google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, Aug 21st, 2026 ~ Megan Heneke

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Aug 21, 2026

Friday, Aug 21st, 2026 ~ Megan Heneke

ANTHONY'S LATHE

Anthony's Law, but not Anon-T - and - OUCH~!!

I could not find any online links to our crossword constructor, Megan Heneke, so I do believe this is her debut puzzle - congratulations~!  While I enjoyed solving this one, I am still kinda stumped; did I miss a layer~?  Is there something about the theme that I am not seeing~?  I can see the correlation between the "scientist" ( or mathematician ) and the 'object' of the clue, but I'm baffled that both LATTE an LATKE were acceptable - but that's not on the author, that's shame on the editor for not sending it back for revision; YMMV.  I even tried a different parsing - as in LA WAND OR DER, since the themers all have their objects starting with "LA"; perhaps Ms. Heneke will pop by our Crossword Corner and give us some insight.  I would not rate this as Friday-level, though the prevalence of single-word cluing/answers does give it that feel.  Standard grid, no circles, a handful of names, a mere ten 3LWs, and no Twurds. The themers and the reveal;

21. "A bottle where the rapid decrease in pressure upon opening creates foam, please" request?: BOYLE'S LAGER - Robert Boyle is credited with discovering the inverse relationship between pressure & volume; the Wiki

26. "A light coffee, and do not drop it, please" request?: NEWTON'S LATTE - Sir Isaac Newton and his "discovery" of gravity - his Wiki

43. "I'll take my potato as a pancake (but you'll probably bring fries)" request?: MURPHY'S LATKE - Murphy's Law, which in general states that if something can go wrong, it will - I did not know he was a 'real' person - more here

50. Strict enforcement of the rules for a civil society, or how to process the requests in 21-, 26-, and 43-Across?: LAW AND ORDER - the "law" man and his "order" at a bar, restaurant, and diner/cafe

Quite possibly the best TV show theme song, IMHO

But Wait There's Moore's Law~!


ACROSS:

1. Graduate from a balance bike: PEDAL - T.I.L. that a balance bike lacks pedals, ergo one would have to learn the skill of pedalling to 'graduate' - and a Thursday dupe


6. "Zounds!": "EGAD~!"

10. "Not only that ... ": "PLUS . . ."

14. Sauce for chipotles: ADOBO - I always thought of adobo as a marinade or rub, not a 'sauce'

15. German automaker: AUDI

16. Nana's daughter: AUNT

17. Collar clip-on: ID TAG - Think "dog" - still no canine companion, Irish Miss, struggling with establishing a set schedule, but I am visiting Cooper for the extended Columbus Day weekend in October~!

My S-I-L had their patio enclosed - Cooper approves~!

18. Hard punch: SLUG

19. Big name in morning TV: RIPA - Kelly, name #1

20. Get the gray out, say: DYE - Since changing my diet, I have noticed my hair is "less grey" than it used to be . . . 

24. Caitlin Clark's home state: IOWA - Sheesh.  This WNBA Indiana Fever basketball player is so unknown to me, it's practically asking  me where does John Doe live~?  Filled via perps, name #2

25. Topical antiseptic: IODINE

31. Small flower?: CREEK - the "flow-er", 'long O' version we see towards the end of the week

My creek, shot in January 2023

32. Raw minerals: ORES

33. "Nature" airer: PBS

36. Biblical name of ancient Syria: ARAM - Geo name #3

37. Wolverines and Badgers: TEAMS - NOUNS would have worked, too - I looked at what is most likely the "relationhip" of wolverines to badgers, came across Michigan & Wisconsin, at the extreme opposite ends of - 26D. Bracket org.: NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletics Association - more basketball, which is not my thing, and yes, I live 5mins from UCONN and their famous B-ball teams . . .

39. Canada Goose garment: COAT - filled via perps; the website

40. Inquire: ASK

41. Head of a museum?: BUST - Har-har

The Bat Bust

42. Full of passion: FIERY

46. Future resident: INTERN - Think doctors, not neighbors -I caught my new neighbor stealing soil from my creek; I hope I put an end to that~!

49. Cringeworthy, in Gen Alpha slang: OHIO - Gen X here, so this one is new to me; I not only lived in Ohio, but it's where The Golem movie was shot - so I guess it really is "weird" in Ohio . . .

53. Greek T: TAU

56. Tofu nutrient: IRON

57. Drama honor: OBIE - the Off-Broadway Theatre Award

58. Feature of some accents: TWANG

60. Smoothie berry: ACAI

61. Merino, e.g.: WOOL

62. "Pale Blue Dot" subject: EARTH - Carl Sagan, who had a "law" of his own, ( a standard ); "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"


63. Top of many an indoor stadium: DOME

64. Trawling equipment: NETS

65. Clothe: DRESS 


DOWN:

1. Took care of, say: PAID - like "the bill"

2. Circular current: EDDY - NOT a name 

3. Shower with love, with "on": DOTE

4. Old hoops gp.: ABA - American Basketball Association; more basketball

5. Daily record: LOGBOOK - I have kept an 'electronic' journal since January 2005

6. Causes of some grade inflation: EASY As

7. Beach party?: GULL

The gulls in "Finding Nemo" were hysterical

8. For two voices, in music: ADUE - Dah~!  Not DUET

9. Archaeologists' workplaces: DIG SITES - Nailed it

10. Mardi Gras event: PARADE

11. Video game brother: LUIGI - MARIO fit, but wasn't playing nice with others; name #3

12. Let out, as pigs: UNPEN - I really hoped this was not going to be "UNSTY"

13. Try to decipher a stereogram, perhaps: STARE - try to find the objects in the 3D images here

22. Have: OWN

23. Auction units: LOTS - better than defined as "A TON" 

24. Bullet point: ITEM 

27. Messes up: ERRS

28. Ineffective: WEAK

29. Unwilling (to): LOATH

30. Branch: ARM - Trunk: Leg~?

Maybe not a tree pattern, but the tights are "dee-vine" 🙄

33. Ballad writer: POET

34. Oak exterior: BARK

35. Ocular woe: STYE - how does one get an eye "UNSTYED"~?

37. __ service: TURN-DOWN - A luxury hotel amenity, where you get the mint on the pillow

38. Medium ability: ESP

39. "Ta-ta!": CIAO

41. Cutting comeback: BURN - I tried BARB, 50% correct

42. Toyed (with): FLIRTED

43. "Stop being such a jerk!": "MEANIE~!" - my mother's old email was mrsmeanie

44. Singing in some Ricola ads: YODELS

Riiiii - co - laaaaa~!

45. Shakira's "__ Wolf": SHE - More like "She-esh"; name(ish)

46. "Odyssey" prelude: ILIAD - It's all Greek to me . . . 🙄

47. Many a "Breaking Bad" figure: NARCO - I had NARCS

48. Clock-changing hr.: TWO AM - you have 71 days until Nov 1st, 2026

51. Cor anglais kin: OBOE - learned by doing crosswords, "English horn" orchestral instrument

52. Real hoot: RIOT - Not LULU

53. Scale button: TARE - I am officially 50lbs lighter than when I started at the gym in May last year

I was carrying around the equivalent of this whole shelf of sugar 😧

54. Tunneling pests: ANTS - they're a mild pest in my house, but they don't tunnel - the chipmunks do

55. Cries of disgust: UGHs

59. Tug-of-__: WAR

Splynter

Grid Flow the lowest I've recorded, just 12.1

22 comments:

  1. Well, that was a
    toughie! (As befits a Friday, I guess.)
    But by “chipping away” at it, I finally got it, and I even understood the reveal (eventually).
    FIR, so I’m happy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning!

    Yay, d-o noticed all the law-givers and their "law" sound-alikes. Hand up for BARB before BURN showed up. Bucky Badger was our team mascot. Weekdays we march through the 'hood, but on the weekends we PEDAL, weather permitting. Impressive debut, Megan. Let's see more of your efforts. Interesting expo, Splynter. (I could almost see those stereograms.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. FIR, but also->PLUS.

    Yesterday we had the pronunciation guide for "victuals." Today we get CREEK, and everyone around my childhood neck of the woods pronounced it "crick." Next up must be key/cay/quay.

    What did OHIO do to the Alphas? Is that where the ubiquitous Karen lives?

    I remember the ABA from the Kentucky Colonels, where Dan Issel was a star. I remember Dan even more as a college star in his senior year at the U. of Kentucky when I was a freshman. I still remember a game I attended one Saturday afternoon, when Coach Rupp assigned Issel to guard Pistol Pete Maravich when no other Kentucky defender could even slow him down. Maravich still got his zillion points, but UK beat LSU 109-96.

    I thought Canadian Goose was vodka. Oh wait - that's Grey Goose. Both brands are too expensive for me.

    Thanks to Megan for the fun Friday workout. And thanks to Splynter for the legs and other enjoyable material.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Truly a wondrous CW, with SO many clever clues: 31A, 41A, 46A, 7D, 34D, 38D; and I'm sure I missed some.

    Only 10 names (HURRAY!!) and only 1 DNK (Biblical name of Syria). FIR in a remarkable (for me) 15 minutes.

    I LOVED the theme, too, which I only saw after the reveal: the first word in the theme answers is a LAW, the second word is something you would ORDER.

    Thanx tons for this Fabulous Friday CW, MH. If this is indeed your first, congratulations, and keep 'em coming. And keep 'em low name count, please.

    Terrific write-up Splynter, thanx. Nice set of legs ya got pictured there, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brilliant and concise explanation of the theme, Uncle Fred. I couldn’t have explained it half that well!

      - SubG

      Delete
  5. Oh, meant to mention: I had no idea what a "Balance bike" is, so needed all perps for the very first fill. Oy. Thanx, Splynter, for the illustration.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Took 10:41 today to say "ohm".

    I didn't know the Biblical place (Aram), the Shakira song (she), the Gen Alpha slang (Ohio), "Boyle's Law", or what a cor anglais is or its kin (oboe). [Nor do I know what "TIL" is in the review, which I strongly suspect is not "Truth In Lending".]

    I find Ohio to be delightful.

    Clever theme idea.

    ReplyDelete
  7. FIR. This was certainly a workout, but it is Friday after all. The misdirection was actually quite fun.
    I got half of the theme midway through but the "order" part I needed the reveal to see. Very clever.
    Overall an enjoyable puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I needed the reveal to get the theme. Interesting. The rest of the puzzle wasn’t too difficult, I didn’t know what a balance bike is, but PEDAL had to fit. RIPA, I know from previous CWs. Since SHE was easy to guess, OHIO showed up but I have no idea what that is. Does it refer to the state or is it initials? If it is the state we also had IOWA. I had soya before IRON.

    Thank you Splynter for a thoughtful review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good Morning:

    I got the theme despite not knowing anything about Boyle’s Law. It was an unusual theme but the reveal helped to clarify it. My only w/o was Also/Plus and I needed perps for Ohio, as clued. I continue to miss the challenge and satisfaction of solving Friday offerings of the past.

    Thanks, Megan, and thanks, Splynter, for an honest review. Maybe your upcoming time with Cooper will motivate you to begin a serious search for a canine companion. Good luck!

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a little surprised that with Patti's insistence on providing us with LGBTQKTYAYTCVABDSCBJLJHADSC+ education, she didn't change BOYLES law to its first cousin Gay-Lussac’s law.

      Delete
  10. Anon@10:41: TIL means Today I Learned in text speak.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Struggled quite a bit, but eventually slogged by way to the finish line and am happy I only had two errors. Nice write up on the puzzle. My mother was born in Eddy, Texas, so technically, "Eddy" could also be a name. The town is now called Bruceville-Eddy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Musings
    -A very clever gimmick!
    -This physics teacher loved seeing NEWTON and BOYLE whose laws I taught for years. MURPHY never made it into my classroom, but that “law” is very familiar and also often cited in my lab.
    -Caitlin Clark’s basketball college career at IOWA and now her pro one at Indiana have been fodder for every sportswriter and podcaster for quite a few years now.
    -I wonder if Canadian Eh says I OH DYNE or I OH DEEN
    -Another pronunciation question: My hometown was once called Bell Creek or Bell Crick
    -Grandson may opt to do his residency here in our town and of course we offered for him to be a resident here at our house
    -The Pale Blue Dot taken by Voyager 1 from 6 billion miles away from Earth can really change your perspective
    -The KC Chiefs are building a new DOMED stadium just across the Missouri River in Kansas
    -A man was digging a canal in the late 16th century and accidentally discovered an incredible DIG SITE now known as Pompeii
    -DST: “Falling back” is easier that Springing ahead” but I’d prefer sticking to one standard all year
    -Researching what OHIO means in slang opened up a huge cache of other words unknown to me, such as Rizz and Skibidi

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  13. "The KC Chiefs are building a new DOMED stadium just across the Missouri River in Kansas." Wouldn't it be great if Taylor used some of her ERAS tour fortune for naming rights to the new stadium? She could call it Swift Arena or Kelce Field.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fairly easy puzzle for a Friday, despite the worst-ever clue for OHIO.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am EDDIE, not an EDDY

    ReplyDelete
  16. I got the LAW part of the theme. And I got that the second half of the theme answers were about ordering things. But why did each second half of the theme answer begin with LA? Can someone please explain what we are missing? I feel we are missing half the point of the puzzle?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are overthinking it. The orders fit.

      Delete
  17. A challenging and fun Friday offering from Megan Heneke.

    Kudos to Uncle Fred for his excellent explanation of the theme.

    I had also/plus… leash/Idtag

    Loved the “ head of a museum” clue.

    Nice to see Luigi make an appearance.

    Thanks Splynter for your informative and entertaining recap.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Order in the Law court! (“I’ll have a ham sangwidge”)

    So the theme was interesting/clever. But EGAD! “zounds”! once again fooled by “flow-er” 🙄 which held me up. Didn’t get the “bracket org” until CREEK perped

    Inkovers: bids/LOTS,

    MURPHY’S sign in medicine:
    During an ultrasound exam once the gallbladder is visualized mild pressure is exerted over the gallbladder with the ultrasound probe If this elicits discomfort it’s designated a “positive” Murphy’s sign and is noted in the report. Considered a “soft” sign of gallbladder disease.

    CAIO: At first I thought it said “ta-d! 🤭 … Decipher a what?

    IO WA and DINE

    “ ______ service” hired to tell say “I won’t marry you”: TURNDOWN
    US Attorney LAWANDORDER assoc. … ABA
    Eye doc’s job … UNSTYE

    Great start to the weekend weather wise ☀️

    ReplyDelete

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