting format initials: SMS. Short Message Service is the standard, text-only communication technology used by mobile phones.

4. Eel in maki sushi: UNAGI. There are many types of sushi. Maki sushi is the common variety made by rolling vinegared rice and other fillings in a sheet of nori seaweed. I prefer nigiri or sashimi.

9. Language of Sri Lanka: TAMIL. TAMIL is an ancient language with a documented history spanning over 2,000 years. It is spoken by approximately 80 to 90 million people worldwide, and serves as an official language in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

14. "Long," in Hawaiian: LOA. LOA can also mean "tall" or "very/much" - all apt descriptions of Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano.

15. Sure to end badly: NO WIN.

16. __ Cortina 2026: MILANO. The sister cities that hosted this year's Winter Olympics in Italy.

17. Under the weather: ILL.

18. [theme]

20. Only major U.S. city founded by a woman: MIAMI. Julia Tuttle (1849–1898) was a savvy businesswoman who convinced tycoon Henry Flagler (John D. Rockefeller's partner) to extend his railroad to the area. Known as the "Mother of Miami," she used citrus blossoms from her property to prove the region was frost-free, securing the development. But let's not forget the "Other Mother of Miami," Mary Brickell (1836-1922), who donated significant parcels of her 2000 acres to make it happen. Tuttle, Brickell and Flagler are all immortalized by major namesake roads in South Florida.

22. Roadside org.: AAA. American Automobile Association. We used to visit their travel agency and get customized TripTiks (flip maps) before setting out on a long trip. Then the internet and GPS came along...

23. Draped silk dress: SARI.

24. [theme]

29. Digital exec: CTO. A Chief Technology Officer is the executive in charge of IT.

30. Purple bloom: IRIS. 

31. World Series mo.: OCT. OCTober is also a month when all four major US sports are playing at the same time. Sometimes, they all have games on the same day, known as a "Sports Equinox."

32. Comedy series featuring Lily Tomlin: LAUGH-IN. LAUGH-IN debuted in 1968 and quickly became the most popular show on television. "And that's the truth."

Lily Tomlin as Edith Ann

34. Grown boys: MEN.

35. Educational acronym: STEM. STEM is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, rather than teaching them as separate subjects. It focuses on hands-on, real-world applications to teach critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation, preparing students for technology-driven careers that hopefully are still needed in an Ai world.

36. Opera solos: ARIAS.

37. [theme]

41. Call dibs on: CLAIM.

44. Charger, e.g.: AUTO. The fastest I've ever been in an AUTO was in a friend's 1966 Dodge Charger on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We hit 120 mph and it felt like the car was going to leave the ground. It probably did. He was nuts and it had me rethinking my life's choices.

The Dodge Charger was introduced in 1966

45. Navigation tech: GPS. Global Positioning System - the modern day TripTik. Back in the last century, my service van was full of maps, but I learned my way around. Nowadays, people blindly follow directions from point A to B and never acquire navigational skills.

48. Tolkien characters who like to eat six meals a day: HOBBITS. Most sources list seven meals: Breakfast; Second Breakfast; Elevenses; Lunch; Afternoon Tea; Dinner; and Supper.

51. Locavore's org.: CSA. My first thought was that Locavore might be a Confederate general like Longstreet. Different CSA. A localvore is someone who tries to eat foods grown or produced locally and promotes Community Supported Agriculture. 

52. Small cut: SLIT.

53. Result of advancing in the field?: RBI. Runs Batted In, although it could have just been RUN.

54. [theme]

57. Key West, e.g.: ISLE. If you take U.S. 1 from Key West, you'll end up at the Canadian border in Maine 1,300 miles later - no map needed. 

Mile 0 in Key West

59. __ shu pork: MOO. MOO shu pork is a popular stir-fry dish featuring thinly sliced pork, scrambled eggs, and vegetables. I like to wrap them up like a Chinese fajita.

60. Oyster opener: OTTER.

61. [theme]

66. Sock part: TOE. Here's a windsock with an open TOE.

67. Barbershop parts: TENORS. Part of a barbershop quartet. I used to sing solo - so low that nobody heard me. 

68. Leg day exercise: LUNGE.

69. Music producer Brian: ENO.

70. Snacks stuffed with "stuf": OREOS. There are as many varieties of OREOS as ways to clue them.

71. Couple of bucks?: STAGS. Not just some doe.

72. Web feed initials: RSS. Really Simple Syndication is a technology that allows you to automatically receive updates from your favorite websites. Instead of manually checking multiple sites for new content, an RSS feed delivers the latest headlines and articles directly to you.

Down:

1. Jerky brand: SLIM JIM. I thought jerky was made from meat? LOL While SLIM JIM does make some jerky, they are famous for their "Smoked Snack Sticks" which are a highly processed food.

2. "Tartuffe" playwright: MOLIERE. MOLIÈRE was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world literature.

3. First sultan of Syria and Egypt: SALADIN. SALADIN was a 12th-century Kurdish military and political leader who founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He successfully unified the Muslim Near East to reclaim Jerusalem and repel the Third Crusade. I don't remember him for some reason.

4. Not well-matched: UNFIT.

5. Swe. neighbor: NOR. NORway and Sweden are neighbors who only feud during Eurovision.

6. Astonishment: AWE.

7. Martini liquor: GIN.

8. Like some ruins in Peru: INCAN. The most famous is Machu Picchu from the 15th century.

9. "Beetlejuice" director Burton: TIM. TIM is known for his distinctive style that blends dark fantasy and gothic horror with whimsical elements in movies such as Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

10. Bitter beers: ALES. Bitter tears: WAILS.

11. Last book of the Old Testament: MALACHI. This is the end of the work as we know it.

12. Laziness: INERTIA. INERTIA is the natural tendency for an object at rest to stay at rest. I think I'll mow the lawn tomorrow...

13. Skin soothers: LOTIONS. What!? Not ALOE?

16. Disney film set in Polynesia: MOANA. Set in ancient Polynesia, the film follows MOANA, the strong-willed daughter of a village chief, who is chosen by the ocean to restore a mystical relic.

19. Call, as a cab: HAIL. Ride, as in a cab: HELL.

21. Sue Grafton's "__ for Malice": M IS. Easy peasy. All of her 25 "alphabet novels" start with the same letter as the crime-related word in the title. Very ambitious, but she died in 2017 before writing Z is for Zero. Her daughter said, "As far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."

25. Campus mil. unit: ROTC. The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college program that trains students to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

26. Laptop brand: ACER.

27. "I feel seen": IT ME. Another unknown bit of internet slang, typically used when you identify perfectly with a meme or a character. It is a shortened version of "that's me" or "this is me." It bad.

28. Fertilizer from bats: GUANO. Because of bats' specialized diet, their droppings are exceptionally rich in nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium—essential plant nutrients.

33. Mentor of Minions: GRU. GRU is a grouchy, quick-witted, and cynical supervillain and the boss of the Minions. He is voiced by Steve Carell.

35. Big rigs: SEMIS. SEMI is shorthand for a semi-truck. SEMI refers to the trailer because it only has axles in the rear. The motorized cab part is the tractor, hence a tractor-trailer.

37. Sis, for one: SIB. A sister is a SIBling.

38. Speed reader?: TACH. A TACHometer measures engine speed, while RADAR is used to read the speed of SEMIS.

39. Inspiring figure: MUSE.

40. Footnote abbr.: ET AL. The abbreviation of et alia, meaning "and others."

41. Artist known for fabric-wrapped installations: CHRISTO. I enjoyed seeing his Surrounded Islands in Biscayne Bay by Miami in 1983. I remember hearing a parody of Prince's "Little Red Corvette" called "Little Pink Islands."

"Little pink islands, CHRISTO your art's a gas..." 

42. Maine course: LOBSTER. Fun clue. You can also dive for LOBSTER just 1,300 miles off course in Key West. 

43. Central Texas city: ABILENE.

45. Sparkly stuff: GLITTER.

46. City birds: PIGEONS.

47. Sound investments?: STEREOS. When I went to college, everyone brought STEREOS like they do computers today. I've upgraded through the years, and now have Legacy Focus speakers like these. They are big, but when your eyes are closed, singers sound like they are live, standing in the middle of the room! Ear buds just don't cut it.

49. Makes less wild: TAMES.

50. Put away: STOW.

52. Didn't play: SAT.

55. Loses steam?: COOLS. Just add more wood to the stove to keep your sauna steaming.

56. Sauna openings?: PORES. In a sauna, sweat pours out of PORES. This helps loosen dirt and oil trapped within the skin and improves circulation.

58. Kitchen initialism: EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

62. Tax agcy.: IRS. The Infernal Internal Revenue Service.

63. Fan: NUT.

64. "The Code Breaker" subj.: DNA. Walter Isaacson's biography of Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her pivotal role in the development a revolutionary DNA-editing technology.

65. Pasta ingredient: EGG. Pasta is basically wheat flour and EGGS, with a little EVOO and salt added.

Be good. RB