Happy October from Cameron Barr and Annabel Blitzer! Cameron is student writer and puzzle constructor for The Riverdale Review, the student-run newspaper of the Riverdale Country School where they serve milk in the cafeteria. Along with co-constructor Annabel, they've published crosswords for the paper's game section. Today, they usher in the fourth quarter with their joint entry into the big time LAT. Woohoo!
17. "Top Gun" and "Top Gun: Maverick" actor: VAL KILMER. VAL reprised his role as Iceman despite having throat cancer requiring the use of AI to alter his voice.
25. Insect such as Bombyx mori: SILK MOTH. As everyone (?) knows, Bombyx mori is the scientific name for a SILK MOTH.
36. "The Kiss" painter: GUSTAV KLIMT. The Austrian symbolist painter depicted a couple embracing in 1908.
51. Appear as: SEEM LIKE. This creates an impression.
61. Ice cream treat, or what can be found in 17-, 25-, 36-, or 51-Across?: MILKSHAKE. The revealer tells us that the letters in the word "MILK" are SHAKEn (not stirred) in all the theme answers.
Being Thursday, the scrambled letters M, I, L and K are not circled. Usually, in this kind of puzzle, the theme is of no help in the solve - once revealed, you look back and see how it all fits. But in this case, I couldn't come up with GUSTAV's last name and had blanks until I saw the letters of MILK had to be in there somewhere and then it clicked. The rest was uneventful short fill that went quickly. Overall, a fine first effort.
Continuing through the Milky Way:
Across:
1. Pride letters: LGBT. This abbreviation is almost an abbrev. itself as it's often appended with Q, as in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer.
5. Latch (onto): GLOM.
9. Pricey strings, familiarly: STRAD. I wanted STRAT, of course. David Gilmour's 1969 Fender "Black Strat" sold for $14,550,000 in March 2026, breaking all previous records. This Stratocaster was used on the classic Pink Floyd albums The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.
14. Geometric calculation: AREA.
15. Spiritual energy: AURA.
16. Canines, e.g.: TEETH. Buster has an underbite that we sometimes wonder if other dogs see as a snarl.
17. [theme]
19. Spy collection: INTEL. Everyone's favorite British spy not named Bond, James Bond.
20. Do-nothing: IDLER.
21. Fastest qualifier in auto racing: POLE CAR. From my exhaustive research (I used the Google) a POLE CAR is not a proper term. It is the polesitter who starts in the pole position.
23. Welcomes: SEES IN.
25. [theme]
28. Possesses: HAS.
29. All ready: SET. On your mark, get SET, go!!
31. "I disagree": NAY. As in a "no" vote.
32. Word with flat or late: FEE. Flat FEE; late FEE.
33. Plemons of "The Power of the Dog": JESSE. He made a good first impression on me in Breaking Bad (recently voted the #1 Best TV Show of the 21st Century by the NYT) and has since seen his star rise.
35. Lends a hand: AIDS.
36. [theme]
40. Without a date: STAG. "STAG" historically meant an adult male deer, which became a slang term for an all-male gathering.
42. Like many a chimney sweep: SOOTY.
43. Resistance unit: OHM.
44. Show stoppers?: ADS. Fun clue.
47. Org. overseeing LA28: IOC. The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is overseen by the International Olympic Committee.
48. Part of B&B: BED. When RightBrain and I go on vacation, we usually pick a BED & Breakfast to stay at. The last one we enjoyed was the Forsyth Park Inn in Savannah, GA. A grand old house with large rooms and 12ft ceilings located across from a beautiful park.
51. [theme]
54. "Friends" friend: PHOEBE. PHOEBE was played by Lisa Kudrow.
56. Lady Gaga, for one: POP DIVA. Lady Gaga dressed so outlandishly, I initially thought she was just a curiosity. But I soon realized that she is a very fine musician, and used her whimsical persona to break through. Costumes may open the door, but talent keeps it open.
58. Moral standard: ETHIC. PETA condemned the meat dress but others saw it as a statement against women being seen as a piece of meat.
59. Burp: BELCH.
61. [theme]
63. Nebraska city: OMAHA.
64. Fancy party spread: PATE. PATE may be fancy, but I usually don't like it.
65. Like leap years: EVEN.
66. Some sushi fish: TUNAS. On the other hand, I like TUNA. My mom said it made her ill, so I rarely got it for lunch (ref. PBJs last week). Other kids in the cafeteria would bemoan, "TUNA again," while I thought it was a special treat. With MILK, of course.
67. Lock lips, in London: SNOG. SNOG means to kiss, and shag means to...
68. Musical pause: REST.
Down:
1. Extravagant: LAVISH.
2. Top-notch: GRADE A.
3. Some ball attendees: BELLES.
4. Opinions, informally: TAKES.
5. Lass: GAL.
6. Gravy imperfection: LUMP. On special occasions growing up, I was tasked with whipping the potatoes. In an attempt to make them LUMP-free, I overworked them creating a gluey texture. Fortunately, no one complained.
7. Cookies with many limited-edition flavors: OREOS. As many flavors as ways to clue them.
8. Miami baseball player: MARLIN. I was at the first Florida Marlins game in 1993. They were renamed the Miami Marlins in 2011 after moving to their new stadium in Miami.
Across:
1. Pride letters: LGBT. This abbreviation is almost an abbrev. itself as it's often appended with Q, as in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer.
5. Latch (onto): GLOM.
9. Pricey strings, familiarly: STRAD. I wanted STRAT, of course. David Gilmour's 1969 Fender "Black Strat" sold for $14,550,000 in March 2026, breaking all previous records. This Stratocaster was used on the classic Pink Floyd albums The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.
14. Geometric calculation: AREA.
15. Spiritual energy: AURA.
16. Canines, e.g.: TEETH. Buster has an underbite that we sometimes wonder if other dogs see as a snarl.
 |
| Our canine showing his canines. |
17. [theme]
19. Spy collection: INTEL. Everyone's favorite British spy not named Bond, James Bond.
20. Do-nothing: IDLER.
21. Fastest qualifier in auto racing: POLE CAR. From my exhaustive research (I used the Google) a POLE CAR is not a proper term. It is the polesitter who starts in the pole position.
23. Welcomes: SEES IN.
25. [theme]
28. Possesses: HAS.
29. All ready: SET. On your mark, get SET, go!!
31. "I disagree": NAY. As in a "no" vote.
32. Word with flat or late: FEE. Flat FEE; late FEE.
33. Plemons of "The Power of the Dog": JESSE. He made a good first impression on me in Breaking Bad (recently voted the #1 Best TV Show of the 21st Century by the NYT) and has since seen his star rise.
35. Lends a hand: AIDS.
36. [theme]
40. Without a date: STAG. "STAG" historically meant an adult male deer, which became a slang term for an all-male gathering.
42. Like many a chimney sweep: SOOTY.
43. Resistance unit: OHM.
44. Show stoppers?: ADS. Fun clue.
47. Org. overseeing LA28: IOC. The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is overseen by the International Olympic Committee.
48. Part of B&B: BED. When RightBrain and I go on vacation, we usually pick a BED & Breakfast to stay at. The last one we enjoyed was the Forsyth Park Inn in Savannah, GA. A grand old house with large rooms and 12ft ceilings located across from a beautiful park.
51. [theme]
54. "Friends" friend: PHOEBE. PHOEBE was played by Lisa Kudrow.
56. Lady Gaga, for one: POP DIVA. Lady Gaga dressed so outlandishly, I initially thought she was just a curiosity. But I soon realized that she is a very fine musician, and used her whimsical persona to break through. Costumes may open the door, but talent keeps it open.
 |
| Her raw meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards |
58. Moral standard: ETHIC. PETA condemned the meat dress but others saw it as a statement against women being seen as a piece of meat.
59. Burp: BELCH.
61. [theme]
63. Nebraska city: OMAHA.
64. Fancy party spread: PATE. PATE may be fancy, but I usually don't like it.
65. Like leap years: EVEN.
66. Some sushi fish: TUNAS. On the other hand, I like TUNA. My mom said it made her ill, so I rarely got it for lunch (ref. PBJs last week). Other kids in the cafeteria would bemoan, "TUNA again," while I thought it was a special treat. With MILK, of course.
67. Lock lips, in London: SNOG. SNOG means to kiss, and shag means to...
68. Musical pause: REST.
Down:
1. Extravagant: LAVISH.
2. Top-notch: GRADE A.
3. Some ball attendees: BELLES.
4. Opinions, informally: TAKES.
5. Lass: GAL.
6. Gravy imperfection: LUMP. On special occasions growing up, I was tasked with whipping the potatoes. In an attempt to make them LUMP-free, I overworked them creating a gluey texture. Fortunately, no one complained.
7. Cookies with many limited-edition flavors: OREOS. As many flavors as ways to clue them.
8. Miami baseball player: MARLIN. I was at the first Florida Marlins game in 1993. They were renamed the Miami Marlins in 2011 after moving to their new stadium in Miami.
 |
| A spring training program from 1994 |
9. Like flypaper: STICKY.
10. Brunch hr.: TEN AM.
11. Supply with updated parts: RETROFIT. Part 4?
12. Feasted on: ATE.
13. UPS competitor: DHL. United Parcel Service vs. Dalsey, Hillblom, and Lynn, named after the three founders who started the company in 1969.
18. Van Gogh flowers: IRISES. The IRISES were originally purple, but researchers found the red pigment he used was sensitive to light and faded to blue over time.
 |
| The original on left with a restored version on right. |
22. She, in Portuguese: ELA.
24. Tree house?: NEST.
26. Danson of "The Good Place": TED. People seem to like this show, but me? Not so much.
27. Bucks and rams: HES. Attendees at a STAG party.
30. ID checkers at an airport: TSA. The Transportation Security Administration is actively considering allowing TSA PreCheck passengers to bring water bottles through security. Yay! After 20 years of making us throw our water away, they are finally coming to their senses.
33. Big container: JUG. It's not like I'm trying to bring a JUG of moonshine aboard a plane!
34. Chargeable autos, for short: EVS. Electric Vehicles.
35. "Good Hang" podcaster Poehler: AMY. AMY always delivers good content, starting with her stint on SNL.
36. Locker room strategy: GAME PLAN.
37. Fish that turns into a dragon, per myth: KOI.
38. Roller coaster feature: LOOP. My favorite roller coaster is the Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg where I used to work summers.
 |
| The only coaster in the world with interlocking LOOPs |
39. Desires: ITCHES.
40. "Help us!": SOS. As I've mentioned before, SOS does not stand for anything. It's just easy to type in Morse Code ( ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ).
41. Not just a: THE.
44. Socially dominant types: ALPHAS.
45. Accomplished: DID.
46. Cuts corners: SKIMPS.
48. "Don't act up!": BEHAVE. It's Austin Powers Day!
49. Battery-powered rides: E-BIKES.
50. Clothed, so to speak: DECENT.
52. Frappuccino flavor: MOCHA.
53. Water brand: EVIAN.
55. Last multiple-choice choice, often: OTHER.
57. Midrange voice: ALTO.
59. Many a customer service assistant: BOT.
60. Animal mascot for Liberty Mutual: EMU. Liberty Mutual is sometimes abbreviated as LiMu, which rhymes with EMU. Of the big three insurance mascots, I like the gecko best.
 |
| LiMu EMU, GEICO Gecko, AFLAC Duck |
62. Beer dispenser: KEG.
BTW, I'm not a huge Austin Powers fan, but the references just seemed to fit so I milked it for all it's worth!
Be good. RB
